Hello to all of you!<\/p>\n
Can you believe how fast this year is going? Here we are in May – already! But that\u2019s okay because most of us look forward to May. It signals the end of winter and most of the \u201clittle winters” we experience in Spring. Dogwood Winter, Blackberry Winter, Locust Winter, and a few others make a quick appearance but give way to the beautiful days of May. Warm days and the gifts of Spring – that\u2019s what May is all about.<\/p>\n
May also speaks to warmer weather and is a precursor to the summer months. This gets me thinking about tomatoes. Specifically, a local product, the tomatoes from Grainger County.<\/p>\n
What makes them so special? They\u2019re known for their iconic flavor, texture, and appearance. Grainger County is known for its limestone-based soil, which is perfect for growing sweet yet tart tomatoes. The soil gives them that unique flavor everyone knows and loves. Oh, so good.<\/p>\n
Another reason these tomatoes are so special is the way they\u2019re grown. These babies are started and nurtured the old fashioned way – in the ground, and without hydroponics. The vines produce fruit that\u2019s organic and full of flavor. And that means you can count on superior nutrition and taste. Yum!<\/p>\n
One more thing – and it\u2019s important – these tomatoes are shipped to stores and never warehouses. They\u2019re meant to be eaten close to home, so you\u2019ll never find them in far away places like the West Coast. Nope, they stay right here in our own region for us to savor and enjoy. By the way, don\u2019t wait on these; they\u2019re also meant to be eaten ASAP. So eat away every chance you get!<\/p>\n
That reminds me. Most people think of salad when it comes to tomatoes. And that\u2019s okay, but I\u2019m here to tell you there\u2019s so much more you can do with them. Need some ideas? Try one of these:<\/p>\n
Okay, Foodies, that\u2019s a wrap. However you enjoy tomatoes, I hope you enjoy the best that East Tennessee has to offer. And by all means, store your tomatoes in the coolest part of your house, and NEVER in the fridge!<\/p>\n
Until next time, here\u2019s to the luscious Grainger tomato, and here\u2019s to making life better one meal at a time!<\/p>\n
Chef Kevin
\nPersonal Chef
\nChef Kevin Culinary<\/p>\n
If you want the best tomatoes choose those with very few blemishes or dark spots. A tomato should be firm, and have a good weight for its size. Smell it near the spot where the stem was. It should be very aromatic. And remember, never put your tomatoes in the fridge. That\u2019s just criminal.<\/p>\n
As we enjoy Spring and get ready to embrace the Summer months many people will be traveling and taking vacations. My in-home dinner parties can make a great dining-out alternative for folks vacationing in the beautiful Smoky Mountains and renting cabins. No reservations, no waiting in line, no fighting traffic! For more information, visit checkout Dinner Parties<\/a> and Vacation Rentals<\/a>. I’ll do the cooking so you can rest and relax!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey Foodies, Hello to all of you! Can you believe how fast this year is going? Here we are in May – already! But that\u2019s okay because most of us look forward to May. It signals the end of winter and most of the \u201clittle winters” we experience in Spring. Dogwood Winter, Blackberry Winter, Locust […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4010"}],"version-history":[{"count":56,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4127,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010\/revisions\/4127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chefkevinculinary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}