Had the best time visiting Del Monte farms and cannery in Modesto, CA last month. Had the privilege of meeting some of the Del Monte staff, their farmers along with touring the factory, peach and tomato farms with 5 other food bloggers from across the country. Del Monte delighted us with this refreshing Peach Sorbet to get our morning started.
Photo courtesy of Del Monte Foods
What a treat to tour the cannery where many of Del Monte’s fruit products are packaged and prepared for the shelves. Here’s a shot of the canned peaches almost done.
Photo courtesy of Del Monte Foods
The pears were as gorgeous as ever.
Our fun Del Monte group from left to right: Kelly, Julie, Ali, Robyn, Me and Gina.
I learned that nearly 90% of Del Monte fruit and vegetables are grown in the United States, in the best growing regions for a consistently quality product. 100% of Del Monte’s canned peaches & tomatoes are grown in the United States.
Del Monte picks their fruit, vegetables and tomatoes at the peak of ripeness, with the majority canned the same day they are picked to lock in nutrients and flavor. 98% of their canned fruit, vegetables and tomatoes are preservative free. According to Del Monte, fruits, vegetables, and tomatoes contain similar nutrients as fresh when prepared for the table. In some instances, such as peaches & tomatoes, the canned version may contain more antioxidants and vitamins than fresh as a result of the canning process.
The peach farmers and their sweet dog Cosmo told us all about the dedication and hard work that goes into maintaining beautiful peaches for Del Monte.
We got to pick peaches right off the tree. I found this very amusing apparently 🙂
We had a lovely Barbecue style lunch back at the Del Monte cannery. Gorgeous fruited water and centerpieces were on each table.
Friends and a beautiful lunch!
A glimpse at some of our lunch.
After lunch, it was off to the tomato farm. These are bright Roma-style tomatoes that were just about ready.
Colorful tomatoes for acres and acres.
Photo courtesy of Del Monte Foods
Julie and I picking tomatoes to take home.
Photo courtesy of Del Monte Foods
Bloggers with the tomato farmers. Fun afternoon.
What an absolute treat to meet these tomato farmers. They were some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. So generous and kind. Many of Del Monte’s farmers are third generation partners with Del Monte Foods, especially in fruit where several families have grown fruit for Del Monte for more than 70 years. These vegetable & tomato growers have been with Del Monte on average thirty years. I enjoyed visiting the Del Monte cannery in Modesto. It gave me new insight about how our fruits and vegetables are brought to us. Their fruits, vegetables and tomatoes are grown in excellent soil and packed at the peak of ripeness. Del Monte has been accomplishing this for over 100 years.
https://twitter.com/dddiva/status/388104946018967552
I like tomato bisque soup.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/388083160329637888
I love a good peach cobbler.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/388037017289781249
I like to make tomato sauce.
i like to use my dad’s peach cobbler recipe. it’s delicious and very easy to make!
Tweet!! https://twitter.com/mya98604/status/388030377996353536
I love love love homemade salsa!!
I tweeted. https://twitter.com/AliciaJennette/status/388017914877444096
My favorite peach recipe to make is peach jam.
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/388010329851969536
I love to make peach crisp. It is just like making an apple crisp but you substitute peaches for the apples. SO GOOD!!!
Here’s my tweet https://twitter.com/LooseBumm2/status/388002682008788993
Tuscan Vegetable Soup is my favorite recipe to make with canned tomatoes.
I like making homemade spaghetti sauce
https://twitter.com/joyq74/status/387945347202686977
My favorite peach recipe is peach cobbler
Peach cobbler and I make a peach salsa too.
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/387926439271858176
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Homemade peach cobbler ismy favorite
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I love to make my hamburger soup that uses tomatoes. thank you!
I love making peach jam.
I’m a big fan of Caprese salad.
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lisalmg/status/387697862488109056
My favorite tomato recipe to make is my homemade chili.
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/hbbs55/status/387670540145537026
my favorite receipe is my roasted red pepper and toamato sauce, yum!
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/387616407695151104
My mom’s peach pie recipe is one of my favorites to make.
https://twitter.com/ky2here1/status/387557579129245696
Mafia tomatoes for me, please.
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/4BlueHouse/status/387440015745093632
My favorite is Fried Green Tomatoes, served with freshly made Ranch Dressing for a dip.
homemade pasta sauce
I love grilled peaches so my favorite peach recipe is a Grilled Peach Salad with Toasted Pecans, Blue Cheese and Honey Balsamic Syrup. The recipe is not my original but one I found online awhile back.