How Sun Dried Tomatoes are Made (in California)

This video demonstrates how sun dried tomatoes are made from freshly harvested tomatoes.
This video was taken at Morning Star Company (Valley Sun) in California's Central Valley, and follows the washing, slicing, preservative application, sun drying, sorting and packing of sun dried tomatoes.
Please check out www.theproducenerd.com/2016/1... for more information related to sun dried tomatoes.
You can also see a behind the scenes look at how tomatoes are machine harvested at: • How Processing Tomatoe...
Video Chapters:
0:00 Overview of how sun dried tomatoes are made
0:13 Unloading freshly harvested tomatoes from the field
0:28 Tomatoes pass through two single-pass wash steps
0:57 The tomatoes are hand sorted to remove discolored tomatoes and any field debris
1:19 The tomatoes are mechanically sorted by size
1:40 The tomatoes receive a third single-pass wash step and are sliced in half
1:54 The tomatoes receive a fourth single-pass wash step and are transported onto wooden trays and hand sorted
2:12 The trays full of sliced tomatoes are stacked and transported to storage rooms to be gassed with Sulfur dioxide or to a dehydrating room
2:34 The trays are transported to the drying yard
3:10 Laying out the trays of tomatoes to dry and then picking them up
3:40 The trays of dried tomatoes are brought back to the packing line, where the trays are agitated to remove the tomatoes from the trays
4:17 The sun dried tomatoes are manually scraped off of the trays
4:54 Two shaking steps to remove skin, seeds or any debris and can then sort the dried tomatoes by size
5:34 The sun dried tomatoes are hand sorted and placed into bins for storage
#howsundriedtomatoesaremade #dryingtomatoes #sundriedtomatoes #tomatoprocessing #californiaagriculture #morningstarcompany #processingtomatoes

[@OneLoveBug]

God bless all these hard working people!

[@esinohio]

Who doesn't love a great how its made video? I just can't get enough of them.

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you!

[@gavinsalazar920]

You probably won’t believe me but my family’s business is pallets and we repair and make new trays that the tomatoes go on and get dried for this company. The name of this company is valley sun products

[@aliipekli7367]

good day, can you contact this company? We also do the dried tomato business. We produce about 100 tons of dried tomatoes per year. I would be very pleased if you could provide communication with this company in return for a certain commission. I am writing from Turkey. 

[@arialindsey1811]

What is the name of your pallets?

[@raja_hustle4347]

what chemicals do they use to dry them

[@frankuzmic4305]

Can you describe the process of doing these pallets? Because I want to diy at home to dry tomatoes for personal use. Thank you

[@gavinsalazar920]

@@frankuzmic4305 plywood with 2x4s underneath put the tomatoes on the plywood

[@jessicag630]

Usually, people cover their trays when sun drying. How do they not get any insect problems with the tomato trays out in the open 9-14 days at the drying yard? Do they not have flies in California? Or do they do pest control such as regular fogging or insecticide spraying?

[@tacotony4090]

It's the bird droppings that worry me.

[@alyahyai]

I have seen a few videos tonight on your channel & I had to say thanks for such wonderful & informative videos, keep up the great work 👍🏻

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you for saying that! I really appreciate it!

[@basilrose]

Those conveyors are moving really fast and the workers have to keep up, standing and leaning in an awkward position for hours at a time. All of them wearing waist support belts. This is the reality of factory processed food. Once you see you can't unsee, once you know you can't unknow. I'm off to look for videos on how to dry my own tomatoes in the sun this summer. Thank you for showing this video.

[@rightgirlwrongplanet]

Those workers might be happy to be employed. Standing is what doctors do for most hours of the day too. If they have repetitive strain injury then there may be a work policy to address that. They are wearing personal protective equipment. Their conditions are much better and appear safer than many third world countries.

[@rightgirlwrongplanet]

I'd be more concerned that sulphur dioxide is being gassed onto the tomatoes. Artificial chemicals added to natural food. I have no idea what effect sulphur dioxide has when humans consume it.

[@whatisgoingonineedtoknow.]

Always the same with any mass production, exploitation through and through. No pride and no joy but do your own and it will all come back. 😊

[@rightgirlwrongplanet]

Yours is a different argument regarding fair market price which is commensurate with skills, experience and qualifications. A doctor goes to med school for years and invests thousands into their career. It is not comparable to low skilled, low educated workers. My point was regarding working conditions which is what the original poster raised.

[@MJ-tx8jz]

rightgirlwrongplanet BS!

[@KeepItFresh02]

i freakin love these things.

[@kotimoto]

Thank you for sharing, it was interesting to see

[@mddell58]

Well made video. ✅ Informative, & the female narrator speaks clearly & is concise. ✅

[@hb888]

thank you! very helpful and well formatted

[@ipwee]

Sulfur dioxide is widely used in the food and drinks industries for its properties as a preservative and antioxidant. Whilst harmless to healthy persons when used in recommended concentrations, it can induce asthma when inhaled or ingested by sensitive subjects, even in high dilution.

[@tommybodnar8476]

This is a most excellent video. Thank you.

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you, Tommy!

[@theaverageknight]

This was a fantastic video!

[@prasadareddy1723]

This kind of drying tomatoes and making pickles is the part of tradition in India for centuries

[@prasadareddy1723]

ToeJ ThanQ for the information. In this process pickle is very tasty and durable

[@MomtazGarden]

Nice video, thanks:)

[@curtlenawilson657]

All the wash steps and still have a unique sanitary drying method once outside. No protective screens.

[@ZeeonAdventure]

Exactly! That is what I was about to ask.

[@sarahmansfield9101]

Sunlight is a potent disinfectant.

[@freedreaming1]

thank you for the information

[@LMWelsh-oh5iu]

I live in AZ and I want to do this in my backyard

[@LockRocker]

I think I'll try and dry my own supply, maybe a small scale passive solar setup with some air filter screens for intake and exhaust to keep sanitation worries at bay and under my own supervision. I do love them!

[@dreambig1916]

Have you started your business

[@danthelambboy]

You can get sun dried tomatoes for £10 per kg delivered from the internet which is cheaper than fresh because 90% of fresh tomatoes is the water content. Dried tomatoes can be 8x the cost per weight and still be the same price per tomato. Sun dried tomatoes can be picked when they are riper because they do not need to travel before being preserved when drying. So it is possible to get better quality tomatoes for cheaper in a more concentrated flavour when choosing them dried.

[@ajaybuzzer8456]

In India you get a pound of tomatoes for 0.30$.. Now think which is cheaper

[@joujimiichi1]

I have SO many questions after watching this. How does the drying co. mitigate the bacterial growth on the wooden treys? How does the drying co. control the inevitable contamination levels coming from insects landing and feeding on these open-air drying tomatoes? How much “sanitation-rinse chemicals” remain on the completed product as I noticed they were sprayed again after being cut in half? Often you find SD tomatoes in stores as a canned product suspended in an oil. That being said, what is the process there? Basic canning procedure requires heat so would that indicate that these would be cooked after being sun-dried? You may not have these answers but I would be interested in learning more.

[@mimosaflora4590]

thank you!!!!!!!!!

[@peaceofgodprayerministry4854]

Great job

[@AllieandCocosScienceShow]

Wow that was pretty amazing! My BF and I were just wondering if they were actually dried by the sun!

[@Theproducenerd]

Yes, I love this!

[@shanokhala]

great info thanx

[@tomswift3261]

Very interesting and informative. Thank you!

[@fanvantruongvlog]

hank you! very helpful and well formatted

[@abelawyer]

Very cool :D

[@danthelambboy]

Great video. Fellow food nerd here appreciates your work

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you!

[@bakemaster8065]

very amazing process

[@robertcoulson483]

Excellent!

[@bele9210]

Hi there. Thank you for such an informative video. I’m just wondering, when you say ‘sanitised water’ what does that actually contain?

[@Theproducenerd]

It depends on the company and the product, but the most common is a sanitizer that contains chlorine.

[@UttamKumar-cf5jy]

Finally got the video where there is no background fancy music, so that we can hear the host crystal clearly.

[@ilive4anime.]

I dont know know how to can tomatoes but I sun dry!!! Had forgotten about that method of preservation.

[@saddammaraval8202]

It was a very useful and interesting video. I am one of your followers ❤❤❤

[@heldercapela]

beautiful processing , superb quality , that`s in California for sure.

[@briansemione6533]

I bet that place smells fucking amazing

[@cocinoconmihijaalcantara5471]

So very good 👍

[@natalymech6619]

Omg! I LOVE dried tomato s😍

[@alexandreandrejow7711]

They are delicious

[@williamebuga8241]

Great video

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you!

[@artbykcappadona5166]

Ok no rain or birds pooping on them. Amazing!

[@Bluegirl12345]

Or the birds eating the tomatoes

[@zainulabdinqureshi7938]

your voice is too sweet... new subscriber

[@winifredokonkwo2329]

Wow.amazing

[@Theproducenerd]

It really is!

[@ArabKatib]

Nice video!!

[@lawreformsdineshbhamare568]

All steps are without human intervention but final step loos all efforts.

[@stephenmorris9382]

Sun dried tomatoes are a great addition to a tuna sandwich - try it, you'll love it

[@kishoreammu9539]

Nice

[@romeoelegadocastillo6806]

How clean and sanitized this draying process outdoor???

[@zulkarrahman2743]

good

[@lenny108]

seems in CA they are confident that it will never rain

[@shawnkay5462]

Yeah it doesnt rain here lol

[@sewingwithjanis4636]

@@shawnkay5462 b

[@bob2000and10]

Good video

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you!

[@user-vv7ch1ij3d]

شيء رائع

[@rinchhensherpa6972]

how long can the tomatoes be stored for?

[@TheDayshifter]

4:50 the ground water looks like a duck...lol

[@sabersahoge2695]

or a rabbit

[@jtsiens2]

Funny dude

[@revelationwanga]

Do you provide training for small start ups

[@ACTUALLYRICH]

One of my fave snacks to eat !!

[@ishakamboj8259]

Good information. Love from India. How many need to completely sundry tamato.

[@arkantos006]

Sulphur dioxide? Does it not react with the water in the tomatoes ?

[@bewimotos]

so what about flies and mosquitos and other bugs wondering on the dried tomatos?

[@jammygrl08]

on the drying yard, how do you deal with sudden rain?

[@Theproducenerd]

They stack up the trays and wait for the rain to stop.

[@marcgariepy7683]

When do you salt them ?

[@rehaankatvaar394]

Excellent narration with a beautiful voice. That is a very lengthy and laborious process, no wonder they are so expensive. Thanks for sharing this very informative video.

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you! It really is incredible the amount of work that goes into these different agricultural processes!

[@kevinsmith7164]

I enjoy sun dried tomatoes and I really don't have a problem with the open air drying.

[@manaswini312]

What about the juice coming out of tomatoes while cutting

[@adammackinnon4850]

Neat, beats my dehydrator

[@maniyaragro3123]

we are drying tomatoes in India. small scale start up. need more info on cutting and those hot air chambers.

[@islamzghoul7385]

how long are they left in the sun? and at what heat degrees?

[@Theproducenerd]

They are left out for 9-14 days under the California sun in the summer, until they reach the preferred moisture content. You can see more details at the corresponding blog post: www.theproducenerd.com/2016/11/the-making-of-sun-dried-tomatoes/.

[@ronaldlangdon1228]

Where was this filmed?

[@Theproducenerd]

Hi Ronald, thank you for your comment! The video was filmed in Newman, California.

[@mahendratapariya5637]

Can we produce in desert area where temperatures 30 to 46 degrees Celsius 200 day in a year

[@emmanuelkamera8790]

Thank you so much... what about birds and pests... how do these companies that I see keep birds off?... I mean all those trays laid out in the sun? There surely will be interested birds or bird droppings

[@atlsongbyrd6084]

So they don’t wash them again after the get stacked between the bins and the debris is knocked off?

[@marks8095]

SO2 final residual level greater than 10ppm?

[@Theproducenerd]

Yes. For sun dried tomatoes in general (not specific to this operation), the SO2 residue tests measure between 2000-4000ppm.

[@gasgiant7122]

So how do they ensure that no insects have laid eggs on them. After all they have been sitting outside for some time?

[@richardshiflett5181]

Sulfur Dioxide and Salt takes care of that. They're also washed in water and vinegar

[@ACTUALLYRICH]

Where do you think fruit flys come from lol. They don’t just fly into your house. Eggs are already in there

[@gasgiant7122]

@@ACTUALLYRICH wrong! They actually lay eggs on rotting fruit!

[@moofymoo]

drown, sliced, left in sun for 14 days, then skin get's scraped off. sounds like barbaric medieval torture ritual.

[@tpsin713]

Whats in the sanitizer?

[@tillycomedy2194]

so yummy, I love eating these from the deli. the ones from the jar taste really bad.

[@AngeloAlires]

I'm all for some good ol mass production and also the easiest way to do something but a few things bother me here... Now I am aware of the allotted foreign material per volume allowed by the FDA, but how do they keep animals from contaminating such large areas of open ready to read food? Like birds flying over, mice and lizards crawling around em, and of coarse all of the waste they indiscriminately leave behind? This only comes to m mind because it doesn't seem that the majority of the trays are elevated.

[@AkhtarAli-lv1xu]

Angelo Alires hi

[@glenshearer6219]

With this open-air system how do they prevent birds, flies and other pests from spoiling the product? 9-14 days is a long time to be sitting outside

[@bardgettbrandy]

I wonder if they have issues with birds? Interesting to see the process.

[@blank_801]

What if its dusty or raining?

[@lukasrohrmoser3213]

What do they do if it's about to rain?

[@SanjayKumar-hp3rk]

What is the shelf life of sun dried tomatoes?

[@tammyg2193]

What is the sanitizer?

[@Metrowhite]

what if it rains?

[@Theproducenerd]

That's a great question! If it rains, which is not very common in California's Central Valley in the middle of summer, the workers stack up the trays and wait for the rain to stop. Once the weather clears, they lay all of the trays back out again and leave them until they have dried to the desired moisture content.

[@kirandeshpande7810]

Metrowhite uuhiy

[@joelp9449]

The Produce Nerd

[@joelp9449]

The Produce can I supply Indian tomoto powder from Tamil nadu

[@keepthefaith1912]

Metrowhite 🤔

[@randyindrani9983]

good.vidiyo

[@Theproducenerd]

Thank you!

[@citic101]

sprayed with water or water and chemical ? so flys etc would land on the tomatoes in the sun ?

[@Theproducenerd]

The water used contains a sanitizer, which is what you should find at all produce operations using a rinse step. And yes, the tomatoes are drying out in the open air.

[@citic101]

HI ..........curious to know what " sanitizer" ? Bleach hydrogine chloride ,

[@Theproducenerd]

For produce, it's typically a chlorine mix. There are also other options, such as peroxyacetic acid, etc.

[@basharmagzoub8277]

My question is, the weather temperature over their, how much?

[@JoeMcKnz]

How do they keep flies off them while they're drying??

[@Theproducenerd]

They are drying out in nature, albeit at really hot temperatures!

[@Miniiiiioon]

i wanna do this but it’s too cold here even in summer :(

[@Theproducenerd]

Have you thought of trying a dehydrator?

[@takencareofbidness]

9 to 14 days outside collecting dust. Can you imagine any slight breeze is going to stir up the dust off the ground where the tomatoes are. Yum! I've seen videos where they make raisins and dry chili the same way.

[@ralphtom3431]

Dude. Fda allows 4. Rodent hairs in Every 3.5 oz of peanut butter Youre worried about dust? Im more concerned about those ladies Spitting breakfast particles blabbing about their granddaughters Quinceanera

[@aligavary1160]

What if it rains on tomatoes while drying?

[@springteen3743]

Like sun dry tomatoes make them yourself safer

[@ramkrishna345]

My neighbour tried to do this but her tomato turned completely black in colour, can you explain me why this happened?

[@timrowlett5451]

What about bugs laying eggs on these drying tomatoes?

[@andrewtowell6074]

Did you see all the flys when they brough them in from outside... I always assumed it would be under class with the vents netted over etc

[@patrickpalmarella3119]

Flies and ants love it. Great see no screens

[@joerice1316]

How do they keep insects away or rodents while the tomatoes are lying on the ground?

[@Theproducenerd]

Just like with tomatoes or any other produce growing in the field, there are no covers.

[@joerice1316]

The tomatoes in the field drying are cut open ,not sealed like a tomato on the vine.Flys can lay eggs on them,Mice can nibble too.This process doesen't look sanitary to me.

[@fitofight8540]

joe rice birds and insects used to eat them until they get tired of the taste

[@floatingchimney]

+joe rice Don't be so naive, they're pasteurized before being canned.

[@cmleoj]

@@floatingchimneyBut these products are usually not canned in the US. They’re sold in plastic lined boxes stored at room temperature. I have to wonder if the product, once it goes into the big box you see at the end, undergoes a pasteurization process prior to storage. That would resolve a lot of the issues, except for the removal of the insect carcasses!😢

[@sydewan]

What if it rains within the 14 day drying process ?

[@Theproducenerd]

They stack up the trays.

[@robertshaw100]

Don't the bugs get to the tomatoes when drying in the sun?

[@vlael2387]

What happens if it were to rain?