The story of Kozlowski Farms' (Forestville, CA) origin is pretty remarkable. Their love of food and family grew Kozlowski farms from a simple apple orchard to a premier source for hundreds of gourmet products. 60 years ago the Kozlowski family purchased land in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County and planted a variety of apple trees. Since it takes seven years for the trees to mature and produce good fruit, the family planted berries in the orchard as well to yield a quicker return.

Thus sprung the idea for producing gourmet food for the public, not just family. With so many fresh resources on the farm, the Kozlowki's began producing baked and canned goods as well as gourmet grilling sauces. Ahead of their time, the Kozlowki's were some of the first food producers in Sonoma County to go organic in the early 80s. Today, Kozlowski farms has a catalog ranging from homemade pastries to fine wines. Everything with a Kozlowski label on it comes right from their farm.

When I found Kozlowski Farms online, I was intrigued by their "California Style" BBQ sauce. However, when the samples arrived at my door, I was happy to see that the good people at Kozlowski Farms had also included four varieties of their chipotle grilling sauces.

The first sauce that I sampled was Kozlowski Farm's Apricot & Mango Roasted Chipotle sauce. According to the accompanying literature, the sauce was great for grilling or dipping. When I first cracked the seal, I was surprised by how smokey the aroma was. The liquid smoke scent really stood out. I poured a bit of the sauce into a bowl for sampling. The sauce is very thick, nearly as thick as fruit preserves. The initial taste is also reminiscent of preserves. It's sweet and fruity. However, it's followed by the smokey chipotle heat that helps balance the sweetness.

I first used the sauce as a dip for fried chicken strips. It made a fine dip. The flavors blended well with the salty batter of the chicken. I used the remainder of the bottle for some homemade meatballs last night. I simmered the sauce for a couple of minutes which thinned it out a bit. I then poured it over the meatballs. I thought the sauce was excellent with the meatballs (half turkey / half beef). It was similar to sweet and sour meatballs, but with smokey finish.

The fruity sauce may be a bit too sweet for some (like my wife), but I'm a sucker for sweet sauce. Kozlowski Farm's Apricot & Mango Roasted Chipotle sauces make an excellent dip or sauce for meaty h'orderves. I only hope the remaining Kozlowski Farm's products are as good as this one was.

To learn more about Kozlowski Farms, click the title of this article. You can also find them on Facebook. Be sure to check the "Product Reviews" page to see how the Apricot & Mango Roasted Chipotle sauce stands up against other sauces.