Early Girls at Heirloom

A few Saturdays ago, I had the lovely pleasure of attending a tomato canning class at Heirloom Cafe. Anne suggested we go while Heather and Alex where in town and I couldn't have thought of a better first activity upon their arrival. They hadn't even been in the city a whole hour before we were getting a demonstration on how one cans a whole bunch of tomatoes.

Why can? Why not, is my answer. Canned tomatoes are so useful. Just think of all the recipes that call for canned tomatoes: soups, chili, sauces. Once you've canned on your own, you'll never want to go store bought. Why? Why not. A simple recipe is all you need:

Heirloom is totally one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. First of all, the decor is super cozy.

Their food is cozy too! Their menu has that same warm and homey vibe that the menu at Outerlands has. They have a pretty stellar wine selection too:

I think even some of us got sneak peak at the cellar. After getting a demonstration, it wasn't long before we were all getting our hands dirty.



I found it kind of exhilarating to be in Heirloom's kitchen. The demonstration was super hands on, which was good, because it's the best way to learn how to do something.



Once the tomatoes have been blanched, shocked, peeled, cored and seeded, they are ready to go into the jars:

Tomato juice in the jars, too:



Anne having fun with her tomato canning:



A beautiful array of tomatoes ready to be preserved:



Keeping the brim clean is a must:



Top them off with lids:



All of these gorgeous jars of early girls, ready to be used at any time. After the demonstration, we didn't stop there. Attendees enjoyed a glorious lunch of pasta and wine.



Back in the kitchen...



Early girl tomato sauce simmers...



Lunch is ready! Maybe I'm exaggerating, but the pasta was one of the best I'd ever had. It could have been my mood. Or it could have just been really awesome pasta, made with end of summer love. An early girl never fails.