To close out the summer in the last week of vacation for the kids, I signed us up for a Tomato Sauce making lesson through a cantina named Porto di Mola.  I have been told by many a friend who've attended that this educational class was a must do in the late summer.  I was lucky enough to attend the everything eggplant class in the late spring, learning to make traditional Italian eggplant dishes by a wonderful nonna (grandma) of the family.  The process of a day at the cantina is you help them prepare the food, cook the food, set the table for the whole group for lunch (between 30-50), then they serve you a full Italian lunch with a lot of their delicious wine.  If you want my opinion, this is a fantastic way to spend a Monday and everyone should try it at least once a week ;-). Their backyard!  I called my dear friend, told her I wanted to sign us and the kiddos up for the Tomato Sauce day since the summers here are crazy and you barely get to see your friends due to travel, family, stateside travel, etc.  She happily obliged.  This dear friend is 99.9% of the time early for everything and this day was no different, even after the GPS guided us through someone's vineyard-normal everyday occurrence here, you just have to commit to it and pretend that you know where you are going-we arrived early.  Her punctuality rewarded us in the best possible way...almost one full hour of just the five of us with the Italian ladies of the cantina prepping tomatoes for cooking, crushing and canning.  And they remembered us for the rest of the day. Adin working in pomodori QC. This was the most popular station.

The kids had a chance to try every station in the process of making and canning the tomato sauce.  They had a great time and didn't mind the cheek pinching and head rubbing from the nonne (grandmas).

 It was an incredible day and I'm thinking that any day I get a chance to bask in this scene, smell a wood burning fire and enjoy some delicious homemade Italian food and wine....that's a great day.  

The beauty and simplicity of true Italian tomato sauce: washing, cooking, crushing, canning, sealing...tried and true for Lord knows how many years on this land.

A double wash These pomodori were well taken care of. Softening    

A few more of the grounds. Prepping some antipasti for our lunch.

Preparing delicious antipasti for our lunch.

Inside their cantina.

The scene inside the cantina.

Some friends we met on our way out my first time at Porto di Mola.

Some friends who gave us a "Buon viaggio" on our way out.

Every yard needs a fig tree too!

No Italian land is complete without a fig tree. Batter for the zucchini flowers.

Preparing the batter for our fried zucchini flowers. Four burner stove to feed 60+ guests...these women are rockstars!

These ladies are rockstars feeding 60+ adults and children pasta for lunch with a four burner stovetop.

Ciao!