Canning Intensive: Preserving Spring

A combination of hands-on cooking and demonstration. Participants will take home a copy of Shakirah's preserving guide and jars of all in-class concoctions.

Learn to preserve with Shakirah Simley, founder of Slow Jams and Bi-Rite Market's Canner-In-Residence. In this 4-hour course, we'll identify varietals and taste early spring fruits and vegetables suitable for preserving at home. Then, we'll tackle canning across the preserving spectrum; last year we made apricot conserve, cherry bounce, fruit leather with edible flowers (and more), but the menu is entirely dependent on produce availability. We'll top off our adventure with hearty bites, Shak's fave preserved picks and a glass of something delicious.

Shakirah Simley is the Community Programs Manager and Canner-in-Residence for the Bi-Rite Family Businesses. She wears a number of hats including: developing jams and preserves for its PUBLIC Label line, cooking instructor at 18 Reasons (its educational arm) and is in charge of giving and community outreach, with a penchant for programs that support youth empowerment and increase access to healthy food. Before arriving on 18th Street, Shakirah attended the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship, where she received her Master's degree and studied under Italian canners. She has previously worked on nutrition and recreational equity policy issues, on youth organizing campaigns, and owned her own small-artisanal jam business, Slow Jams run out of La Cocina. In 2013, she was recently named one of Zagat's "30 under 30: SF Bay Area Up and Comers." Shakirah loves putting her food systems, community engagement and jammy talents to work every day, and if you catch her on 18th street, she loves to talk food justice, policy, jamming, school food and the perfect cappuccino.