Summer Saver

Tomato blight leave you shorthanded? Stock up at Happy Girl Kitchen.

As fungus attacks tomato plants in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the West Coast remains blissfully free of blight.

Although many of us didn't get our fresh tomato fix this year, there's no need to despair: Todd and Jordan Champagne of California's Happy Girl Kitchen have been very busy preserving the sweet, tangy taste of summer by the jarful.

Thanks to this Big Sur-based couple, you can enjoy organic heirloom tomatoes anywhere in the United States throughout the off-season. Happy Girl Kitchen's new online shop sells intensely flavored whole and crushed heirloom tomatoes ($7 a pint) alongside a selection of seasonal pickles, jams and condiments (including tomato-based ketchup and salsa).

But our favorite product is the tomato juice ($4 a pint), a translucent, unadulterated beverage that bears no resemblance to the viscous, salty stuff sold at supermarkets.

The only thing that can top this refreshing drink is Happy Girl's spicy tomato juice ($5 a pint). Revelatory on its own (the Guardian agrees), it's also the perfect base for a Bloody Mary.

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