By Kimmy Clements and Gabriel Rogers
By the Bionutrient Food Association, offered a free lecture to introduce information that will be presented more in-depth in a two-day workshop: the first day in November and the second in March. Dan Kittredge spent two hours sharing his life-long knowledge to 22 listeners about how to grow your food while maximizing nutrients and minimizing labor. The first session of this workshop will be November 3rd at the Thomas Education Center and we hope to get a minimum of 20 participants to provide for Dan’s return to West Virginia from Massachusetts. Learn more at www.bionutrient.org.
In our third workshop, Sauerkraut & Pickles at the Jivaka Wellness Center in Elkins, Gabriel Rogers shared techniques he learned from nationally known fermentation revivalist Sandor Katz about lactobacilli fermentation. The 16 participants learned how to preserve their vegetable harvest in the form of delicious side dishes, while maintaining nutrients and propagating beneficial bacteria for healthy gut function. Fermentation classes will continue this winter with Fermented Proteins-Tempeh in November and Homemade Sodas in January.
Last Tuesday, Kyle Weaner offered Chutneys, Condiments and Cranberries, kicking off the class with a wild harvest of cranberries in the Olson Bog. We had 8 pickers travel to the bog with us and 5 others join for the workshop that evening at the Canaan Valley Institute. Kyle shared his knowledge of fresh and cooked chutneys (a type of relish), raita, and a fresh cranberry pickle. He also showed participants how to temper spices and informed them of the ways certain flavors react to and in your body. This is the first of a series of Indian cooking classes, the next being Biryani: A Tour of India in November.
It’s time to register for next week’s Food & Farm Workshops: Dehydrating Fruits & Vegetables and Charcuterie at Home. Dehydrating Fruits & Vegetables, by Stephanie Connolly, will be on Tuesday, October 22nd at the Jivaka Wellness Center from 6-7:30pm. Stephanie will share ways to preserve your produce while keeping nutrients intact. Charcuterie at Home, by Sara Bir, will be on Saturday, October 26th from 2-5pm at the Thomas Education Center. Sara is a certified Chef and will show us how preserved meats can be made without extra preservatives. Want to learn how to make sausage, bacon, and other preserved meats yourself? If so, please join us. Sara will be traveling from Ohio so we need a minimum of 10 participants. Check her out at www.sarabir.com.
For more information or to register, please contact Kimmy Clements of the Potomac Highlands Food and Farm Initiative at 304.259.5388 or phffi@frontier.com. Remember: It’s about good food!