The Self-Sufficient Kitchen
Food as Medicine Saturday, March 20
Cheese Saturday, April 10
Fermentation Saturday, June 5
Bread Saturday, July 24
Canning + Preserving Saturday, August 28
All classes meet from 1:00-5:00 pm at the Studio for Urban Projects 3579 17th Street.
Classes are $75. Please use the Paypal link below to register.
This ongoing series of classes will introduce you to the basics of traditional food preparation. In a time when we can often mistake “food products” for real food, this series of classes will ground students in the processes, recipes and nutritional benefits of cooking from scratch. As Michael Pollan writes in his book In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” The self-sufficient kitchen will revisit traditional cooking techniques and reinterpret them in the context of the contemporary urban foodshed. We will examine the city as an agricultural site. The class will take short walking trips to local urban farms, backyard gardens, and foraging spots to visit local growers and harvest ingredients for the dishes we prepare.
Each class will be taught by Nicole LoBue. Nicole has been working in the food industry in New York and San Francisco since 1990. She studied the culinary arts and whole foods nutrition at the Anne Marie Colbins School of Food and Healing and the French Culinary Institute in NY. With a deep passion for food inspired by her Sicilian heritage and world travels, Chef Nicole Lobue spreads the love of everything delicious to others. A dedicated student of herbal medicine; Nicole firmly follows the political and aesthetic culinary principles regarding the faithful use of ingredients that are healthful both for consumers and the environment.
Food as Medicine In this class we will explore foods that help us to regain our equilibrium after the winter months. Participants will be introduced to preparing own teas and decoctions for wellness, become familiar with health supportive herbs to have in their kitchens, and learn how to take immunity into their own hands to heal common ailments with food and herbs.
Cheese This class will introduce techniques of milk preservation. Using both raw goat and cow’s milks from local dairies, students will get hands-on experience making several basic fresh cheeses including ricotta, farmerâs cheese, fresh mozzarella, and feta cheese. The class will also demonstrate the basics of yogurt, kefir, buttermilk and creme fraiche.
Fermentation This class will cover the basics of fermentation. From sauerkraut to lacto-fermented sodas, the class will demonstrate techniques for making fermented foods a healthful part of your home pantry. Other foods the class will introduce include Kombutcha, Pickles, and Kimchee.
Bread This class will give students an introduction to bread from threshing the wheat to pulling a loaf out of the oven. We will discuss local sources of grain, how it is harvested and milled and we will grind our own flour. Techniques for storing grains will also be discussed. The class will make sourdough starters for participants to take home. Students will learn how to make naturally leavened bread from a variety of grains and explore different techniques for making delicious and healthful loaves.
Canning + Preserving In this class we will harvest the height of the seasons fruits and vegetables and learn how to preserve them. Equipment, recipes and techniques will be demonstrated and will make preserves and can vegetables for the winter months ahead. Students will leave with several jars to add to their pantries.