Learn With Me - Winter Classes 2013

rachel tayse baillieul teacher pictureAfter a hiatus from teaching to work on unpacking at our new home, I am excited to begin offering classes again. This winter I will teach hands-on cooking classes at Franklin Park Conservatory, homesteading discussions at City Folk's Farm Shop, demonstrations at the Clintonville Farmers' Market, and a workshop at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association annual conference. I am also partnering with Joseph of Swainway Urban Farm to offer a season extension workshop at our homestead. One of the reasons I love leading classes is that I learn as much from the participants as I teach. I hope we can share knowledge soon.

Be well,

Rachel

PS. I am thrilled to announce that next season, beginning in April, I will join the teaching staff of soon-to-open The Seasoned Farmhouse cooking school by Tricia Wheeler, publisher of Edible Columbus. Stay tuned for spring class announcements!

Franklin Park Conservatory - $30/members, $35 non-members. To register, visit the Conservatory at 1777 E Broad St, call 614.715.8022 or download a registration form here.

Dairy Delights - January 27 3:30 - 5:30 - A whole world of dairy products can emerge from a gallon of milk or bit of cream. Learn how to turn the basics into cheese, yogurt, kefir, butter, and whipped cream at home. The skills learned in this class can help you transform less-than-fresh dairy into something edible, make a recipe ingredient without going to the store, and have more fun in the kitchen.

Citrus Year-Round - February 24 3:30 - 5:30 - Do more with the fruit of Florida - put up the citrus jewels of winter to savor their tart sunny flavor throughout the seasons. We’ll make and taste lemon confit, candied grapefruit, marmalade, and homemade orange liqueur in this cheery class.

Potent Potables - March 24 3:30 - 5:30 - Beer, wine, hard cider, and mead are all within the grasp of the home cook. In this class we’ll taste samples and talk about ingredient sourcing, measurement, and bottling. Then, each participant will make a small batch of cider or mead to ferment at home.

City Folk's Farm Shop -  $20/person. To register, stop in the store at 4760 N High St. Columbus OH 43214, call 946-5553, or email shopkeeper Shawn.

Edible Medicine - January 24 6-8 pm - Not only can food keep our body healthy, it can help support healing. Learn simple, scientifically-based remedies for winter colds, skin ailments, and more.

Fats - February 21 6-8 pm - The variety of cooking fats is enormous. Learn about how to make and use natural and local fats in your home cooking and when to use butter, lard, and oils. We’ll compare the various health factors in using different fats too.

Odds and Ends - March 23 6-8 pm - Great chefs and thrifty home cooks know how to make the most of stems, bones, roots, and other frequently discarded bits of produce and meat. I will show you how I include odds and ends in her everyday cooking and preserving.

Clintonville Farmers' Market - free drop-in demonstrations 10:30 - 12:30 at St. James Episcopal Church at Oakland Park and Calumet in Clintonville

Jerky - January 26 - Turn local meats into healthy protein-packed bites by making jerky at home.

Fats - February 23 - Make and sample culinary fats from local sources and learn about the health benefits of using natural fats in your cooking.

Odd Cuts - March 30 - Learn how to cook and preserve unusual (but inexpensive) cuts of meat like flank steak, heart, and offal.

Special Events:

Cooking with Cultures: harnessing the power of yeast and bacteria to ferment foods - OEFFA Conference Sunday February 17 1:30 - 2:30 pm - Fermented foods and beverages like kefir, beer, sauerkraut, vinegar, and pickles are not only nutritious and delicious but can connect the cook with local foods and ancient traditions. In this demonstration workshop, I will show how to start or expand making fermented foods and home and share samples. Included with conference registration.

Hoophouse Build and Season Extension Workshop - March 3 10 am - 2 pm. $25 includes locally-sourced lunch sponsored by City Folk's Farm Shop. Register at City Folk's Farm Shop 4760 N High St., by calling 614-946-5553 or emailing shopkeeper Shawn.

Join Joseph Swain of Swainway Urban Farm and the Tayse Baillieul family for a hands-on season extension workshop and hoophouse build. With the addition of a simple hoophouse which can cost around $300, home gardeners in Central Ohio can extend the growing season from early spring to late fall and right on through the winter months. A hoophouse can also provide a warm space to harden seedlings and get a jump on summer crops. In this session participants will construct a hoophouse while learning best practices on growing food for themselves year round. Hoophouse hardware and supplies will be available for purchase at City Folks Farm Store. The workshop will take place at our homestead in north central Columbus.

Scenes from Franklin Park's Edible Gardens {Friday Five}

I had the pleasure of volunteering with the Franklin Park Conservatory Women's Board at a cooking class last night. Yes, I was on my feet for almost seven hours, and yes I spent a fair amount of it around a hot wood fire. But I was truly entertained by instructors Jim Budros, Rich Terapak, and Steve Stover and I was thrilled to take pictures around the garden. Here are just some of the beautiful edibles I saw:

okra growing

gooseberries franklin park

Espalier apple tree

asparagus on yakitori grill

cooking paella

If you have never been to the Scotts Miracle-Gro Community Garden Campus, go! Find parking in front of the caretaker's house off Franklin Park South or you can enter via the conservatory main entrance and keep driving towards the south end of the park until you reach the far parking lot. Wander around and take note of the hundreds of culinary species growing. It is a place of inspiration for kitchen gardeners and beauty for all others.

If you've never been to a cooking class, I suggest Rich and Steve's Spanish Tapas offering on July 19. Even an experienced home cook will be inspired and entertained while eating a fine meal.

Raising a Painted Lady Butterfly

During the month of April, we watched a caterpillar grow, molt, form a chrysalis, and hatch into a butterfly. Observing the larvae became an exciting daily ritual for Lil, Alex and I. The caterpillar had perfect timing - it made a chrysalis during our new england vacation and emerged last weekend. We are pleased that Lil experienced the caterpillar life cycle first hand. Should we have been able to witness the butterfly life cycle, we might have seen a hawk eat it, or the butterfly starve without food. But we hope that our painted lady pollinated some flowers while drinking nectar and laid or fertilized eggs to hatch into new caterpillars.

We purchased our caterpillar for $4 from the Franklin Park Conservatory gift shop. If you are not local, Carolina science supply sells painted lady larvae. To preserve natural species, please only raise and release butterflies that are native to your area.

Added to Hearth and Soul 46.

Cooking Classes, Spring Break Camps, and Food Events

Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. -Hans Christian Anderson The little bit of sunshine I enjoyed yesterday has me dreaming of warmer days coming. I would love to spend some of the early spring with you at a cooking class or local food event.

Classes taught by Rachel at Franklin Park Conservatory

cooking class at franklin park conservatory

Greens (ages 3-5) Winter greens are so sweet and tasty that even veggie-averse kids will be tempted to taste the green monster smoothie, kale chips, and pesto we cook up in this vitamin rich class. Thursday, March 10, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. $15 Members; $20 Non-Members

Charcuterie Charcuterie is the act of curing meat by salt, smoke, or dehydration.  Home cooks will learn how to apply these concepts to their cooking to delicious effect.  Participants will enjoy a light meal featuring cured meat and stuff sausage to take home.  Tuesday March 15, 6:30 - 8 p.m. $30 Members; $35 Non-members

Growing Young Chefs from the Ground Up! (For children entering grades 1 - 6) Spend Spring Break cooking and eating at Franklin Park!  We will discover all the different parts of plants that we eat, from roots in the ground to fruit hanging from branches.  Young chefs will help set the menu and cook tasty snacks and lunches, visiting bees and edible gardens along the way. Register by March 4. Monday - Friday, March 21 - 25, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday, March 28 - April 1, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. $180 Members; $190 Non-members

Seeds to Grow and Eat! Seeds, the starting germ of a plant, can be eaten, sown, or sprouted.  We will explore all three options in this family workshop.  We will cook three snacks from seeds and create an indoor herb garden to take home. Sunday March 27, 2 - 3:30 p.m. $20 Members; $25 Non-members (price includes one child and one adult)

Condiments Condiments can be made at home as easily as opening a jar from the store. Participants will practice making mayonnaise, aioli, ketchup, mustard, and barbecue sauce. After creating the toppings, we will taste them on sandwiches. Sunday April 3, 4 - 5:30 p.m. $30 Members; $35 Non-members

Butterflies Did you know that all it takes to make butter is to shake up some cream? We’ll make butter from local Snowville cream and use the buttermilk to whip up whole grain pancakes with seasonal fruit. Thursday April 14, 11 a.m. -12 p.m. $15 Members; $20 Non-members (price includes one child and one adult)

Local Food Events

Maple Sugaring - 'Tis the season for making maple syrup. Instead of repeating her work, I direct you to the concise list of sugaring events at local parks on CbusMom.com.

Dine Originals Restaurant Week - March 7-13 Visit an independent Dine Originals restaurant during restaurant week for creative prix fixe meals at a steal of a price. Check out menus on the Dine Originals website.

Ohio Market Day at Hills Market - Saturday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free community event showcases the wares of thirty food purveyors and organizations from around Ohio. Each of our Ohio vendors will demo their wares. We'll be hosting several workshops featuring recipes and accompanying samples. As always, Boar's Head will be giving away free hot dogs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and we will raffle off more than 100 prizes and giveaways.

Central Ohio Food Forum at Wild Goose Creative - Monday, March 21st from 6:30-8pm Join Edible Columbus, Local Matters, and Wayward Seed Farm for a series of open and honest conversations about our food system. With topics ranging from production to distribution, community gardens to backyard chickens, and everything in between, we invite you to join us. Bring your ideas, questions and thoughts, your neighbors, friends and family.

Edible Books Contest at Northwest Library - March 31 from 6 - 8:30 pm View the tomes turned to treats by professionals and amatuers or enter one of your own! Registration starts at 6 with viewing by the public from 7-8:30.

Zen Retreat and Cooking classes with Edward Espe Brown at First UU Columbus and Franklin Park Conservatory - April 1-3 Zen Columbus Sangha announces a weekend with Zen Buddhist priest, author, and chef, Edward Espe Brown. Detailed information, including schedule and registration, is available here: http://www.zencolumbus.com/EEBannouncement2011.pdf

PS. It's March 2, the birthday of my sister Sarah, uncle Mike and Dr. Seuss!

Kids Cook in the PreK Zone at Franklin Park

kids cooking classes at franklin park conservatoryThe Franklin Park Conservatory is expanding their Food Education program with the new PreK Zone.  Yours truly will be the teacher! Three to six year olds in the PreK Zone will prepare and eat simple whole foods dishes in my Kids Cook hands-on format.  Classes will highlight the seasonal ingredients uniquely available in the Scott’s Miracle Grow Community Garden Campus.  I am very excited to work with the horticulture staff at the Conservatory to make use of the produce grown there.

The series begins with two Creative Cookies classes Thursday, December 16 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. and Tuesday December 21 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the beautiful and well equipped Education Pavilion. Each class costs $15 for conservatory members and $20 for non-members.

Registration and details about future classes are available online at http://www.fpconservatory.org/programsfoodedu.htm or by calling the Franklin Park registrar at 614.645.5923.