Autumn 2011 {Events and Classes}

Fill your calendar and your belly with some of the local food events scheduled for this autumn! Hounds in the Kitchen classes at Franklin Park Conservatory: register by calling 614.645.5923 or download, print and mail a registration form.

kids cooking classPuttin' Up Keep the summer bounty easily at hand all year long with tried and true preserving techniques. Homesteader Rachel Tayse Baillieul will guide class participants to make freezer basil pesto, water-bath canned applesauce, "sun" dried tomatoes and home frozen fruit. Sun., September 11, 4 – 6pm $15 Members (Member Madness Pricing!); $35 Non-members

Fermented Foods Fermented foods, like traditional sauerkraut and kefir, are believed to improve digestion and increase absorption of nutrients. Plus, they taste delicious! We will sample a variety of fermented foods and demonstrate how to easily make kefir, buttermilk, sourdough, pickles, and sauerkraut at home. Sun., October 16, 4 – 6pm $30 Members; $35 Non-members

Whole Bird Cooking Fear the holiday turkey and goose no more! Participants in this class will practice carving, eat a small meal, hear tips and tricks for flavorful juicy roasting, and learn how to use leftovers to best effect. Leave with the confidence to add roast birds to your menu year round. Sun., November 13, 4 – 6pm $30 Members; $35 Non-members

Fruit or Vegetable? PreK Using the powers of observation, preschoolers will identify what is a fruit and what is a vegetable, explore the gardens to see crops growing on trees, vines, and plants and then cook and taste nutritious recipes with local and seasonal produce. Thursdays, September 8, 15, and 22; 11am – 12pm $30 Members (Member Madness Pricing!); $70 Non-members (for the three-class series, price includes one child age 3-6 and one adult)

Harvest Fun PreK The harvest season is full of kid-friendly foods and activities. Kids will cook with local favorites including apples, potatoes and pumpkins during this series. Each week series will include a food-related craft. Thursdays, October 13, 20 and 27; 11am – 12pm $63 Members; $70 Non-members (for the three- class series, price include one child age 3-6 and one adult)

Whole Grains PreK Kids will explore nutrient-dense grains, from familiar rice and wheat to exotic tabouli and quinoa, through measuring, cooking and tasting a wide variety of grains. Your family may find a new favorite! Thursdays, November 3, 10 and 17; 11am – 12pm $63 Members; $70 Non-members (for the three-class series, price include one child v and one adult)

Hounds in the Kitchen Classes at Wild Goose: register online through Wild Goose

Apples Year Round Rachel will share her favorite ways to enjoy apples in all seasons by dehydrating, canning applesauce, and storing long term. We'll focus on more advanced ways of preserving apples including making cider vinegar and hard cider. Tuesday September 20, 6:30-8:30 pm, $30 per individual, $55/pair (one person takes two classes or two people take one class)

Home Charcuterie Learn how to make pancetta and bacon at home with no special tools or equipment! We'll also demonstrate how to stuff sausage and sample a variety of home cured meats. Tuesday October 18, 6:30-8:30 pm, $30 per individual, $55/pair (one person takes two classes or two people take one class)

Hounds in the Kitchen appearances: Bacon Camp 2011! Rachel will be part of the judging team for the annual bacon camp hosted by Wild Goose Creative at the North Market. There are still tickets available for next Saturday's event. August 27, 1-4 pm, $10 for bacon samples and fun. Register online.

Country Living Fair Held on the beautiful Ohio Village, the Country Living Fair is an annual gathering of fans of antiques, farm fresh cooking, and crafting. Rachel will present "New Ideas with Ohio Apples" on Friday at noon. The fair runs 10 am to 5 pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday September 16-18. Tickets are for sale online ($13) or at the gate ($16).

Recommended Events:

Hungry Planet at Franklin Park Conservatory - August 20 - November 6 The conservatory hosts a food show this harvest season. See food art installed throughout the horticultural displays, tour the Edible Campus, and wander through a blown glass garden. A Food for Thought lecture series and special events like Market Days and Food Truck Sundays compliment the exhibits.

Lobster Days at The Hills Market Join The Hills Market in Worthington as they serve traditional Maine Lobster Rolls (filled to the brim with 1/4 pound of fresh lobster placed atop a buttered and toasted roll) with Ballreich's potato chips (from Tiffin, Ohio), lemonade and a slice of Judy's blueberry pie (from Waldo, Ohio.) Seatings are at 1 and 5 p.m. August 27 and September 3. Reservations for the $15 dinner are required by calling 614.846.3220.

Farm to Table Dinners at Murphin Ridge Murphin Ridge in West Union, Ohio will offer two different opportunities for travelers to enjoy the inn's memorable farm-to-table dining experience, with dinners slated for Sat., Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.  The dinner is only $50 per person or $65 for wine pairings. Lodging is also available.

Horn of Africa Benefit at Solay Bistro> The Horn of Africa benefit dinner at Solay Bistro promises to be one of the most interesting cultural exchanges in Columbus this fall, and a delicious one to boot. Solay Bistro will prepare a African foods buffet on September 7 and 14th to raise funds for starving Africans, many of whom have relatives living here in Columbus. Tickets cost just $35 each and proceeds will go to CARE, a highly regarded non-profit doing work in the Horn of Africa.

Taste the Future - Columbus State Community College The 23rd annual culinary showcase, Taste the Future, will be held on September 13, 2011. More than 50 chefs will prepare samples for guests to enjoy on the Columbus State campus. All proceeds benefit student scholarship. Be sure to read Hounds in the Kitchen this Monday for a ticket giveaway!

Kids World at Independents Day - Saturday, September 17 10am - 8 pm at Gay Street and Pearl Alley Kids World will be a special area for children up to the age of 13 along the Gay Street sidewalk between Sugardaddy's and Pearl Alley during the Independents Day celebration. Openheartcreatures will perform in body puppets, the Cooking Caravan will put on a performance and pass out food samples, there will be a kids fashion design/creation hour and fashion show, and an art station where they can make music shakers and bird feeders. The SBB will host a "Start Your Own Business" seminar for kids with ideas of how they can get involved with the community through entrepreneurship, and then will run a kids parade through the fest to show people that children are our next community leaders.

North Market's 6th Annual Microbrew Festival The North Market will toast the end of summer with the 6th annual Columbus Microbrew Festival on September 16 and 17. Celebrate locally brewed ales, lagers and stouts in the company of the brewmasters from participating local microbreweries. Admission free; beer tasting is $20.

Farm to Table Dinners at Jorgensen Farms After an informal tour of Val's organic herb and lamb farm in Westerville, guests will enjoy a chef-prepared meal of seasonal ingredients every third Sunday through December. Dinners start at 5 pm and cost $40 per person.

Local Foods Week - locations across Columbus, presented by Local Matters From a movie night to local drink tastings to the harvest ball, September 30 - October 8 will be a celebration of all things local. Events for are scheduled for foodies of all ages. Stay tuned to Eat Local Ohio for details and registration.

I know there are more events out there. What did I miss?

Be My Guest and Meet Will Allen {Giveaway}

bean climbing a pole A week ago, I shared that urban agriculture genius Will Allen is visiting Columbus. Tickets are still available to the Friday keynote and Saturday-Sunday workshop intensive.

Thanks to a donation from Scotts via Slow Food Columbus, I am able to give away a ticket to the keynote address this Friday, July 15, 2011 at Franklin Park Conservatory. The winner can attend both the semi-private meet & greet session at 5 pm and the 6 pm talk, a $50 value!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment with the reason you want to attend.

I'll start. I can't wait to hear Will Allen because:

  • he has all the dirt on building healthy soil. I aspire to be more than a lazy composter.
  • a former basketball player, Allen now builds hoop houses. I need to have one of these some day.
  • he believes in the transformative power of edible gardening. I look forward to being inspired by his radical back-to-the-earth ideas.

Leave a comment with your reason and a way to contact you before midnight Wednesday July 13, 2011 when the contest ends. I'll draw a random winner and notify them by 10 am Thursday.

Will Allen is Coming to Columbus!!

Will holding fish in Green house #7Have you heard? Two weeks from today, Will Allen will be here with staff from Growing Power to educate and inspire central Ohio gardeners and food lovers! Who is Will Allen?

The New York Times magazine article 'Street Farmer' provided my first introduction to Allen and his company Growing Power. From the cover photo of his strong hands holding precious garden worms to the thoughtful questions raised and answered by Allen's work in urban agriculture, the Times tells all.

That is, everything up to the publication date of July 2009. In the intervening years, Will Allen's fame and funding has grown. In 2010 he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people and serves as an advisor to the Obama whitehouse on matters of garden and food education, among other accolades.

I am thrilled that Stiletto Gardener of Columbus Ohio is the newest Regional Outreach Training Center for Will Allen's Growing Power initiative. Ameena Salahuddin, the Stiletto Gardener, is leading the way for Will Allen to train hundreds of gardeners here in central Ohio over the next five years.

Learn from Growing Power

Allen's first visit will be July 15 - 17, 2011. He will give a keynote address on Friday night and a two-day workshop on Saturday and Sunday.

The keynote address will be held at 6 pm at Franklin Park Conservatory. Tickets for this event are $35 per person.

A semi-private reception at 5 pm will allow visitors to meet Allen personally. Tickets for the reception, including keynote address, are $50 and selling fast.

The Saturday and Sunday intensive is a series of workshops on hoop house building, composting, aquaponics, vermiculture, and microgreen production. Held at Stiletto Gardener's site in Blacklick, the workshop costs $170 per person. The workshop ticket includes lunch and the keynote address.

Buy tickets to the Will Allen keynote or workshop online or by contacting Ameena at 614-859-4105.

Will I see you there?

Photo by Pete Amland (UWM Photographic Services)

Winter Cooking Classes at Franklin Park Conservatory

rachel tayse teaching at franklin park kitchenStay fresh in the kitchen this winter - take a class with me at the Franklin Park Conservatory!  Register by calling 614.645.5923 or download a registration form here. Delicious Dough (ages 3-5 and their favorite adult) Kids will make a moldable raw dough and a yeast-risen dough. Class participants will also create a scent-sational home decoration ornament. Thursday, January 20, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. $15 Members; $20 Non-Members

Spectacular Spices (ages 3-5) Winter weather calls for tasty spice-rich dishes. We’ll discover where sweet and savory spices come from, grind our own cinnamon and nutmeg for a spice cake, mix spices into a vegetable curry, and create a pomander from oranges and cloves. Thursday, February 10, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. $15 Members; $20 Non-Members

Cold Nights, Warm Memories (family) Heat up evening meals with savory soups. In this workshop for all ages, we will cook three tasty soups that can be customized to your family style. Chili with all the toppings, corn chowder, and Italian white bean and greens are on the menu. Sunday, February 27, 2 - 3:30 p.m. $20 Members; $25 Non-members

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/Smoking (adult) 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 stuffed sausage to take home. Tuesday, March 15, 6:30 - 8 p.m. $30 Members; $35 Non-members

Seeds to Grow and Eat! (family) 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