Fermented potatoes? They are delicious! Fermented, tossed with olive oil and salt, and baked, they have almost a vinegary-french-fry flavor! This is a very simple vegetable ferment, so we’ll have time to add a more complicated one; Fermented apple and pear chutney with aromatics and spices. This makes a great gift or to have in the fridge to add zing to a familiar meal. This Zoom class will include the microbiology and the ferment creation.

I wondered about fermenting potatoes, but they are delicious! Fermented, tossed with olive oil and salt, and baked, they have almost a vinegary-french-fry flavor! Since this is a very simple vegetable ferment, we’ll have time to add a more complicated one; Fermented apple and pear chutney with aromatics and spices. This tangy chutney makes a great gift or to have in the fridge to add zing to a familiar meal. (I love it on hearty bread with a sharp cheese toasted over the top). This hybrid class will include the microbiology and the ferment creation. Instructor Emma Holder, Masters in Micro/Immuno, McGill '93. Zoom link, in-person address, materials list shared upon registration.

Let's make a peanut brittle, an English toffee, and a sesame candy. Class will cover topics such as caramelizing sugar, adding nuts, and spreading and cooling of candies. Materials fee of $30 is due by cash or check, payable to the instructor, at the start of class.

Do you enjoy the taste of a crisp pickle? Learn to make them so you can enjoy them in your own home! Get a brief review of the fundamentals of food preservation and some of the common ways you can preserve food at home. Discuss the pickling process and water bath canning, and then make pickled cucumbers in a boiling water Leave with your own jar of fresh-made pickles! Bring oven mitts or a pot holder to transport your hot jar home.

Tom Loder is a certified Master Food Preserver through University of Maine Cooperative Extension. A fourth generation family food preserver, Tom has won several ribbons for his jams, jellies and baked goods at the Cumberland Fair.

Whether you are a seasoned sipper or just starting to learn more about wine, expert Gene Barber is here to broaden your horizons! Learn about the grapes and techniques used to produce some of the most flavorful, robust red, white, and rosé wines available. Find out how each variety differs from the others, what makes it so special, and how these unique characteristics can contribute to an excellent tasting experience. Discuss how to serve and store them, as well as what to pair them with. Sample four different wines paired with light, healthy appetizers, courtesy of Vic & Whit's. Register through OOB/Saco Adult Ed only. Free on-street parking available.

Gene Barber, a wholesale rep for Devenish wines, started his first wine tasting club in 1974 and has been an avid student since. He deals primarily in low-yield, low-production sustainable, organic, and natural wines.

Acorns: the amazing, bountiful, ancient staple of humanity! But did you ever try eating a raw acorn? Yuck! However, it just takes some simple processing to transform acorns into a truly delicious grain-like (and gluten free) food. This is real food; we eat hundreds of pounds a year. As part of this day we honor indigenous cultures that have enjoyed acorns for thousands of years, and we investigate the potential of acorn to transform modern food systems and culture. We'll begin the day with harvesting and end with baking!

Date: Saturday, October 19, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Cost: $30-60 sliding scale

For Online Registration:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-ivEDl5Uf5ZdGuaLybModku3sTsBv_5fVR37xsrY5Po/viewform?edit_requested=true

               

                                                   

Participants will learn how to season, care for, and use a Chinese wok and cleaver. The recipes for the class will include stir-frying, oven roasting, and preparing steamed rice. Each student will take home a specially selected kit including a lightweight cast iron wok, wok spatula, carbon steel cleaver, honing steel, a heavy duty cutting board, and one of Chris Toy's 6 cookbooks. The retail value of the kit is $230.  (Those in the know bring containers just in case!)

Your instructor, Chris Toy is the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian-fusion cooking for several Maine community education programs. 

Learn to make, feed, grow, and use sourdough and discover creative and unusual ways to use it in your baking repertoire. As you sample some sourdough-based treats, watch a demonstration of how to make traditional sourdough bread, waffles, and a quick bread. Leave with a sourdough culture and recipes so you can start creating your own mouthwatering treats at home. This is a demonstration class, however, you are welcome to either watch or put on an apron and join in the fun. Recipes provided. Bring your appetite, an apron, baggies for leftovers, and a small lidded container to bring your sourdough starter home in.

Mary Bailey, pastry chef and past owner/chef of Thyme and Honey Bakery in Biddeford, is passionate about baking bread and teaching people how to incorporate homemade bread into their daily lives.