Summertime brings a bounty of food from our gardens, but there's not always enough time to enjoy them fresh. Join Cooperative Extension in hands-on workshops that will introduce pickling, hot-water bath canning, jam making, and baking with vegetables, all great ways to preserve the harvest. Portions of the workshop will also bring us into the AACE Community Garden at Buker Community Center in the fall to plant, investing in next year's harvest. 

This class' fees will cover the costs associated with the Workshop Participation. 

December 12th, 2023

10:30-12 noon - Adults

2:45-4P - Youth

Alisha is a 4-H Professional in Kennebec County with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Not a gardener naturally, she is learning and taking joy in growing things in her garden. She is a believer that food, growing and sharing food, is a great way to connect and strengthen the community. 

Let’s get together for a three-hour class to go over some of my favorite holiday treats. We will go over how to make homemade chocolate, turtles, peanut butter cups, peppermint patties, chocolate covered pretzels, coconut clusters, salted caramels, candy nuts, caramel corn, and maybe even maple fudge. Course fee will cover all material and instruction.

If you have company coming for the holidays, or you need something to take for a potluck, this class is for you! Participants will enjoy a pre-holiday party with Chef Toy as you work together to prepare crispy fried wontons and homemade duck sauce, mini egg rolls, teriyaki party wings, and cold spicy sesame noodles. Yum!

Chris Toy is a Stonewall Kitchen Cooking Instructor with a lifelong interest in cooking with an Asian-Downeast fusion flavor.

Learn to make this French traditional dessert for Christmas, solstice, or New Years Eve. Make your own chocolate sponge roll and the chocolate mousse to fill it. Shape it like a log, learn how to decorate it for the holidays and bring it home to share with loved ones. Materials fee of $30.00 is due by cash or check, payable to the instructor, at the start of class.

A beautifully arranged charcuterie and cheese board is a sure way to impress, whether you're entertaining at home or contributing to a pot luck. The best way to improve upon this classic appetizer is to fill your board with locally-sourced cheeses, meats and accoutrements. In this class, students will be introduced to a wide variety of Maine producers; sample their products and learn how to incorporate them into your next charcuterie board. Attendees will also explore the fundamentals of arranging a beautiful charcuterie board - from cutting techniques for meats and cheeses to selecting and arranging eye-catching garnishes. This class will offer plenty of opportunity to taste products and practice various cutting and arranging techniques. All materials and product lists/recipes will be provided. This class is taught by Ana-Maria Bell, Maine Tasting Center.

There is nothing like the aroma of freshly baked sourdough bread unless it is enjoying a slice of freshly baked bread with butter shortly after coming out of the oven! Students will learn how to care for a sourdough starter, how to knead using two different techniques, and how to mix, shape and score the bread for baking. The instructor will demonstrate two ways to bake a loaf, using a cloche or a stone with steam in the oven, followed by a taste testing. Students will then shape, score and bake a loaf of their own in class. They will take home some sourdough culture (bring a 32 ounce container) for bread baking at home. A $5 ingredients fee is payable to the instructor at class.

Help Santa out and tuck one or two of these beautifully decorated sugar cookies in your Christmas stockings, or add a tasty plate-full to your Christmas dessert buffet.

Ellen will bring her goodies tool-box and we’ll create an assortment of beautifully-decorated-by-you cookies. You can’t beat the “special” factor of this gift.

Please bring a materials fee of $20 payable in cash to the instructor at class.

 

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Learn the ABC’s of hand pulled mozzarella in this one-night workshop. Your pizza will never be the same after this. It is fast and easy and oh so good. You will learn how to create your fresh mozzarella, then you learn how to “pull” your fresh curds. You will create a new “habit” of always having fresh mozzarella on hand to kick up your favorite recipes and impress your friends. This recipe takes very few, easy to find ingredients and you will take home approximately 2 pounds of cheese from your one gallon of milk. You will learn the basics of cheese making and the specifics of Mozzarella curds. Class is limited so sign up early. *Starter kit included.