The Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center is offering adult cooking classes through the summer and fall in its new teaching kitchen at the Coogan Farm Nature & Heritage Center.
The classes are an expanded version of the Center’s long-running Back to Basics series. The teaching kitchen in the Avery Farmhouse at Coogan Farm is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, giving the Center the opportunity to dive deep into the connections between the natural world and the culinary world. You can register for any of the classes listed below by visiting our website.
What to do with your mid-season harvest
Saturday, July 30, 1-2:30pm
$25.50/member, $30/nonmember
Cook with what you have! Join Coogan Farm Manager, Craig Floyd, in our teaching kitchen and learn about the vegetables of mid-summer. We will share recipes that takes advantage of what is growing in the garden right now. Share a lunch of garden produce prepared by local chef Mike Sanda while watching “Food for Thought, Food for Life,” a short video that captures the essence of healthy, local food production.
Making fermented foods
Thursday, Aug. 4, 6:30-7:30pm
$21.25/member, $25/nonmember
Join this beginner-level class and learn the basics of fermentation and its health benefits. Make and taste sauerkraut and kimchi, and leave with recipes and experience to make your own!
Summer Harvest – homemade tomato sauce
Saturday, Aug. 20, 1-2pm
$21.25/member, $25/nonmember
Too many tomatoes piling up in your kitchen? Turn them into a delicious sauce that can be canned or frozen. Join us for a fun and informative afternoon in the kitchen. We will share a variety of recipes that can be used to preserve your tomatoes, and demonstrate how to cook tomato sauce. Help prepare the sauce, taste test, and leave with some to enjoy at home.
Mozzarella Cheese
Thursday, Aug. 25; 6:30-8:30pm
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2-4pm
$21.25/member, $25/nonmember
Try your hand at cheese making! Join this beginner level class and learn the basics of making homemade cheese. Make and taste fresh mozzarella cheese during the program, and leave with recipes and experience to make your own cheese!
Canning 101: Autumn Olive Jelly
Monday, Oct. 17, 5-7pm
$21.25/member, $25/nonmember
When life hands you invasive plants, become an invasivore! Learn the basics of jelly making while helping to control invasive plants on the farm by eating them! We’ll hike to collect autumn olive berries rich in lycopene and anti-oxidants and bring the harvest back to the kitchen to make a delicious jelly. Perfect on brie, you’ll have lots of delicious jelly to bring home for your holiday entertaining. Led By Davnet Schaffer.