Embedded Files
Schedule
Schedule
[Crop & Soils] - Keeping food fresh, reducing food waste from a CSA, and using novel veggies, blanching & freezing - Kaeli
[Crop & Soils] - Keeping food fresh, reducing food waste from a CSA, and using novel veggies, blanching & freezing - Kaeli
Did you know more than 40% of the food grown in the United States never makes it to someone's plate? Food waste is an on-going challenge but there are ways we can reduce waste here on the farm.
Learn how to properly store farm eggs, tomatoes, meats, greens, and more! Additionally, we'll cover other food safety basics and some quick ways you can preserve your excess produce for later.
We will also explore some farm-tested recipes together and learn the many uses for the Instant Pot, to make nutritious and delicious meals fast!
[Animals] - Cheesemaking - Ruth + EEO
[Animals] - Cheesemaking - Ruth + EEO
Cheesemaking is an ancient art dating back at least 5,000 years and was likely discovered by accident, by storing milk in bladders made from the stomach of ruminants.
What can we do with all the milk from our goats? Make cheese of course! Chevre, Ricotta, Paneer, and "squeaky" curds are a few simple recipes that we will try together.
We will also be learning the how-tos of running a public workshop and will turn around and run a cheese making program, using what we learn the following weekend!
Week 8 [Animals] - Slaughtering, Butchering, and Cooking Chicken - John & Ruth
Week 8 [Animals] - Slaughtering, Butchering, and Cooking Chicken - John & Ruth
This week we will be experiencing the cycles of life and death full circle. We will each be slaughtering one of the the chickens that we have raised since chicks. We will also be processing the bird (plucking/gutting) and cooking a few for lunch.
Part of this day will be processing this experience together.
[Crop & Soils] - Food Preservation: Live ferments & Canning - John
[Crop & Soils] - Food Preservation: Live ferments & Canning - John
Live ferments have been used by people for thousands of years to both unlock nutrients from our food that are hard to digest while also providing a means to preserve our bounty for months in a cool place. The earliest record of fermentation dates back as far as 6000 B.C. in the Fertile Crescent—and nearly every civilization since has included at least one fermented food in its culinary heritage. LIVE ferments (those that have not been pasteurized, canned, or boiled to kill microorganisms) are also the original (and still best) probiotic. Our large intestine is alive with an entire microbial community that makes a living off of our mostly-digested food. In the process of them breaking this food down further we are able to absorb additional nutrients - a win-win! There are a whole suite of fermentations that are used for different purposes (wines, beers, breads, etc.). For this activity we will focus on lacto-fermentation. This is the same process that produces traditional dill pickles (not the dead ones you buy in the store), kimchi, and real sauerkraut. Lacto-fermentation is all about producing a salty environment where pathogenic bacteria and molds that can make us sick cannot survive, but the benign bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus can thrive. Lactobacillus bacteria convert carbohydrates naturally present in fruit or vegetables into lactic acid. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that (i) helps exclude pathogenic bacteria, (ii) preserves the flavor and texture of food, and (iii) unlocks its nutrients.
Humans have been finding ways to extend the "shelf life" foods long before shelves existed. Through practices like smoking, salting, drying, and - as you experienced with John back in Week 3 - fermentation, food preservation has existed in many forms the world over, dating back to prehistoric times.
This final food preservation method we'll explore is all about heat and vacuums. The name of the game in preserving is creating an environment that is inhospitable or inaccessible to harmful bacteria. In this case, we'll use the latter. By simultaneously sterilizing the food and securing it inside a vacuum-sealed "can" (we'll use glass jars), we can create a product that is shelf-stable - and still delicious - for years!
Not only will we learn how to can, but we'll spend time reflecting on the advent of canning. The story of Nicolas Appert's life and work lends much to our modern context and challenges. From dogged determination to a seemingly humble ending, Appert demonstrates the power of perseverance and the unpredictability of legacy.
Some Other Culinary Arts Activity Possibilities - available upon request
Some Other Culinary Arts Activity Possibilities - available upon request
Gutting and preparing tilapia from an aquaculture farm
Lard Soap Making & Lard Candle Making (mixed with beeswax)
Bread Making
Storytelling
Rendering Lard
Essential Oils
Forest Farming
Dyeing with Natural Dyes (i.e. Poke Berries)
Culinary uses for bones (bone broth, marrow, etc.)
Do you want a local food that you just can't find at Merry Lea, or find in needed volumes? Below is a foodshed map indicating sources for local foods in our area:
Local Foodshed Map
Local Foodshed Map
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