Companies like Rancho Gordo, Baer's Best Beans and Masienda provide access to a dizzying variety of high quality beans. What makes them better than the bag of Goya black beans on the supermarket shelf? They are fresh! Yes, dry beans have a shelf life. Huge companies have huge silos of beans that may take over a year to make it from the field to your local grocery. By that time they have lost nutrients, flavor and ability to re-hydrate to the creamy dreamy texture beans can achieve.

Prepare to have your mind blown by your new favorite source of protein and fiber!

TIME FRAME: 2 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE WILL INCLUDE:

• A guide to bean varieties, proper storage, and ideal uses

• Recipes for bean based soups, sauces, dips and conservas

• Hands-on practice making 2 recipes

• Nutritional information

• One follow up support and troubleshooting call

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

• Gas or electric stove top

• Heavy bottom pot or dutch oven

• Wooden Spoon or Spatula

• Mesh Strainer

INGREDIENTS:

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

2 Bean Varieties of your choosing

Herbs, Aromatics and Spices (to be determined based on recipes)

*We recommend buying your own ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Once you have mastered the craft, home brewed kombucha is better than store bought...period. People often get discouraged when they end up with an unpalatable acidic beverage that tastes reminiscent of salad dressing. But once you get your recipe and timing dialed in you can customize your kombucha to be more sweet, more sour, bubbly, flat, fruit forward, cola-esque, double-hopped, the possibilities are endless. And you can control the quality of the ingredients that go into your brew, choosing organic tea, whole fruit, fresh herbs and ethically sourced spices when possible. Let me get you set up for kombucha success!

TIME FRAME: 2 hours

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

• 1 gallon glass jar

• Cotton cloth big enough to cover jar opening

• Rubber band to secure cloth and seal jar opening

• Non-reactive pot with lid (stainless steal vs. aluminum)

• Fine mesh strainer

• Cheese cloth or nylon nut milk bag

• Wooden spoon

• Funnel

• Bale-top pressure rated glass bottles

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup Green, Black or Herbal Tea

• 1 cup Sugar

• Filtered Water

• Fruit of choice (fresh or frozen)

• Herbs, Spices & Aromatics (optional)

*We recommend buying your own equipment & ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Dairy can be intimidating to work with when many of us have been taught to never leave dairy at room temperature for more than a short time. But making your own yogurt, creme fraîche and kefir is safe, easy and yields better results than what you are likely to find in the grocery store. We will have you culturing dairy with confidence in no time.

TIME FRAME: 2 hours

EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS:

• Glass jars

• Cheese cloth or other thin cotton cloth

• Milk

• Heavy Cream

• Kefir Grains

• Buttermilk

• Incubator (oven with incandescent light bulb, box-style dehydrator, heating pad, sous vide circulator, cooler or Instapot)

*We recommend buying your own equipment and ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Wether you are have celiac disease, an intolerance or have just decided to see if cutting gluten out of your diet makes you feel better, there is no need to settle for "it's good for gluten free." Flour made from rice, oats, almonds, sorghum, millet, chickpeas and other grains and pulses can be used to make fluffy, flaky delicious baked goods. The trick is understanding the unique properties of each flour and how to blend them for different uses.

During this experience we will make 2 of the 4 recipes listed below together, and enjoy them with a cup of tea!

TIME FRAME: 3 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE WILL INCLUDE RECIPES FOR:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Pie Crust

• Spice Cake (aka Golden Cake)

• Foccacia

PLUS DETAILED INFO ON:

- store bought GF all-purpose flour blends

- home-made GF flour blends

- easy GF recipe substitutions

- unique properties of gluten free flours

- how to avoid gluten in store bought products

- gluten enzymes that may help avoid adverse reactions

* A full ingredient list will be provided once recipes have been selected. We recommend buying your own ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Spring cleaning for your pantry! Spring is all about moving energy... seeds and roots have been waiting patiently in the soil for signs that it is time push upward and use stored energy to unfurl leaves that will capture the power of the sun. It's also a great time to clear out old stale spices, that granola you tried but didn't like, the gifted jar of jam you just never opened; and restock with the foods you want more of in your life.

Food is a sensitive subject loaded with cultural expectations and confusing nutritional claims. My intention for this experience is to be a non-shaming guide to help you take a step or two toward changes in your diet that feel joyful and attainable. My background as a chef and herbalist give me a unique set of skills to draw on to help you find your own unique path on the journey toward a healthy relationship to food.

One of the most beneficial changes we can make to our diets, no matter our age, dietary restrictions, or specific health concerns, is to eat more vegetables. Nutritionists recommend 5-6 servings per day, so every meal should ideally include two! And yes potatoes and sweet corn count, but they should be part of a more colorful rainbow that includes red peppers, orange sweet potatoes, yellow zucchini, green broccoli, blue berries, purple cabbage and so many more gifts from nature. Though recipes will be provided (custom tailored for each experience participants preferences) we will also go over basic cooking skills that will give you confidence to tackle whatever this week's CSA box throws at you.

TIME FRAME: 3 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:

• Five vegetable and fruit forward recipes

• Recipe-free cooking techniques

• Basic nutritional information

• Meal planning guides

• Hands on demos

• A meal shared amongst all experience participants

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

• We will work with what you have!

INGREDIENTS:

• To be determined with experience participants

*We recommend buying your own ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Learn to make delicious, tangy, lacto-fermented pickles and sauerkraut from seasonal vegetables. These processes can be used to preserve the peak season harvest from your garden or local farmer (or any veg for that matter) and turn vegetables into convenience food. Use them to give tangy crunch to a sandwich, add zippy flavor to dressings and marinades, or simply serve as a side dish. You will be surprised how easy and versatile fermentation can be.

TIME FRAME: 3 hours

EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS REQUIRED:

• 16 OZ wide-mouth canning jars

• 4 oz small-mouth jam jars

• 1 cutting board per person

• 1 sharp chef knife per person

• Vegetable peeler

• Seasonal Vegetables (tbd)

• Sea salt (or other non-iodized salt)

• Filtered water

*We recommend buying your own equipment and ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Let's be honest, the tempeh available in the store is pretty blah. I am here to tell you that this traditional Indonesian cultured bean cake can be the star of your plant-based summer BBQ. Making tempeh at home is a game changer. You can choose virtually any grain or legume (throw in some seeds if you like!) and have a batch of protein rich patties, free of ultra-processed additives, in 24-48 hours. Let me take you to veggie burger heaven!

TIME FRAME: 3 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:

• Hands-on step-by-step tempeh making instruction

• Recipes for grain and legume variations

• Recipes for cooking your tempeh

• Proper storage and shelf life guidance

• Historical and current culinary uses

• A meal shared amongst experience participants

EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS REQUIRED:

• Plastic sandwich bags, silicon molds or banana leaf

• Incubator (oven with incandescent light bulb, box-style dehydrator, heating pad, sous vide circulator, cooler or Instapot)

• Stainless steal mixing bowl

• Empty salt shaker

• Grains and legumes of choice

• Tempeh starter (source will be provided)

• Salt, soysauce, brine or other seasonings of choice

*We recommend buying your own ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Paella is a dish created by rice farmers, to be eaten in the field. Today it is popular on menus across the globe. We learned our recipe from family friends in Valencia, Spain (the birthplace of the dish) and we love sharing it. We will provide the 22" pan and custom propane burner, you provide the outdoor space and hungry friends! Traditionally the paella from Valencia is made with chicken, rabbit, bomba rice and a variety of vegetables. If you prefer a vegetarian/vegan version, let us know and we can customize the recipe. *This is the only experience we offer that includes all equipment and ingredients.

TIME FRAME: 3 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:

• Step by step hands-on instruction

• Authentic high quality ingredients

• All equipment needed to make paella

• A feast for all experience participants

• Beverage pairing recommendations

EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS PROVIDED:

• Bomba rice

• Spanish olive oil

• Local tomatoes, lima beans and red peppers

• Local chicken and rabbit

• Burlap & Barrel sweet paprika

• Saffron

• Rosemary

• Lemon

• 22" paella pan

• 2 ring paella burner

• Propane tank

Fire is mesmerizing. And cooking with wood coals is deeply satisfying. Learn to build a the perfect cooking fire that yields glowing embers for perfect browning on meat and vegetables. No lighter fluid allowed! We will cook a meat item for those who want it, but will focus on seasonal vegetables like eggplant, peppers, and alliums, as well as making a blistered flat bread.

This experience does have specific space requirements. We will make sure your location is a good fit before booking.

TIME FRAME: 4 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE WILL INCLUDE:

• Wood selection and fire building techniques

• Temperature regulation techniques

• Flat bread recipe and cooking demo

• Seasonal vegetables grilling demo

• Sausage or Mushroom grilling demo

• A meal shared amongst all participants

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

• Fire bricks

• Grill grates

• Firewood

• Tongs

INGREDIENTS:

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Seasonal Vegetables

Sausages or Mushrooms

Flour, Water and Yeast

Fresh Herbs

Others to be decided with host

*We recommend buying your own ingredients, and can guide you to the best sources. Or we can purchase ingredients for you at a 20% markup.

Join together with a group of friends to cook for the week. Meal prep can be overwhelming, especially if you want enough variety that you don't have to eat the same thing every day. That's why we created "All Cooks" as in, "all cooks invited into the kitchen" rather than "too many." Ideally 3-4 households come together to divide up the labor and everyone goes home with 3-4 different meals for the week. We will help coordinate dietary restriction appropriate recipes and modifications that work for everyone in the group. We can also recommend our favorite reusable containers for waste-free packaging. Enjoy the company of friends while working side by side on scratch-made meals, made with fresh local ingredients.

TIME FRAME: 4 hours

THIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:

• Custom database for organizing your group's meals

• 8 starter recipes to choose from

• Knife skills demo

• Healthy oils demo

• Re-heating best practices demo

• All participants go home with 3-4 prepped meals for the week

EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS REQUIRED:

• A kitchen to cook in, big enough for your group

• All equipment needed for selected recipes

• All ingredients needed for selected recipes

• Containers for packaging meals to take home

• Laptop or tablet for accessing database and recipes

*Ingredients are not included in the experience and must be purchased in coordination with the group. We are happy to suggest local sources when available. Meals can also be designed around CSA box produce, a great way to save money and support small local farms.