Learning to Cook Locally Grown Food with Silver Lake Farms
Picking up vegetables at Silver Lake Farm's CSA program | Photo via Silver Lake Farms
So you've joined a Community Supported Agriculture program, or perhaps you went a little wild at the farmers market, and have more vegetables than you can imagine. It can be a little intimidating and the clock is ticking, or those veggies will go bad.
For Tara Kolla of Silver Lake Farms, which began a CSA last Fall, her customers found themselves in a pickle, of sorts. What do you do with celery other than ants on a log week after week? So Kolla came up with a solution: start some cooking classes based on locally grown food.
"We produce cool and warm weather crops over long seasons. Some things we can harvest every day of the year," she said. "Having a few extra recipes up your sleeve for what to make with local veggies can come in handy, especially if you grow your own at home or support CSA."
The first class is this Friday, focusing on winter produce. Students will focus on wild greens (arugula, mizuna, etc.) and seasonal fruit (blood orange and grapefruit), winter squash soup, sorrel pesto on pasta and salmon.
Classes run at $48 and future ones include Easy Pureed Soups (parsnip, carrot, celery and asparagus) on February 20th and Early Spring Garden Supper (beet salad, broccoli soup and fresh pea ravioli) on March 4th. To register, enquire at info@silverlakefarms.com. Instructor Shelley Marks posts recipes over at the farm's blog.
Previously: Taking a Look at L.A.'s Community Supported Agriculture Programs