Come cook with us
Members are invited to come together every month to enjoy seasonal recipes and gain skills for weekly meal planning, food budgeting, and food preservation.
Some Suggested Recipes for Your CSA
Classes for Members, Friends and Family
This June HFFA hired Lechandre Mix as our whole health nutrition and culinary manager. We are excited that our team is growing so we are better able to support member needs. As the bounty of late summer produce comes our way we look forward to hosting a variety of classes.
Although HFFA is no longer directly affiliated with CCE we are excited about their cooking classes for the summer and want to make sure you know about them!
online classes from CCE Tompkins can be found here.
Creamed Kohlrabi Soup
Learn how to make a quick and filling pureed soup with winter vegetables like kohlrabi, celeriac, potatoes, carrots, fennel, and any cooking greens. You’ll leave knowing how to use any of your winter farm share or treats from the winter Ithaca Farmers Market, (now at Triphammer Mall Saturdays from 10:30-2:00).
Learn some new flavor and vegetable combinations to make satisfying side dishes with winter vegetables. Cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots and other root vegetables feature well in many dressings, including creamy classics, peanut or tahini flavored, or vinegar base. Chop and store undressed in the fridge for easy meal preparation later in the week!
Learn to grab any frozen vegetables and heat them up from frozen to hot and satisfying!
Vegetables are always better when paired with a healthy fat. This month and next, we’ll work on ways to make dips (and then dressings) to turn raw and cooked vegetables into an easy snack or meal. Dips are a great place to start because with a little extra oil or water, they can easily be thinned to turn into a dressing! We’ll focus this class hummus variations where anything on hand can be made into something creamy or thick for a dip that lasts for days.
Eggs are an affordable source of protein and an easy weeknight dinner. Spring vegetables are great for folding into some eggs for a frittata or omelette. There’s an art to cooking eggs in the oven though, and this class will send you home confident that frittatas can become part of your go-to meals.
Oil, Acid, Salt and some flavorings are all that’s needed for a great dressing. Come gain the confidence you need to give up pre-made salad dressings for good! It will save you money and lower the sodium and sugar content for each and every salad you prepare this season.
Celebrate the variety of leafy greens available in spring with us. Identify which are good for eating raw and how to cook the rest. Explore different spices, dressings and flavor combinations. Try out some new chopping and cooking techniques.
Join us to learn ways to start with the vegetables you have an add grains and legumes to make a complete meal. Explore different whole grain options as well as how to dress your grain salad for a cool summer meal that keeps for days and packs well for meals on the go.
Fresh tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, garlic and herbs make it easy to eat delicious, healthy Mediterranean classics this month. Starting with seasonal vegetables and adding protein-rich legumes or lean meats makes complete meals for the fall. In this month’s class, we will cook a vegetable and white bean stew in the crock pot, microwave, and stove top so we can learn to enjoy these delights even when we’re short on time or kitchen equipment. Bring a serving home to enjoy (containers encouraged). These dishes make great freezer meals!
Eat your orange vegetables now and in the off season by using canned and frozen varieties. These vegetables are a staple for anyone living from the garden or farm because they are easy to grow, full of nutrition, very filling, last a long time at room temperature and are easy to freeze. Many varieties of squash or pumpkin can be used for warm, fall and winter dishes or frozen to use in the early spring in grain salads and baked goods while waiting for the new harvest. We’ll be cooking a Curried Pumpkin Soup in class but you’ll bring home inspiration for other dishes as well.
Pumpkin or Squash Purees Handout
Enrich your vegetables by immersing them in a warming cream sauce or gravy. Its a great way to eat leftover roasted veggies or to flavor steamed and frozen options.
We’ll learn to build a roux (butter and flour) base for a cream or cheese sauce that can be spooned over cooked vegetables or fill a casserole pan with rice or pasta for a delicious one-dish dinner. They are a kid favorite and great way to use frozen vegetables this winter.
Then, use those same techniques with stock instead of cream to make a quick gravy. Adding pan drippings from holiday roasts will be a snap!
Join us one last time this year in the CCE kitchen to cook our vegetables, this time as a satisfying pancake or fritter. These are a family favorite and a very flexible meal to use up almost any vegetable imaginable. Serve with a favorite salad dressing, dip or ketchup for breakfast, lunch or dinner!