Hands-on Workshops

1. Harvest Kitchen Preservation Series

St. Lawrence County has a Master Food Preserver volunteer group that teaches participants about preserving the North Country’s bounty- such as berries, fruits, vegetables, and meats.

Volunteers and Extension educators provide in-depth instruction on preservation methods such as:

• water bath canning
• pressure canning
• fermentation
• dehydration
• freezing

All workshops contain information about the scientific basis of food preservation as well as hands-on opportunities to learn each method. The primary ingredients are farm fresh.

We often host classes at the Extension Learning Farm’s Harvest Kitchen, since our commercial kitchen is a great teaching site. Our volunteers are also willing to teach classes off site throughout the county. Get in touch if you are interested in hosting us for a class at your site (school, library, church, non-profit, etc.).

2. Celebrating Local Food: A Culinary Series

The Harvest Kitchen also offers cooking classes through Celebrating Local Food: A Culinary Series. This series aims to teach seasonal eating skills and techniques for home cooks to build confidence in the kitchen. Classes are taught by a variety of instructors (chefs, preservers, home cooks, farmers) on far-ranging topics. Popular workshops and classes have included:

• Creative ways to cook with root vegetables
• Knife skills
• Breaking down a whole chicken
• Cooking with lamb and goat
• Coking with gluten-free flours
• International cuisine
• Making pasta

Classes are a great avenue to improve your culinary skills, learn new techniques, and expand your food horizons! They are designed to be fun and interactive, include tasting/sampling of all recipes, and are held in a supportive learning environment.

Class sizes are limited so that all attendees can participate. Each class is $20 and pre-registration is required. To find additional information about a workshop or reserve your spot, visit http://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu/events or contact Extension at (315) 379-9192, ext. 240 or harvestkitchen@cornell.edu.

Celebrating Local Food: A Culinary Series has been made possible with funding from the Alcoa Foundation. Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for providing equal program and employment opportunities in accordance with applicable laws.

Last updated April 18, 2025