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 valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated January 30, 2024