My friend Kim and I went to our first cooking class last night. We're lucky to live in Ashland, where our Co-op has all kinds of classes, and where the shelves are filled with local beef, bread, dairy, and produce.Joel Salatin from Polyface Farms in Virginia, who was featured in "Food, Inc." and in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, was just here, too!
The class Mary Shaw taught was insightful -- and delicious!
Kim and I feasted on carrot/parsley/poppy seed/sunflower salad, tamari almonds,and kale and French lentil salad.
Here are my favorite tips:
* The biggest sellers at the Co-op are consistently Fugi apples, bananas, avocados and almonds.
* The biggest frozen food seller? Blueberries, by far.
* Red wine vinegar is $5.50 a pound by the bottle, $.77 by bulk.
* To get more calcium from nuts, roast them lightly first.
* Lentils are high in fiber, iron, and folates (which regenerate tissue).
* Acid aids calcium availability in greens; Add lemon or vinegar as dressing.
* Federal stimulus money for creating poultry processing plants is available -- and Ashland is snatching it up!
* And my favorite? The best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe ever comes from The Joy of Cooking.
