District 214 Community Education

Explore the simple joy of water bath preserving. This hands-on program will teach refrigerator and water bath canned pickles with details of techniques, canning safety and needed equipment. Participants go home with a jar of canned sweet pickles.

Has someone in your family been…Diagnosed with serious food allergies? Told to take gluten and/or casein out of their diet? Put on an elimination diet? How can you cook with all these restrictions? This class offers practical substitutions for many common allergens, recipes free from the top 8 allergens, as well as tips and resource for dealing with these challenges long term. Includes a cooking demo.

Using herbs and seasonal spices, we will craft edible and scented gifts for giving to friends and relations this holiday season. Cookies, bread and scone mixes, scented ornaments and simmers, and other crafty items, along with making tags and wrapping paper using herbs and plants from the garden will be covered. Participants will take home lots of recipes and at least two completed items to gift or keep.

Learn the techniques for making your own cheese. We'll cover the science behind cheese making, ingredients, equipment, and cooking techniques. Lemon cheese will be demoed the first night and students will make mozzarella the second night of class. Supplies will be reviewed in class.

Heard the buzz about Instant Pot, but not sure it’s for you? We'll explore all the features, answer your most burning questions, and even cook food during class for you to enjoy. Also suited for those who've purchased an Instant Pot but haven't taken full advantage of all the options. Please note this is a demo class, not a hands-on class.

Learn to make simple cookies flavored with herbs and spices. Using rolled and drop cookie methods craft unique cookie recipes, along with glazes and colorful toppings. You can enjoy them now or save and freeze for later. Students will take home at least one completed recipe with instructions for many more.

In this fun at-home class, you'll learn how to make the perfect mocha cake roll. I'll show you how to roll the cake without making any cracks or damage to the cake. You'll also learn how to make a delicious mocha filling. It’s a perfect dessert to serve after your Thanksgiving dinner!

Enjoy your garden and entertain your friends and family with safe food presentation methods that use fresh farm stand or garden produce. We will make fruit salad on a skewer, kabobs for grilling and dipping, and even salad on a stick. A perfect array of finger foods to enjoy outside!