GRAVETTE – The second cooking school class in the EFNEP (Expanded Nutrition and Nutrition Education Program) series took place Thursday evening, May 4 at the Gravette Civic Center. The classes, hosted by the Gravette Public Library, are designed to help adults raising children on limited incomes learn to feed their families well without breaking their food budget. It’s part of the library’s Grow It – Cook It – Save It program and is supported by grants from Penguin Random House and 4imprint.
Kathy Love, MD, of the University of Arkansas Extension Office at Bentonville, and Jacqueline Silva, EFNEP nutrition educator, gave class members several tips to help chefs stretch their budget. They suggested buying locally grown produce and buying it in season. Better yet, grow your own garden and trade produce with neighbors. If you’re buying foods, buy the whole product instead of pre-cut or shredded to save money.
Silva also gave many instructions on food safety and good nutrition. She encouraged buying foods without added sodium or sugar, washing produce before eating, and trying to cut down on fat, salt, and sugar in the diet. When eating foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar, enjoy them in moderation. She also said it’s better to eat fruits and vegetables than to drink them because whole produce also provides fiber as well as vitamins and minerals and is more nutritious than juices.
Charts showing locally grown fruits and vegetables and their harvest dates, key nutrients in foods, and information about the benefits of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were provided to each class member. Each student also received a pot holder with the Gravette Public Library logo, which was made available through scholarship funds.
Love gave some instructions on measuring, using both measuring spoons and measuring cups, and then let each class member practice proper measurement before starting to cook. Then, the students were given recipes and prepared mushroom barley soup, strawberry spinach salad, and double corn scones for their evening meal.
Artemis Edmiston, a library clerk, attended the class as a library facilitator and also as a member of the class.
Two more classes will be held on Thursday, May 11th and Thursday, May 25th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Gravette Civic Center.
Teen and Children’s Kitchen In the kitchen classes, for teenagers and children interested in cooking, will take place during the month of June. Teen Kitchen Classes will take place from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm every Thursday in June, starting June 1. The Kids in the Kitchen classes will be held weekly on Wednesdays from 1-2pm, starting June 14th and ending July 5th. Registration information for these programs will be available soon.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Becky Eubanks and Vanessa Thetford, both of Gravette, prepare a spinach-strawberry salad for an EFNEP (Expanded Education Program for Nutrition and Nutrition) cooking school class held Thursday evening, May 4, at the Gravette Civic Center. Students also prepared mushroom barley soup and double cornbread in class designed to help chefs feed their families well without breaking their food budget.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Catilina Young (right), 9, serves a meal of mushroom barley soup as her twin sisters Athena and Becky Eubank prepare to serve themselves. Vanessa Thetford (left) tastes one of their double cornbread muffins while mom to twins Alicia watches. Harper Young, 4; Adrina Young, 14; and Catherine Holloway, seated at a table in the background, enjoying the meal prepared by the class members.
Susan Holland/West Side Eagle Observer Adrina Young, 14, Artemis Edmiston, and Kathryn Holloway chop celery, onion, and mushrooms to add to their other vegetables while preparing mushroom barley soup for their EFNEP (Expanded Nutrition and Nutrition Education Program) cooking school class Thursday night, May 4, at Gravette Civic Center. Students also made strawberry spinach and double cornbread salad this evening.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Jacqueline Silva, a nutrition educator with EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program), shows a chart showing locally grown fruit and the months in which it’s harvested. Silva told the students in the EFNEP Cooking School class that they can save money by buying locally grown produce and buying in season. She also suggested planting her own gardens and trading produce with neighbours.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Adrina Young, 14, helps her younger sister, Harper, 4, taste a spoonful of mushroom barley soup she and other class members made in an EFNEP (Expanded Education Program for Nutrition and Nutrition) cooking school class Thursday night at 4 May Adrina and Harper, their sisters Catilina and Athena, and their mother, Alisha Young, attend this second of four semesters sponsored by the Gravette Public Library.
