So it might be obvious that I have discovered Chow.com “obsessive” videos. These are little 10 minute video stories about food related projects. I love this one about Ghost Town Farm in West Oakland. I met Novella a few years ago when her partner was working on getting a bio-diesel station going.

Now Novella runs a farm in an old lot by her house in west Oakland. Here is little bit about her and her projects.

As for the urban farmer in me, I’ve been cultivating the city for over ten years now, and my neighbors still think I’m crazy. It all started with a few chickens, then some bees, until I had a full-blown farm near downtown Oakland. My memoir about this farm was publishing by the Penguin Press June 11, 2009, and is available at most bookstores. If it’s not at your favorite shop–just ask them to order a few copies.

Her blog

Chow.com Obsessive video:

http://www.chow.com/videos/show/obsessives/11911/obsessives-urban-farming.

Cultured’s Kim Chi is what has kept my family cold-free this winter. I have been loving their website and they have a great video on pickle making that I wanted to share with you all. Happy Fermenting!

Cultured is a small family owned business located in Berkeley, CA. dedicated to preserving pickling traditions from around the world. We challenge ourselves and our customers to expand our notion of how ‘sauerkraut’ or ‘pickles’ are enjoyed in the diet. Indeed sour vegetables constitute a food group onto themselves, deepening flavors, nutritive values, and connections with our microbial environment.

http://www.chow.com/videos/show/obsessives/11576/obsessives-pickles.

We have added a bread making workshop to the spring schedule of classes as we have had huge requests for this class. John Shulse is a local teacher, gardener, grandfather and bread baker! He has been working with the same bread starter since his mother passed it on to him 40 years ago!

Our class is going to be held Monday, April 5th
6-8pm pm / $40

To sign up or receive more information, email info@wendyvanwagner.com

The New York Times had a great article about “crop mobbers”

Field Report: Plow Shares

By: Christine Muhlke

“Who brought their own wheelbarrow?” Rob Jones asked the group of 20-somethings gathered on a muddy North Carolina farm on a chilly January Sunday. Hands shot up and wheelbarrows were pulled from pickups sporting Led Zeppelin and biodiesel bumper stickers, then parked next to a mountain of soil. “We need to get that dirt into those beds over there in the greenhouse,” he said, nodding toward a plastic-roofed structure a few hundred feet away. “The rest of you can come with me to move trees and clear brush to make room for more pasture. Watch out for poison ivy.”

Bobby Tucker, the 28-year-old co-owner of Okfuskee Farm in rural Silk Hope, looked eagerly at the 50-plus volunteers bundled in all manner of flannel and hand-knits. In five hours, these pop-up farmers would do more on his fledgling farm than he and his three interns could accomplish in months. “It’s immeasurable,” he said of the gift of same-day infrastructure.

It’s the beauty of being Crop Mobbed.

Learn about gardening from an expert.

The Living Lands Agrarian Network (www.livinglandsagrariannetwork.org) is offering an eight-part workshop series with the goal of teaching people to grow more of their own food throughout the four seasons. In these workshops we shadow the farming season as practiced by the various sites of the Living Lands Agrarian Network. From our farmers you will learn about planting schedules, bed preparation, home composting methods, site selection, food preparation and preservation techniques and much more. Throughout the workshop season we will tour our different farm sites while learning practical ways of growing food on a home-scale. Each workshop will end with a farm-fresh lunch prepared by In The Kitchen (www.wendyvanwagner.com).

To sign up, email Tim_van_wagner@hotmail.com

In The kitchen is hosting a series of new works by local artist Lil McGill from now until mid April. The show is called Shades of Saffron. The closing reception will be April 11th from 4-6 pm at In The Kitchen. Saffron appetizers will be served!

Native Californian Lil McGill is a painter and poet. Her ethereal abstracts, dreamscapes, studies and explorations of pure color and mood are inspired by Frankenthaler, Jenkins and Rothko, but have a style and energy uniquely their own.

She works with acrylic paint on raw canvas, which allows the colors to flow and blend to create their own worlds, reminiscent of deep space nebulas and starbursts, undersea visions, or O’Keeffe-like florals. Keenly interested in art as a form of healing, she plans to continue her painting explorations for years to come.

Lil McGill and her husband, artist and musician R.C. Trice, currently operate their own art company, and live with their children and assorted friends and wildlife in Grass Valley, California, enjoying working in an old barn which has been converted into artist studios.

Wednesday January 27th
Vegetarian Sushi Making
6-8 pm / $40

Roll your own! We will explore various techniques of sushi rolling and how to make delectable sushi rolls and salads!

Ahi Tuna Roll
California Roll
Miso Soup
Seaweed and Kale Salad

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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Shaman in the Kitchen
Thursday, January 28th
6-9 pm / $40
Learn how to become a shaman in your kitchen! We will cook with medicinal herbs that offer both flavor to your food as well as health benefits. Together, we’ll cook and savor several recipes, such as Calendula cornmeal crisps, tasty Thyme soup and Yarrow kitcheree. And we’ll learn about the healing properties of herbs. After a nourishing meal, you’ll go home with your own special spice blend. Yes, you too can be a shaman in your kitchen! Please RSVP to Suzanne Parkhust at spark@usamedia.tv or call 269-3444

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Sunday January 31st
The Yoga of Cooking
6-9 pm / $45

The modern English word ‘yoke’ comes from the ancient Sanskrit word ‘Yoga’ meaning to link or connect. Sign up for Joe Meade’s ”The Yoga of Cooking” at In The Kitchen and learn how the  every day act of cooking can become your meditation and link with the Divine!

We will explore the connections between where our food comes from, how it is prepared and how we consume it. We will also discuss how our consciousness affects the food we eat and how to make the process of cooking an offering.

We will feature a refreshing winter salad, a hearty and sustaining seasonal kitcheri, miso as it was meant to be, and indulge ourselves with a sattvic sweet to finish.
Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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Monday February 1st
Celebrate Mardi Gras: How to Make Gumbo & Cornbread That Will Win Friends and Influence People
CLASS FULL!

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Wednesday February 3rd
Macrobiotic Meals- cooking for health and vitality
6-8pm / $45

A macrobiotic approach to wellness focuses on bringing balance to a person’s physical and emotional condition by utilizing foods that are balanced energetically and nutritionally. We will learn to cook and enjoy:

Brown rice
Diakon and carrot salad
Kale and Hijiki Slaw
Carrots and Broccoli with Ume Dill Dressing
Pressed Chinese Cabbage, Red Radish, and Lemon
Fruit dessert

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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Saturday February 6th
Winter Soups and Stews
10am -12 pm / $45

Spend a morning in our cozy kitchen learning how to make one-pot meals that will nourish yourself and those you love!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Spicy Beef Stew
Butternut Squash Soup
Potato Leek Soup

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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Monday February 8th
Knife Skills
6-8 pm / $35

Slicing and dicing is one of the most important culinary tools you can have under your belt. Come to class and learn to chop like a pro, we will go over the common and the more advanced knife skills in this class, learn about knife care, what kind of knives to buy and also chop our way to a delicious dish to share!

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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February 10th
Healthy Cooking; Eating & Nutrition: The Mediterranean Diet de-mystified
Class and Discussion for the Novice
6 – 8 p.m. / $35

Have you ever been told to eat the Mediterranean Diet? What does this mean? How do I shop? How do I cook these new foods? Will it taste good? Let’s have some fun! Help prepare a meal, get recipes, enjoy eating, and have your nutrition questions answered. Instructors Wendy Van Wagner from In the Kitchen and SNMH Laura Seeman, Registered Dietitian
Call 274-6124 to pre-register

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Thursday, February 11th
Valentine’s Day Cookies for Loved Ones
Piping/Flooding Cookie Class
$40 / 6-8 pm

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, practice some very showy techniques on pre baked heart shaped cookies.

I use a traditional royal icing for piping edges around cookies, and a shiny, simple glaze to color the cookies.

These glazes are very durable, but take time to dry; please bring a cookie sheet with a rim to transport your cookies home.

Piping can be hard for young hands to master; children are always welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.

Tea and Nana’s favorite scones will be served.

Teacher Bio: Local Mom Susan Meagher has been baking for friends and family for many years, waiting patiently until the time was right to launch Nana’s Artisan Bakery. Nana’s focuses made from scratch classic treats, made like only Nana can make them. We are available for special orders, brunches, teas, and private classes. Come see us at Cornish Christmas!

Contact Susan at srmeagher@yahoo.com for more details

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Wednesday February 17th
Fabulous French Cooking
6-9 pm / $50

Learn the secrets to French coking… don’t let a soufflé intimidate you! Dive right in!

In this class we will be making
Chicken cordon Bleu
French onion soup
Cheese soufflé
Béchamel sauce

Bring wine to enjoy with dinner!

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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Thursday, February 18th
Master the Art of the Souffle
$40 / 6-8 pm

Another relatively simple dish with a bad reputation! Once you’ve mastered one soufflé recipe, you can generally make any soufflé recipe. We will be making a classic cheese soufflé and a chocolate soufflé. This class will be primarily demonstration style.

The hardest thing about soufflés is probably the timing; they are best served straight from the oven. A stand mixer is best to build enough structure into your egg whites, but I used a handheld mixer for years; it just takes a little more patience.

At the end of the class, we will be sitting down to enjoy our creations.

Teacher Bio: Local Mom Susan Meagher has been baking for friends and family for many years, waiting patiently until the time was right to launch Nana’s Artisan Bakery. Nana’s focuses made from scratch classic treats, made like only Nana can make them. We are available for special orders, brunches, teas, and private classes. Come see us at Cornish Christmas!

Contact Susan at srmeagher@yahoo.com for more details

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Wednesday February 24th
Winter Soups and Stews
10am -12 pm / $45

Spend a morning in our cozy kitchen learning how to make one-pot meals that will nourish yourself and those you love!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Spicy Beef Stew
Butternut Squash Soup
Potato Leek Soup

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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Cooking for Two
Thursday, February 25th
6-9 pm / $40
Make the most of cooking for two or one. Chef Kady Guyton will teach participants how to prepare meals for less than a crowd, making the most of ingredients, cooking techniques and other culinary skills.

Kady Guyton is a Midwest native who moved to California seven years ago intending to only stay for a couple of years. The character and produce of Northern California – along with her husband – enticed her to stay. After a career in journalism, she returned to her roots and graduated cum laude from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in June of 2008.  Currently Kady is the chef and owner of KDG Cooks, a local catering and home meal delivery company located in Grass Valley.
To sign up for this class, email Kady at kady.guyton@gmail.com

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Wednesday March 3rd
Knife Skills
6-8 pm / $35

Slicing and dicing is one of the most important culinary tools you can have under your belt. Come to class and learn to chop like a pro, we will go over the common and the more advanced knife skills in this class, learn about knife care, what kind of knives to buy and also chop our way to a delicious dish to share!

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or wendyvanwagner@gmail.com

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March 4th
Cooking to Control Pain with DUDES In The Kitchen
6:30-8:30 pm / $35

Men, how can you control pain with food? A critical link to feeling better is the inflammation process that can be fueled by what you eat. Learn what an anti-inflammatory diet can do for you by joining Dr. Christina Lasich at In The Kitchen. Sign up by calling Wendy VanWagner at 530-478-0669.
This dinner program is designed with the thought that food can represent a form of medicine and be pleasing to even the manliest man. Dr. Christina Lasich, MD has designed a menu for a small group of MEN ONLY that will emphasize the ways cooking can control pain. Please look for nutritious spins off of these old favorites. Dr. Lasich will discuss topics such as antioxidants, glycemic index versus load, herbal remedies for pain, and full flavor, manly cooking. Please sign up soon because space is limited.

Menu
Starter:
Chips and Dip
Main Dishes:
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Dessert:
Apple Pie

Fabulous French Cooking
Wednesday, April 7th 6-9 pm

I had a feeling since the sudden appearance of agave nectar that something wasn’t quite right about it all…..it turns out that much of the commercial agave syrup is actually very low-quality and even fraudulent in its claims of being true agave…..

My friend Amigo Bob sent this link to me, check it out from Natural News.

Join us at In The Kitchen Cooking School in Nevada City to meet some of the new teachers and learn about and sign up for upcoming classes!

Monday, January 11th from 5:30-7:30 pm the kitchen will be open!

648 Zion St Nevada City www.wendyvanwagner.com (530) 478-0669

Alma Rowe, our kids teacher, will be showing how to make Fresh Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce!

Susan Meagher of Nana’s Bakery wil be sharing secrets of Aeblskivers!

Joe Meade will be there to talk about his new class, The Yoga of Cooking……!

Suzanne Parkhurst who is teaching Shaman in The Kitchen will answer questions you have relating to medicinal cooking!

And I will be there welcoming you all into a special space of creation and nourishment!

Please join in after a busy day of work to eat some goodies and have a warm drink! Feel free to bring a friend! We will be taking sign ups on the spot! Happy New Year!

Wendy Van Wagner In The Kitchen www.wendyvanwagner.com (530) 478-0669