GRAVETTE — The second in a series of EFNEP (Enhanced Food and Nutrition Education Program) cooking classes was held 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. They are part of the library’s Grow It — Cook It — Save It program and are supported by grants from Penguin Random House and 4imprint.
Kathy Love of the University of Arkansas Extension Office in Bentonville and Jacqueline Silva, EFNEP Nutrition Educator, gave class members some tips to help chefs stretch their budgets. They suggested buying local and buying in season. Better yet, grow your own garden and trade with neighbors. If you do buy foods, buy whole rather than pre-cut or sliced to save money.
Silva also gave some pointers on food safety and good nutrition. She encouraged buying foods without added sodium or sugar, washing produce before eating, and trying to reduce fat, salt and sugar in the diet. When you eat foods higher in fat, salt and sugar, enjoy them in moderation. She also said it’s better to eat rather than drink fruits and vegetables because whole produce also offers fiber as well as vitamins and minerals and is more nutritious than juicing.
Each class member was given charts showing locally grown fruits and vegetables and their harvest dates, key nutrients in foods, and information on the benefits of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Each student also received a planter stand with the Gravette Public Library logo provided through grant funds.
Love gave some instructions on measuring using both measuring spoons and measuring cups, and then let each member of the class practice measuring correctly before starting to cook. The students were then given recipes and prepared Mushroom Barley Soup, Strawberry Spinach Salad and Double Cornbread Muffins for their dinner.
Artemis Edmiston, a library employee, attended the class as a library facilitator and also as a class member.
Two more classes will be held, Thursday, May 11 and Thursday, May 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Gravette Civic Center.
Teen Kitchen and Kids in the Kitchen courses for teens and children interested in cooking will be held in June. Teen Cooking classes will be held from 11:30am to 12:15pm every Thursday in June, starting June 1st. Kids Kitchen Lessons will be held weekly on Wednesdays from 1pm to 2pm starting June 14th and ending July 5th. Registration information for these programs will be available soon.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Becky Eubank and Vanessa Thetford, both of Gravette, prepare strawberry spinach salad at the EFNEP (Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program) cooking class held Thursday evening, May 4, at the Gravette Civic Center. Students also made mushroom barley soup and double cornbread in class, designed to help cooks feed their families well without breaking their food budget.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Catilena Young (right), 9, eats a helping of mushroom barley soup as her twin sister Athena and Becky Eubank also prepare to serve. Vanessa Thetford (left) tries one of the double cornbread muffins as the twins’ mother, Alicia, looks on. Harper Young, 4; Adrina Young, 14; and Katherine Holloway, seated at a table in the background, enjoy the food prepared by the class members.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Adrina Young, 14, Artemis Edmiston and Kathryn Holloway chop celery, onions and mushrooms to add to other vegetables as they prepare barley mushroom soup at EFNEP (Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program ) cooking class on Thursday evening, May 4 at the Gravette Civic Center. The students also prepared strawberry spinach salad and double cornbread in the evening class.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Jacqueline Silva, nutrition educator with EFNEP (Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program), shows a chart showing locally grown fruit and the months it was harvested. Silva told students in this EFNEP Cooking School class that they can save money by buying local and in-season produce. She also suggested growing your own garden and trading with neighbors.
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Adrina Young, 14, helps her younger sister, Harper, 4, taste a spoonful of the mushroom barley soup she and other class members made at EFNEP (Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program ) cooking class on Thursday evening, May 4. Adrina and Harper, their sisters Catilena and Athena and their mother, Alicia Young, all attended this second of four classes sponsored by the Gravett Public Library.