New Kitchen Gardening Class!
I have been wanting to teach a comprehensive, hands-on gardening class for a very long time, so I am super excited to announce that Chef Matthew Dillon and I will be offering The Kitchen Garden Series this summer at The Corson Building. The seven-month long course is designed to bring food full circle—from setting a seed into the soil to sitting down to a meal made with vegetables grown and harvested outside the kitchen door.
Each class will begin with wine, snacks, and a lesson in the garden. I will emphasize organic growing techniques and practical strategies for maximizing production in small, urban spaces. I’m really excited to help class participants explore the amazing diversity of foods that gardeners have access to, including fennel pollen, pea tendrils, garlic scapes. I’m also going to concentrate on how to harvest crops at different stages of growth and ways to maximize the flavor and quality of homegrown vegetables. Every session will have a special area of focus, and salad and herb gardening, growing warm season vegetables, succession planting, soil care, and planning a winter garden will all be covered.
Following the gardening lesson, we will move into the kitchen where a light meal will be served and Matt will take the reins. Central to each cooking class will be the idea of thrift—using all the edible parts of a plant and preserving the harvest. In addition to teaching how to cook out of the garden, Matt wants to concentrate on pantry and/or larder items (canning, drying and preserving methods), as well as making products like yogurt and crème fraîche that can enhance seasonal eating. The final class in October will be a harvest celebration and focus on preserving and canning.
Both Matt and I are inspired by the writings of food lover and gardener, Angelo Pellegrini, and we will weave his advice and wisdom into our lessons. If you’re interested in participating in The Kitchen Garden Series, here are all the details:
Where: The Corson Building, 5609 Corson Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98108 (Georgetown Neighborhood)
When: The Kitchen Garden Series begins Wednesday, April 14 and meets once a month on Wednesdays (May 12, June 16, July 7, August 11, and September 8 with the final installment taking place on Saturday, October 9. All classes run from 6pm to 9pm.
Registration: Class size is limited to 15 students and attendees should be prepared to get dirty in the garden. Cost of the series is $400 per person and includes free admission to The Corson Buildings annual Cider Press in October. A deposit of $100 is required to reserve a space with the balance of $300 due at the first class. To register, email info@thecorsonbuilding.com or call (206) 762- 3330.
“Without a kitchen garden—that plot of land on which one grows herbs, vegetables, and some fruit—it is not possible to produce decent and savory food for the dinner table.”
~ Angelo Pellegrini, The Food-Lovers Garden
This is a great idea! I love that you are combining cooking and growing food. I am bummed that I will be out of town 2 for two of the sessions. I hope it will happen again next summer.
March 16th, 2010 at 8:49 amI’m going to check my calender to see if I can make it. Wine, gardening, food, good company…what better way to spend a series of Wednesday evenings?!
March 16th, 2010 at 9:32 amgardenmentor´s last blog ..Garden Blogger Bloom Day – March 2010
Wow, I LOVE to take this class, but I’m due on August 31st… I will probably have to pass it this time since I’ll most likely miss one or two classes… Plus I can’t enjoy the wine, either (that will kill me)…
Hope you will have another once next summer!
March 16th, 2010 at 10:40 amoh now this sounds just about PERFECT. hope to join you
March 16th, 2010 at 1:48 pmI’m in. Can’t wait. Sounds like a fantastic class!
March 16th, 2010 at 1:49 pmThis sounds AMAZING! If only there were something like this in the Bay Area!
March 16th, 2010 at 8:04 pmElizabeth´s last blog ..The Garden
I wish I lived in Seattle! Love you blog…thanks!
March 17th, 2010 at 6:13 amSusan–I think we will definitely be offering this next summer!
GardenMentor–I hope you can come. It will be fun!
Jackie–Congratulations! I hope you can join us next year
Janine and Darryl–Hope to see you both in class!
Elizabeth–I’m surprised there isn’t a class like this in the Bay Area…maybe Matt & I should come down and teach a week long one! Wouldn’t that be fun?
Ann–Thanks for reading from afar! I’m not sure how close you are to Chicago, but I know that Rick Bayless’ gardener sometimes teaches classes in Bayless’ garden.
March 17th, 2010 at 7:56 amOh how I wish you were in San Francisco!! Thank you so much for your amazing website which never fails to inspire!
March 17th, 2010 at 9:36 am[...] of Organic Gardening magazine, among other things. You may want to consider signing up for the Kitchen Garden Series she’ll be running at the exquisite garden of the Corson Building starting in April. I am the [...]
March 17th, 2010 at 1:43 pmGosh, that sounds great, but New York is too far to commute. But bringing everything together like that over time, is such a good idea–even with some years of experience under my belt, it would be good to have a coherent overview.
March 17th, 2010 at 2:53 pmEmail sent. I hope I get to join you in this wonderful experience!
March 17th, 2010 at 11:09 pmI’m trying to get in also! I emailed and left voicemail yesterday! Sounds incredible!
March 17th, 2010 at 11:33 pmmeg´s last blog ..Can Jam- March Edition: Alliums
Oh Man! Just caught up on your blog this afternoon and called right away! A friend and I are 19 on the wait list…please please offer another!
March 18th, 2010 at 4:01 pmWhat an awesome idea. It sounds like like I would have the time of my life. Checking my calendar and my checking account to see if I can participate!
March 18th, 2010 at 8:05 pmI too just found out about the class last night (I wasn’t available to hear it on the radio show when it was announced, but found out when I opened the website). I called and am also on the waiting list, if there is going to be a second class. Please please please say yes! I’m super excited to be a part of it if there is. Thanks for coming up with such a fun thing to look forward to over the next few months! Can’t wait!
March 19th, 2010 at 5:08 pmAnybody in the second class want to trade me for my spot in the first class (dates as above)? You’d meet a week earlier, except the final Saturday is the same. Just post to this message board (I should receive a notice) and I’ll work it through the good folks at the Corson Building. Thanks!
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:58 pm[...] even realize it: fava greens. I always grow favas for their delicious beans, but a student in my Kitchen Garden Series class told me he makes pesto with his fava bean greens. I immediately went home and sampled a [...]
May 14th, 2010 at 3:03 amHi Willi,
I love the idea of this class! I wish that I had heard of it sooner. I’ve been following you on your blog and on kuow for a few years now, and am finally getting my first garden in! If you offer this class next summer, would you consider Tuesdays? I am off on Mon and Tue, and I live on Whidbey. I would drive to Seattle for this class though!
Keep up the great work and thank you for inspiring me!
May 15th, 2010 at 8:54 am