April 24, 2018 – Three years ago marked an exciting marriage for our community. The union that took place in the early wedding season of 2015 did not feature cake or champagne. Instead, when the Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Market (SCCFM) tied the knot with Mountain Feed & Farm Supply, the collaboration that has followed every year since is a loving example of solid partnership.
And luckily for all of us, these free market classes that we have grown to expect and look forward to at various market locations throughout the summer, all taught by long-time Mountain Feed super star Jessica Tunis, will continue. Expect high amounts of wit and wisdom while getting some schooling on everything from fermentation to preservation to dehydration. The classes take place in the hustle and bustle of the market, where you are just steps away from the ingredients needed to recreate the lesson at home. In fact, each class participant gets a printed copy of the recipe as well as a 10% discount card for Mountain Feed Housewares products, good for one week after the class.
The first of the series kicks of on Tuesday, May 1st on the opening day of the Felton Farmers’ Market and will feature strawberries. And then on Saturday, May 5th, the second class of the season will focus on blueberries at the opening day of the Scotts Valley Farmers’ Market.
But if you are itching to dive a bit deeper, the smart brains who cooked up this class series are offering another way to take in some empowering education in a new series called Bringing The Harvest Home. The format for this class structure is a more extended, two hour timeframe and takes place at Mountain Feed & Farm in Ben Lomond. Tunis will demonstrate a recipe that centers around seasonal bulk produce, with the goal of illuminating to participants that preserving large quantities of food in the height of the season is an effective, efficient and delicious way to enjoy them all year long.
“This particular series is unique to any classes we’ve done at Mountain Feed before because Nesh (Dhillon) is actually going to hand-deliver the produce to the class each time. It makes it so easy for the participants to go home and do what they just learned,” says Tunis.
At their annual planning meeting, when the Mountain Feed folk and the SCCFM folk sat down together at Companion Bakeshop to hash out what the year ahead would look like, the result was this “collaboratively hatched idea,” explains Tunis. “This wasn’t an idea that anyone had going into the meeting, it just evolved,” she says. And it’s an idea that centers around sourcing food directly from those who grow it for us.
Tunis says, “It’s all about strengthening the relationships, not only between Mountain Feed and the Farmers’ Market, but between the farmers and the class participants….and then to have the farmers market deliver it to us is just an extra bonus. The whole idea is to have people get comfortable with preserving basic pantry staples. Preserving the peak of the harvest to enjoy out of the season.”
The first class takes place on Saturday, May 12th and focuses on classic Strawberry Jam. You’ll go home with a flat of strawberries, a case of pint jars, and some pectin, plus a deeper understanding of the water bath canning method, low-sugar versus traditional jam making and using natural pectins.
And while these on-site classes are not free, the price includes a flat of produce for each participant to take and use as their “homework”, a recipe, and discounts on equipment rental if you are inclined to take the apple press for a test drive after the cider class this fall.
“The apple cider one is going to be super fun. It’s one I’m really looking forward to,” says Tunis. And for anyone who knows this particular fermentista, it is sure to be a good class to attend for a very thorough understanding on making hard cider, from core to press to fizz and all things in between. The full schedule:
FELTON FARMERS’ MARKET 3:30-4:30PM (FREE)
May 1st – Classic Strawberry Jam
June 26th – Fermented Zucchini Pickle
September 18th – Apple Sauce, A Well Loved Standard
October 23rd – Pumpkin Syrup for all purposes
SCOTTS VALLEY FARMERS’ MARKET 10:30 – 11:30AM (FREE)
May 5th – Probiotic Blueberry Soda with the Ginger Bug
September 8th – Apple Sauce, A Well Loved Standard
BRINGING THE HARVEST HOME at Mountain Feed and Farm Supply 11AM -1PM (FEE & REGISTRATION)
May 12th – Strawberry Jam: water bath canning method, low-sugar jams and natural pectins, strawberry jam recipe.
August 11th – Canning Tomatoes: blanching, removing skins, salt and acid parameters, water-bath canning, food safety and alternative tomato recipes such as soup, tomato paste, ketchup and tomato sauce.
October 6th – Hard Cider: grinding and pressing fresh apples into juice, fermentation and bottling.
Sign up for classes at Mountain Feed here!
About the author
Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
