Northwest Iowa — Buy locally-grown food or grow it yourself. That’s the advice being given by some experts — and some people are following that advice.
Recognizing the growing interest in fresh, locally-produced food, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach county offices in Northwest Iowa launched Flavors of Northwest Iowa, a regional food project to build a network of support for growers and consumers.
This Tuesday, August 9, Extension is hosting “Cooking with Garden Vegetables” at the Forster Community Center in Rock Rapids from 6 to 8 p.m.
Extension experts say it will be a hands-on workshop where you’re going to learn some easy cooking tips. The presenter will do some demonstrations, and they’ll do tastings. They say they’re offering this because some people aren’t sure exactly how to cut and prepare certain vegetables. They say they’ll have some recipes available too. It’s free.
Later this week, they’ll have the companion “Cooking with Herbs” workshop at the Sutherland Fire Rescue and Ambulance building in Sutherland. That’ll be this Thursday, August 11th, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Experts tell us they’ll split up into groups and go into the kitchen and make pesto and salsa and things with freshly-prepared herbs. There will also be food tasting.
We’re told you need to register for that by August 9th by calling the O’Brien County Extension Office. There is a $15 per person fee for the herbs workshop.
You can learn more at www.flavorsofnorthwestiowa.org or find all the details on Facebook. Look for “Flavors of Northwest Iowa”.
