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We need healthy levels of cholesterol (not too high, but also not too low!). Did you know that cholesterol production in the body is regulated by the liver? Or that cholesterol is the precursor to hormones, and nutrients like Vitamin D? When cholesterol levels in the body are out of balance, it's important we understand why and address the root cause of inflammation and increased cholesterol production. If you're struggling with high cholesterol, join us as we talk about nutrition strategies to stabilize and rebalance cholesterol levels. This class will meet online via Zoom. An invite will be emailed a day or two before the class starts.

Ruah Swennerfelt, a homesteader and sourdough lover will share about the magic of sourdough in this two-part course. Sourdough becomes your yeast for bread, and so much more. Dream of wild yeasts living all around you! You'll go away with starter, recipes for bread and more, and the hands-on knowledge to create sourdough baked goods at home. On the first night you will get your starter going, taste some artisan sourdough bread baked earlier that day, and see the dough in action, readying for a loaf to be baked the next day. Walk away with a recipe for how to make your own starter, how to take care of it, keep it alive and play with it. Take home a bread recipe to try. We’ll look at various resources and items to have in your kitchen to make sourdough successfully at home. Between classes you'll have some homework: keep your own starter alive using Ruah's expert tips and the instructions provided. In the second class you'll bring your starter and make some yummy baked goods like coffee cake, cookies, and more. You will need a digital kitchen scale for feeding your starter; if you don't already own one, please plan to purchase one ahead of the first class (similar to this). This is a participatory class. While each student will make their own starter on the first night, a small group of 3-4 students will work together at each cooking station to complete the baking recipes on the second night. "I cannot recommend this workshop enough! Ruah completely took away all my fears about working with a starter. I finally feel confident and excited to care for my starter at home. We learned not only how to nurture our starters but also how to get creative with the discard in delicious recipes. Ruah's vast experience and approachable teaching style made the class enjoyable and easy to follow, regardless of our varying skill levels. It was such a positive and inspiring experience that I would absolutely take this class again and invite my friends to join me. It's a must for anyone interested in baking!" CF This class is generously sponsored by City Market:

Picture a world where dinner is served without any of the sauces that would normally accompany your food. Eggs Benedict without hollandaise. Macaroni without cheese. Mashed potatoes without gravy. Such a world seems bleak, parched, and frankly unappetizing. A well made sauce is the workhorse and hero of the kitchen. It adds pizzazz to average dishes, palatability to dry food, and rescues vegetables and proteins from being overcooked. A sauce adds refinement to a dish, elevating it from weeknight dinner to Michelin star cuisine. Come and learn the art of sauce making as we tackle bearnaise, beurre noisette, pan sauces and others on a journey out of the desert of barren, bored chewing, and into the realm of elegant fine dining. Welcome to the sauce zone. This is a participatory cooking class. A small group of 3-4 students will work together at each cooking station to complete the recipes on the night's menu.

Join us as we learn more about pollinators, and growing pollinator friendly landscapes. Creating pollinator gardens doesn’t just help the bees; it also helps your fruits and vegetables. We will cover the key local and regional native perennials that provide pollinators with nectar and pollen throughout the season. This course also highlights host plants for caterpillars of butterflies and moths, and plants that provide for other pollinating specialists. Participants will take home plant lists and a greater understanding of strategies to incorporate these plants and techniques into your own garden space. This is a workshop for all levels, beginner to professional. This class will meet inside CVU.

Just a few steps outside your door lies a world of plants waiting to be discovered! Kelley Robie of Horsetail Herbs will guide you on this introduction to identifying common and abundant “weeds” that make some of our very best wild foods and medicines. Here in Vermont for at least half of the year we can find dozens of nutritious and healing plants to incorporate into our meals! We will identify local plant species, discuss parts of the plants used, when to harvest them and even do some taste-testing. You will go home with wild food recipes galore and a new appreciation for Vermont’s local wild plants. Local eating at its best, both fresh and free! This class will meet inside CVU, before moving outside. In the case of extreme weather, the class may move to a rain date of May 29th.