Adapted from The Sustainable Table

Economics 101 -Home cooking beats all of the competition hands down when it comes to saving money. Whether you’re considering dining out or bringing home prepared food, you’re paying for someone else to do something you can do yourself — and, with a little practice, probably do better.

Do’s and Don’ts -Think about what you DON’T want to find in tonight’s dinner — sickening bacteria, toxic pesticides. When you cook, you have more control over what goes into your body.

It just tastes better! – We’re losing our palates to our industrialized food system. Not so long ago, herbs and spices and sugar were used to enhance the flavor in our food. But in recent decades our taste buds have been corrupted through the use of cheap chemicals and corn syrup to fill that role.

Involve Your Family – If the good food movement is to succeed, it will be through our children. Invite them to participate in cooking. Kids love to “play” in the kitchen and there are dozens of ways they can be involved — from reading a recipe to washing produce to mixing ingredients to decorating cookies.

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To help you become a better sustainable cook, Grow Food Amherst is offering a…

Butternut Squash Gratin Workshop

Saturday, December 14

12:00 Noon – 1:00 pm

at the Amherst Winter Farmers’ Market

Peg Thibbitts, owner of Harvest Market, will present a workshop on using a locally grown butternut squash to make an easy and delicious gratin.  She will also offer advice on “make-ahead” dishes for the holidays!

THE FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO ARRIVE WILL RECEIVE A FREE BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

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And if you missed last week’s workshop of Amanda Wasserman presenting on how to use local products to make pop tarts, check out this video!

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