In our third year of offering a monthly cooking program featuring recipes from the USDA Food & Nutrition Calendar, the Pike County Family & Consumer Sciences Program has helped over 40 families learn about economical ways to feed themselves using basic skills.  The classes consist of an educational component related to the lesson (knife skills, the importance of whole grains, reading food labels, etc) along with hands-on preparation and recipe sampling.Participants are arranged in groups of 3-4 and spend class time preparing each dish as a family would at home.  The objectives are for families to learn to incorporate fruits and vegetables into their diets as well as whole grains.Also, the practice of cooking regular meals helps families become healthier and family relations are improved through eating and socializing together.  Recipes also feature locally grown and available produce so that families know how to use garden vegetables and fruits that can be found in season at high quality and low cost.

            One program participant reported making a raw Brussel sprout salad twice in one week. “I would never eat Brussel sprouts because I’d always tried them cooked and I hated them.  After taking the class last year, I was surprised at how different they taste raw.  You can’t imagine how different they are.  My family uses all the recipes from the calendar but that salad is our favorite.We worked together and made it twice last week for supper.”