November 30, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the Cooking From Scratch whole-grain breads class at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to make whole-grain breads using the Tassajara technique during the second Cooking From Scratch series class held Monday, Nov. 28, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

The whole-grain breads class was the second of three classes in the Fall 2016 Cooking From Scratch series at the Sitka Kitch, which is located at First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). The three classes are taught by Lisa Sadleir-Hart, a registered dietitian and health educator. The classes are designed to help Sitka residents learn how to expand their culinary skills while also eating healthy foods and stretching their food dollars.

The Tassajara bread technique, which also was taught last year, is a virtually fool-proof way to make whole-grain breads. It was developed at a monastery in California, and there have been books detailing the technique. In addition to proofing a loaf of whole-wheat bread (so it’s ready to bake at home), the students also learned about a variety of whole grains that aren’t commonly used in the United States but are rich in flavor and nutrition.

The third Cooking from Scratch class will focus on winter morning creations (registration link), featuring baked and fried pancakes from around the world. It will be taught at 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5. This class is new this fall, and it will teach students how to make a Finnish baked pancake called Krupso, the Eastern/Middle Eastern potato pancakes called Latke, Swedish pancakes, and Strata, a baked bread and egg dish. The first class in the series, on Nov. 14, taught students how to make homemade yogurt with non-fat powdered milk.

The Cooking from Scratch series goal is to teach basic cooking skills using high-quality ingredients, and to help Sitkans take back their kitchens and reduce their food budgets. Interested individuals can register at https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com/ (click on the event title to register, and use our PayPal feature to pay for the class). We need at least eight students registered for each class to guarantee they happen.

Class size is limited, so register early. The cost is $27.50 per class, plus a food/supply fee that will be divided among registered participants. The registration deadline is late on the Friday night before each class. For more information about the class series, call Lisa Sadleir-Hart at 747-5985.

In addition, the Sitka Kitch will host a Holiday Make and Take class with Nickie Knight from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, where students will learn how to make a variety of organic bath and body products using essential oils (such as body butter, luxurious sugar scrub, lip balm and holiday cheer room spray). This class will cost $20, plus a supply fee of about $15. We’re also putting together a Cooking Around The World class series for this spring, so watch for updates once details are confirmed.

A slideshow of scenes from the whole-grain breads class can be found below.

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November 28, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Check out the December 2016 edition of the Sitka Local Foods Network newsletter

The Sitka Local Foods Network just sent out the December 2016 edition of its monthly newsletter. Feel free to click this link to get a copy.

This month’s newsletter includes short articles about our #GivingTuesday campaign on Nov. 29, a request for new board members, an update on two food-related Sitka Health Summit projects, and info about some upcoming classes at the Sitka Kitch. Each story has links to our website for more information.

You can sign up for future editions of our newsletter by clicking on the registration form image in the right column of our website and filling in the information. If you received a copy but didn’t want one, there is a link at the bottom of the newsletter so you can unsubscribe. Our intention is to get the word out about upcoming events and not to spam people. We will protect your privacy by not sharing our email list with others.

November 23, 2016 by Charles Bingham

A thank you to those people who donated to us through Pick.Click.Give.

We recently received a check from Pick.Click.Give. for donations from the 2016 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) community giving program. This year there were 42 donors giving the Sitka Local Foods Network $2,800.

Thank you. We appreciate your support for our mission to increase the amount of locally produced and harvested food in the diets of Southeast Alaskans.

This was the third year the Sitka Local Foods Network participated in the Pick.Click.Give. program, which allows people to donate in $25 increments to their favorite statewide and local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations when they file their PFD applications. When you choose to donate part of your PFD to the Sitka Local Foods Network, you support the Sitka Farmers Market, St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm, education programs about growing and preserving food, the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen, community gardens, the sustainable use of traditional foods, the Sitka Community Food Assessment, the Sitka Food Summit, the Fish-To-Schools program, and a variety of other projects designed to increase access to healthy local foods in Sitka.

Unfortunately, due to a clerical snafu, we will not be participating in the 2017 Pick.Click.Give. program. We hope to be back for 2018, though.

You still can donate to the Sitka Local Foods Network, even if we’re not in the 2017 Pick.Click.Give. program. To donate, send your check to the Sitka Local Foods Network, 408 Marine St., Suite D, Sitka, Alaska, 99835. Our EIN is 26-4629930.

On Tuesday, Nov. 29, we will launch our second annual #GivingTuesday fundraising campaign. Giving Tuesday is a day set aside to donate to various causes you care about after the consumer-oriented Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday events. Our Giving Tuesday campaign will take donations through Dec. 31, for those wanting another donation for tax purposes.

You also can make an online donation through our Razoo.com crowdfunding page. Please let us know if you need a receipt for tax purposes. The Sitka Local Foods Network now has a Bronze rating from the GuideStar Nonprofit Profile Service, and we are listed with the Benevity Causes Portal used by larger corporations for employee giving programs. For more information about donating, you can send an email to sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com.

November 21, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Sitka Kitch to host Holiday Make and Take class on Dec. 12

The holidays are upon us! Join Nickie Knight for a Holiday Make and Take class from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen. The Sitka Kitch is located inside First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road.

Treat yourself, or leave with a variety of gifts to share. Luxurious, organic bath and body products don’t need to be expensive. Learn how to make some of your favorite concoctions in the kitchen using all natural ingredients and 100-percent pure essential oils. Nickie is an essential oil aficionado, who has been an advocate for the removal of toxins in the home for more than a decade.

The Holiday Make and Take class is $20.00 per person, plus the cost of supplies. Students should prepay for the class through the Sitka Kitch online registration site using PayPal.

Students will leave with finished products including — Body Butter, Luxurious Sugar Scrub, Lip Balm, and Holiday Cheer Room Spray. The supply fee (about $15, paid at the class) allows students to make one each of the body butter, sugar scrub, and room spray; and five tubes of lip balm. (Also, ask Nickie how to get your class fee reimbursed!)

To learn more about the class, contact Nickie at nickie@essentialwellnessak.com. To learn more about the Sitka Kitch, send an email to sitkakitch@sitkawild.org.

Also, the Sitka Kitch still has a few openings in its last two Cooking From Scratch classes — Whole-Grain Breads Using the Tassajara Techinique from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, and Winter Morning Creations (baked and fried pancakes from around the world) from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5. These classes are taught by Lisa Sadleir-Hart and they cost $27.50 each, plus a food/supply fee based on the number of students in each class. Space is limited and we need a minimum of eight students registered in each of these two classes to guarantee they happen. You can register at http://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com (just click on the class title).

November 17, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the Cooking From Scratch homemade yogurt class at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to make homemade yogurt from non-fat powdered milk during the first Cooking From Scratch series class held Monday, Nov. 14, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

The homemade yogurt class was the first of three classes in the Fall 2016 Cooking From Scratch series at the Sitka Kitch, which is located at First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). The three classes are taught by Lisa Sadleir-Hart, a registered dietitian and health educator. Theclasses designed to help Sitka residents learn how to expand their culinary skills while also eating healthy foods and stretching their food dollars.

The second Sitka Kitch Cooking from Scratch class is from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 (rescheduled from Nov. 7), and will focus on basic whole-grain breads (registration link) using the Tassajara bread technique. This class was offered last year and the students enjoyed learning this simple way to bake whole-grain breads.

In addition, the Sitka Kitch will host a Holiday Make and Take class with Nickie Knight from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, where students will learn how to make a variety of organic bath and body products using essential oils (such as body butter, luxurious sugar scrub, lip balm and holiday cheer room spray). This class will cost $20 and more details will be available on our registration site soon. We’re also putting together a Cooking Around The World class series for this spring, so watch for updates once details are confirmed.

A slideshow of scenes from the homemade yogurt class can be found below.

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November 6, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Sitka Kitch to host second annual Cooking From Scratch class series in Fall 2016 (Rescheduled dates)

Ever wanted to learn how to cook more and better food for less money?

Join us for the second annual Cooking from Scratch series of cooking classes at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen, which is located in the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). Registered dietitian and health educator Lisa Sadleir-Hart, MPH, RD, will teach three classes designed to help Sitka residents learn how to expand their culinary skills while also eating healthy and stretching their food dollars. Please note that two of the three classes have been rescheduled from their originally announced dates.

The first class in this year’s fall series will focus on how to make yogurt using nonfat dried milk (registration link). It will be offered from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14 (this class was rescheduled from its original Oct. 10 date). We offered this class last year, and it was a big hit.

November 3, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the All Beans Considered food preservation class at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to make and can pickled green beans and a pickled three-bean salad during the All Beans Considered food preservation class held Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

This class was taught by Callie Simmons, who works for Sitka Conservation Society and helped teach cooking and food preservation classes to the Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H club. Callie was one of seven Sitka residents who took a Food Preservation Instructor certification course in May from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society.. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner. To learn more about how to rent the Sitka Kitch, please go to the website at http://www.sitkawild.org/sitka_kitch.

Also, don’t forget the Sitka Kitch is offering a Cooking From Scratch series of classes this fall. This series includes a whole-grain breads baking class using the Tassajara technique on Monday, Nov. 7; a class on making homemade yogurt from powdered milk class on Monday, Nov. 14 (this class was rescheduled from an earlier date); and a Winter Morning Creations class featuring baked or fried pancakes from around the world on Monday, Dec. 5. All classes are from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Sitka Kitch (located in First Presbyterian Church at 515 Sawmill Creek Road), and all three classes will be taught by Lisa Sadleir-Hart.

The classes cost $27.50 per student, plus a food/supply fee shared among the students in the class. Space is limited and we need at least eight students for the class to happen. The registration deadline is late the Friday evening before each class. For more details and to register for the classes, go to https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com/and click on the class title.

A slideshow of scenes from the All Beans Considered class is posted below.

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November 1, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Check out the November 2016 edition of the Sitka Local Foods Network newsletter

The Sitka Local Foods Network just sent out the November 2016 edition of its monthly newsletter. Feel free to click this link to get a copy.

This edition of the newsletter has brief stories about our need for new board members, a new #GivingTuesday fundraising campaign that launches on Nov. 29, two food-related projects chosen at the recent Sitka Health Summit, and the Sitka Kitch hosting a Cooking From Scratch class series for Fall 2016. Each story has links to our website for more information.

October 24, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Sitka Health Summit chooses two community wellness projects related to local food

Healthy nutritious local food was the theme as about 75 Sitka residents gathered to choose two community wellness projects to pursue in 2016-17 at the 10th annual Sitka Health Summit planning day Friday, Oct. 21, at the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus.

The citizen planners chose one specific topic project (which can be finished in one year) and one broad topic (which may become a multi-year project). Identifying, developing, organizing and maintaining a new community garden was the choice for specific topic project. Combining all healthy and local food organizations into one nonprofit was broad topic project chosen.

These two projects were chosen from 21 specific topic project and nine broad topic project ideas introduced by the citizen planners (some similar project ideas were combined into one submission before voting). The topic ideas submitted by the citizen planners fell into a variety of categories, such as physical activity, nutrition, mental health, health equity, etc. The two chosen projects will each receive $2,000 in seed money, as well as some facilitation services from the Sitka Health Summit advisory team, to help get the projects off the ground.

Each of the two chosen community wellness projects will host a kick-off event in the near future, and these events are open to the public and anybody who wants to help with the project. More information about the projects, their kick-off meetings, and contact people are listed below.

Identify, develop, organize and maintain new community gardens in Sitka — 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3, Harrigan Centennial Hall, contact Dave Nuetzel, 738-8372, community.garden@hotmail.com — This project is to create one or more community garden spaces in Sitka, which has become a need due to the recent closure of the Blatchley Community Gardens behind Blatchley Middle School. Building more community gardens will allow landless Sitkans and those who don’t have good sun exposure to have a place to grow their own food. The former Blatchley Community Gardens page on Facebook has been renamed the Sitka Community Gardens page, https://www.facebook.com/Sitka-Community-Gardens-210713299032006/, which people can like for more information.
Combine all healthy and local food organizations into one nonprofit — 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10, Harrigan Centennial Hall contact Charles Bingham, 623-7660, charleswbingham3@gmail.com — This project’s goal is to help the large number of Sitka groups working on healthy and local food projects (such as the Sitka Local Foods Network, Sitka Kitch, Sitka Food Co-Op, etc.) find ways to collaborate and work together to become more efficient and not burn out so many board members and volunteers because of the duplication of efforts. This project may result in some organizations combining into one, or at least finding ways to collaborate. The project may take longer than one year, as the various groups merge their missions, purposes, values, and organizational structures, while avoiding turf wars. But the overall goal is to make sure “Every Sitkan has access to healthy, affordable food.”

In addition to choosing two community wellness projects, the Sitka Health Summit recognized Girl Scout Troop 4140 for its work in promoting and improving the safety of the Peterson Street and Halibut Point Road intersection following recent car-bike and car-walker collisions that left people seriously injured.

The Sitka Health Summit is coordinated and funded by a coalition of local groups that includes Brave Heart Volunteers, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), Sitka Community Hospital, the Sitka Community Hospital Foundation, and the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus, with additional financial help from Guardian Flight, Southeast Radiation Oncology, White’s Pharmacy, Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers, Sitka Vision Clinic, Unity Botanicals, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco-Seattle Branch Community Development Division.

For more information about the Sitka Health Summit and its current and past projects, go to http://www.sitkahealthsummit.org/. A slideshow of scenes from the 10th annual Sitka Health Summit is posted below, as well as a slideshow of scenes from the now-empty Blatchley Community Gardens.

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October 13, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Sitka Kitch to host second annual Cooking From Scratch class series in Fall 2016

Ever wanted to learn how to cook more and better food for less money?

The first Sitka Kitch Cooking from Scratch class is from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7, and will focus on basic whole-grain breads (registration link) using the Tassajara bread technique. This class was offered last year and the students enjoyed learning this simple way to bake whole-grain breads.

The second class in this year’s fall series will focus on how to make yogurt using nonfat dried milk (registration link). It will be offered from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14 (this class was rescheduled from its original Oct. 10 date). We offered this class last year, and it was a big hit.