Shannon, from Whole Foods Fresh Pond, kindly came to the farm to show us how to make some delicious and healthy meals from their Health Starts Here program. It was a great way to see how to use seasonal produce in some unique recipes. The program focuses on four pillars of healthy eating to include healthy meals in your diet. These include whole food, plant strong, healthy fats, and nutrient dense. Look for the health starts here label when you are shopping at whole foods and check out their website for tips, recipes, and cooking methods.
Our first course was cabbage kohlrabi slaw with a lemon and avocado dressing and was my first time eating kohlrabi. It looks like celery root, but smoother and is similar to cabbage, kale, and broccoli. This is a refreshing slaw and all the ingredients would easily be found at the farmers market or in your CSA.
Our next course was Orzo Soup. This was my favorite part of the meal (and of course I forgot to take a picture) and I could see myself making this frequently, plus I have been making a lot of soup these days with the cooler weather coming in. It is super easy to make and has some nice leafy greens, such as escarole to keep it super healthy. If you like spicy you can heat it up by adding some red pepper flakes.
For our main course we had collard rolls with eggplant, adzuki bean, and spicy tahini sauce. I love the idea of making rolls in a nice leafy green, so this was perfect for me. I often make tacos with lettuce to cut out the processed tortillas, so I definitely support making a wrap of a leafy green loaded with vitamins. However, I know my husband won't touch this, so this will have to be something I make for myself.
And for dessert, we had raw apple crisp. Quick, easy, and healthy and was a great way to finish out meal. Simply combine pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, ginger, and cinnamon in a food processor and cover over apples.
When the class was over we took a walk around the farm to check out their learning garden. There are a lot of really great programs that the farm is putting on, including youth learning programs and workshops. The Waltham Farm Day is this weekend on October 5 from 2-5pm. There will be tractor climbing, face painting, PYO carrots, recipe tasting, and arts and crafts. It's a free event so go check it out!!
