Hands-on holiday cooking and gathering food from the land

Hands-On gardening during the school holidays to be held the end of January.

Aneta Reuter says Hands-On Food is a place where fun, healthy food, practical activities and education meet in a busy, focused, commercial environment.

She has worked there, and at Wholegrain Organics, over the past 10 years.

Reuter is offering cooking workshops at the end of January.

The first, on January 22, is cooking at the farm, 230 Napier Rd.

"Join us on our organic vegetable farm for a morning of planting, harvesting and mulching.

"Cook a yummy lunch over the open fire and enjoy it outdoors."

Reuter says there will be a tour of the hothouses and farm and then they will make a lunch from raw vegetables picked from the farm, and cooked them over the campfire.

After lunch there will be a demonstration of how mulching works.

The January 25 course is "Sugar Sugar Sugar" at Wholegrain Organics' commercial kitchen at 134 The Square.

Those on the course will learn about what kinds of sugars there are, their good and bad forms, what sugar does to your body, and where it is hidden.

"We will learn how to read the sugars on nutrition panels."

Reuter says they will make a smoothie with dates to sweeten and a sugar-free ketchup/sauce.

January 26 is a Wholegrain Baking class, following the process from grain through to bread; using a handmill to turn grain to flour and then making bread rolls to take home.

The last two classes are Mastering Your Own Sushi on January 27, and Making Muesli on January 28.