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Free food events this weekend: burgers, beer, chocolate, Copper River salmon, rosé, lavender

Leslie Seaton — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:59:45 +0000

Image via Flickr user rowdykittensStaying in town this holiday weekend? Maybe you're on a budget and a vacation over Memorial Day is out of the question. Well, don't fret. We're supposed to have at least a couple days of sunshine, and there is plenty of FREE! food fun to be had.

Learn about some healthy eating options; taste wine, beer, chocolate and Copper River salmon; plan your vegetable or herb garden; hear an author talk on vegan cooking; get a free burger; see a Vitamix demo; or pick up some fly fishing skills.

And if you are a veteran, first off, thanks so much for your service, and secondly, see Monday for where you can get a FREE! scoop of frozen custard for Memorial Day.

I'm starting the round-up tonight in case anyone is starting their weekend early...enjoy it and I'll be back next week!

(And don't forget to see The Freeno Report for free wine tastings.)

Thu, May 24

4-6pm: FREE! Whole Foods Westlake's May Beer Tastings: Air.
7pm: FREE! Book Talk: Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way at the UW Bookstore - Mill Creek.

Fri, May 25

10-11am: FREE! Quick and Healthy Meal Ideas Talk at Bastyr Center.
FREE! Various times: Komforte Chockolates Tasting at Met Market. “Komforte combines chocolate and whimsy to take candy bars to the next level with these savory combinations. Never thought of putting ramen in your chocolate bar? Think again, as the salty spice lifts the flavor of the bar and the noodles sprinkled throughout add a satisfying crunch. In addition to Savory Ramen, check out Tortilla Lime, French Toast, and Apple Pie. While the slightly wacky flavors may sound like they were dreamed up by a child, the premium chocolate used and the subtle touch make these a treat for palates of all ages. Meet the Robert and Peter, Co-Founders of Komforte Chocolates at our in-store Kiosks: Proctor: Friday, May 25, from Noon-3PM; Admiral: Friday, May 25, from 4:30-7PM.

Sat, May 26

FREE! Fly Fishing 101 at Orvis. Now’s your chance to learn fly fishing basics in one of our free fly fishing 101 classes. Free fishing lessons on fly casting and outfit rigging. If you're looking for a great way to get the family together outside, our FF101 class is the perfect event to get started. Fly fishing is a sport the whole family can participate in. All ages are welcome to attend the event, but those under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Bring the whole family and learn what this great sport is all about. Space is limited in these classes, Please RSVP to a participating locations to reserve your space.”
Various times: FREE! Komforte Chockolates Tasting at Metro Market. See above for full event description. Times/locations: Uptown: Saturday, May 26, from 10AM-Noon; Sand Point: Saturday, May 26, from 1-3PM; Kirkland: Saturday, May 26, from 4-6pm.”
10am: FREE! Gardening Seminar: Vegetables for Sun at Sunnyside Nursery. “It’s time to be planting your warm-season crops! Want help? We’ve got years of experience to help you grow a terrific summer bounty. From what grows well here, to essential soil additions to warning signs of potential disease; ask questions, share personal experience or just sit back and learn in this discussion on homegrown summer produce. Advanced registration is appreciated for all classes.”
11am-12pm: FREE! SEMINAR: Lavender in the Garden at Molbaks. “This fragrant and versatile evergreen herb can be enjoyed year-round as a landscape plant or harvested for a myriad of uses. Learn the secrets to successfully growing, pruning, and harvesting this beloved plant while discovering which cultivars are great for color in the landscape, cutting gardens, cooking and baking, or crafts.”
12pm: FREE! Reel It In: Copper River Salmon Sampling Event at Whole Foods Bellevue. “Copper River Salmon is arriving! Join us for a sample filled afternoon of this much awaited catch. Subject to change.”
2-6pm: FREE! Rosé Wine Tasting at Portalis. “Join to taste 2 higher-end rosé wines, one from the classic region of Provence & the other from Veneto in northeastern Italy.”

Sun, May 27

FREE! Fly Fishing 101 at Orvis. Now’s your chance to learn fly fishing basics in one of our free fly fishing 101 classes. Free fishing lessons on fly casting and outfit rigging. If you're looking for a great way to get the family together outside, our FF101 class is the perfect event to get started. Fly fishing is a sport the whole family can participate in. All ages are welcome to attend the event, but those under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Bring the whole family and learn what this great sport is all about. Space is limited in these classes, Please RSVP to a participating locations to reserve your space.”
FREE! Vitamix Demo at Williams-Sonoma. “The chefs' blender, the Vitamix is the one you see on TV. You've watched amazing transformations emerge from this powerful machine in minutes, from minced veggies and pureed hot soups to froths and frozen desserts. Join us and learn how to make the most of your Vitamix-and see the newest Vitamix model in action. These incredible blenders continue to be our best sellers (changed to the plural), and after this class, you'll understand why.”

Mon, May 28, 2-5pm

FREE! Memorial Day! All Vets get a FREE! scoop today at Old School Custard.
FREE! Burger Bonanza at Lil Woody’s. It’s National Burger Day and Lil Woody’s is giving out FREE! hamburgers.

The Freeno Report: this week's free wine tasting schedule

Leslie Seaton — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:52:50 +0000

Image via Flickr user Robert S. DonovanHere's the round-up of free wine tastings this weekend.

The usual reminder: I put this together before all the shops might have posted their tastings (ergo, they might not make it on the calendar). A listing of all the places that have had free tastings in the past is on the main Wine page. If you don't see one on the calendar that strikes your fancy, check out the list and the shops' sites and you might something more to your taste.

FREE WINE TASTINGS

Get ready for summer! Cocktails

Leslie Seaton — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:05:30 +0000

Image via Flickr user StewartAnd we've reached the final entry (for now at least) in the Get Ready for Summer series: cocktails. While the past few days have been a little...damp, at some point, the sun will return, and you certainly don't want to get parched.

Here are the upcoming cocktail classes and tastings to keep your whistle wet all summer long.

Get ready for summer! Herbs, herbal remedies & edible flowers

Leslie Seaton — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:44:56 +0000

Image via Flickr user IzikIf you're thinking of getting into gardening this summer, growing herbs and edible flowers can be an excellent start. And once you've grown them, there's a lot you can do with them (in addition to flavoring foods, naturally).

You can infuse them into liqueurs and honey, use them in herbal remedies, or turn them into topical skin care.

Below is a listing of events, classes, talks and tastings on how to grow and/or use herbs and edible flowers. Summer lavender festivals are also included (so far mainly scheduled for July).

Several of the herbal remedy classes are offered through Herban Wellness. For a review of a class I took at Herban Wellness (plus a recipe for an herbal root beer-flavor syrup), click here.

And to offset healthy benefits of what all is covered below, here is a quartet of recipes using herbs in frozen desserts!

Get ready for summer! Pie!

Leslie Seaton — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:23:41 +0000

Image via Flickr user suzettesuzette

Pie is really a four-season dessert: fall brings apple first and then our transition to winter is eased by some pumpkin pie. In spring, the brightness of rhubarb helps tide us over until the fruit-splosion of summer.

Be prepared for all the summer berries by signing up for a class to improve your pie skills. The below calendar includes all kinds of pie events - gluten-free and savory options, too.

Seattle pie events

Get ready for summer! Rosé, sparkling & summer wines

Leslie Seaton — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:01:32 +0000

Despite the rather cruddy weather over the past couple days, I'm forging ahead with the summer food event round-up. Now, it's time for something to drink!

As the warmer weather sets in, one's tastes usually naturally turn to lighter food: salads, fish, and other summer favorites. And lighter meals call for lighter, more refreshing wines. If you'd like to check out some rosé, sparkling & summer wines, see the calendar of tastings and classes below.

Seattle-Area Rosé & Summer Wine Events

Get ready for summer! Canning, pickling, fermenting & preserving events

Leslie Seaton — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:17:26 +0000

Image via Flickr user MagpieBride

The countdown to summer continues. So far in the series, we've had ice cream, BBQ, camp cooking and edible/medicinal plant walks. Now get ready for summer produce with a canning and preserving class.

If you want to eat more locally and seasonally, canning and preserving is one way to ensure that come winter, you don't descend into some kind of kale-induced madness. (Northwest writers: could someone write a Poe-style story about kale-induced madness? Please and thank you.)

You can avoid that by putting up summer tomatoes, making berries into jam, pickling up...well, anything, and even dehydrating foods. Check out the below calendar for classes and events to help put you on your way to a well-stocked pantry.

Summer preserving & canning events

Caribbean flavors: upcoming food events

Leslie Seaton — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:14:32 +0000

Image via Flickr user franzcondeI don't see a lot of Caribbean-focused food events here in town, so when I do find a handful of them scheduled, I definitely want to highlight for folks who are looking to learn more about the sunny, spicy flavors of the islands.

Starting with the Cuban food PCC tasting at the Burke Museum on Saturday, there are a trio of events over the next several weeks. Learn about callaloo, jerk spices, plantains, and more.

Sat, May 19, 11am-1:30pm: PCC Tastings: Cuban Cuisine with Yary Oslund at Burke Museum. “Cuban cuisine is a wonderful fusion of Spanish, African, and Caribbean spices, flavors, and techniques. The result is a unique flavor that encompasses several cultures. A tropical island climate fosters fruit and root vegetables with fresh seafood that are often incorporated into a conventional dish of rice and beans. Come try this blending of flavors from different cultures in the featured sample, Cuban-style chilindron of lamb with PCC Cooks instructor, Yary Oslund. Yary Oslund is a Cuban national who credits her love and respect for food from her mother whom has been a chef for 40 years. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Seattle, she is passionate about cooking natural foods and providing insight into a memorable Caribbean experience.”

Sat, May 26, 6-9pm: Class: Jamaican Me Crazy. “This is our Caribbean class - think Island cooking - black beans, plantains, jerk chicken, rum drinks. Menu: Callaloo: traditional West Indian stew with salt pork, crab, coconut, greens & scotch bonnets; shrimp, mango & papaya salad with vanilla citrus dressing; wet-jerk marinade and fish; best black bean salad; fried bananas, rum raisin ice cream, island rum drinks with ginger & hibiscus. Cost: $65.

Sun, July 1, 5-7pm: Class: Warm and Breezy Caribbean Cooking at Kirkland Sur la Table. “A fusion of many culinary traditions—including African, Spanish, French, Indian, and Chinese—Caribbean cuisine is at once exciting and comforting. In this class you’ll learn to grill up authentic island-inspired flavors perfect for entertaining, family meals, special occasions, and much more. Menu: grilled sweet potato and corn salad with peanuts - honey and orange glazed grilled plantains - jerk pork tenderloin with serrano-mango glaze - watermelon and lime granite.” $69

Get ready for summer! Seattle-area edible & medicinal plant walks

Leslie Seaton — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:48:07 +0000

Pacific/trailing blackberry blossom. Our only native blackberry. Fruit edible. Per Pojar Pac NW plant guide: "The leaves and roots were used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, excessive menstruation, fevers, hemorrhoids and sores in the mouth."I just posted about events on camp cooking and backpack-friendly snacks. Another way to get ready for outdoor fun this summer is to learn more about the edible and medicinal uses of the local flora you might encounter when out and about.

You can see the Wild Food A La Carte page anytime for a continuously-updated calendar of foraging and ethnobotany-related events (including shellfish & sea vegetable gathering, fishing, and mushroom events), but here’s a special sampling of just the upcoming plant walks to consider around the town.

And while these events are not necessarily ethnobotanically-focused, you can always visit the Washington Park Arboretum on Sundays for a FREE! guided tour from 1-2:30pm to learn more about plants. And the Bridle Trails State Park is offering a FREE! botany walk on June 9 (RSVP needed).

Sat, May 19, 10am-12pm: Urban Plant Walk with Herban Wellness. “Spring is in full swing! Join us for our annual plant walk, where we meander through parks and public spaces, and along the bluffs to visit common plants you may not have know grow all around you. Let’s go put names to faces and talk about the many useful medicinal properties of these common plants. Join me for this walk around town to see what you’ve been missing! Cost: $20. Please preregister by phone or email due to limited space. If there is low enrollment, the class is subject to cancellation.”

Sat June 16, 11am-3pm and Sun, June 17, 11am-3pm: Edible and Medicinal Plant Ramble at Deception Pass. “Ryan Drum, herbalist and seasoned wild crafter, will be leading these Rambles through a diverse environment of seaside plants, land plants and forested areas. Ryan will be bringing knowledge and stories that will enliven our interactions with these plants. Ryan is known for his beautifully harvested herbs. He has knowledge of when and how to harvest optimally* - information that cannot simply be found in books. He also includes anecdotes of a life richly lived off of the land on Waldron island.” Fee $30.00.

Sat, June 16, 3:30-4:30pm: FREE! Thrive Natural Medicine Medicinal Plant Walks at Discovery Park. “Join us for a hike in Discovery Park to learn about the medicinal uses of plants found in the Park. Participants will have an opportunity to taste a variety of teas, tinctures, and herbs along the way. Children are welcome (best for ages 8+).” (Repeats on third Sat in July and August.)

Sat, June 23, 11am-1pm: Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Ethnobotany Tour. “Explore the science of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous plants, and learn some interesting uses of the native and exotic plants in the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.” $10

Sun, June 24, 1-4pm: Wild Medicinal Plant Walks at Discovery Park. “From the tallest tree to the deepest root, medicinal plants are all around us. With miles of hiking trails, salt water of the bay, fresh water streams in the mountains and exquisite views, dozens of species of flowering plants, trees and ferns in varying ecosystems will delight and open your eyes to the bounty of nature. Learn their medicinal and culinary benefits, ethnobotany and sustainable, ethical harvesting methods. Find out where to harvest herbs on your own and when to harvest each plant for optimum vitality, potency and nutrition. Meet Grindelia, Saxifrage, Cedar, Nettle, Oregon Grape, Huckleberry, Skunk Cabbage and so many more! What plants are anti-inflammatory? Are there any poisonous plants in the area? Are there plants I can eat as I hike? Find out the answers to these questions and more.” $35 (Repeats at Discovery Park on August 12. Other dates/locations: Washington Park – Anacortes on Sun, May 27, 2 - 5 pm; Blanchard Mountain - Skagit County on Sun, July 8, 12 - 3 pm; and Bowman Bay - Island County on Sun, August 26, 12 - 3 pm.)

Get ready for summer! FREE camp cooking & trail food events

Leslie Seaton — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:15:20 +0000

Image via Flickr user NinaHaleAs the weather warms up, you might be planning more hiking and camping excursions. If you want to eat well on the trail, check out these upcoming FREE! events on camp cooking and backpack-friendly meals.

Also see this post on sister site Seattle Natural Selection for tips from the REI class I took a couple years ago that was taught by Sarah Kirkconnell of TrailCooking.com and the cookbook Freezer Bag Cooking and Cat of VerdantEats. And check out these outdoor snack ideas from PCC Natural Markets.

(And if you like the great outdoors, have you checked out sister site Seattle Natural Selection? You can find all kinds of hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, bird-watching and other nature and outdoor events there.)

Sat, May 19, 10-11am: FREE! Real Meals Outdoors at Sno-Isle Co-op. “Getting ready to enjoy the outdoors? Join local author of Real Meals Outdoors, Nancy Sosnove as she prepares some of her favorite meals that fit into your backpack. Find out ways to avoid under and over provisioning and ways to provide tasty and nutritious meals that are light and easy.”

Sat, June 9, 1-2:30pm: FREE! Camp Cooking Basics at Seattle REI. “Do you want to make easy and fun meals at camp but feel unsure how to cook them? Would you like tips on what to bring and how to make the most of cooking in the outdoors? Join REI for an introductory class on campsite cooking. We have years of experience to share, and we'd like to help you learn how to create easy and fun meals your way to tasty eating outside. No experience necessary!” RSVP at link.

Tue, June 12, 7-8:30pm: FREE! Camp Cooking Basics at Alderwood REI. Same event description as above. RSVP at link.