By Khalida Sarwari
March and April will give Saratoga residents several opportunities to feed their brains at the library as part of a new county library district programming initiative that aims to inform adults, teens and children about healthy food practices.
The goal of the program, said Patricia Lorenzo, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Library District, is to make people aware of the variety of resources on healthy living available to them at the library.
“We want people to see that the library is a great place to get reliable and up-to-date information about healthy cooking, healthy eating and sustainable agriculture,” Lorenzo said.
The library district’s “Focus on Food” initiative will take place not just in Saratoga but at all district libraries. The program was launched in February, but the bulk of the events will take place over the next two months and culminate in May.
A range of topics will be covered at the more than 60 programs, demonstrations, workshops, author talks and other food- oriented events. They include programs on planning your garden, sustainable farming, how to grow from seeds and even beekeeping.
The first program in Saratoga will take place on March 25 with Sherri Osaka, a coordinator for the gardening with natives subgroup of the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society. In the talk on “Edible Native Gardening,” Osaka will discuss native plant species that were used as food by native Californians and the native people’s methods for growing, harvesting, preparing and eating edibles, as well as today’s gardening and harvesting methods. Osaka will also display live native plants, share recipes and bring foods to taste. The program will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Six events will take place the following month, beginning with a breakfast cooking class for kids” on April 13 taught by chef Scott Davis, who goes by the moniker “The Culinary Dude.” Davis began cooking at age 7 to earn a merit badge for the Boy Scouts and went on to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu at the California Culinary Academy. The hour-long class will take place at 10:45 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m.
On April 20, Davis will switch gears and offer a Mediterranean cooking class for teens” at 12:30 p.m. and a pizza time for children at 2:15 p.m.
Farmer Donald, the founder, owner and operator of Yummy Tummy Farms, a pioneering suburban farm in San Jose, will present a “Seed Starting 101” program on April 22 from 7 to 8 p.m.
The final event will be about candied fruits, led by Jordan Champagne, co-founder of Happy Girl Kitchen, a company that aims to empower people to get involved and learn the importance of what’s on their plate. Geared toward 12- to 18-year-olds, the program will give teens a chance to create homemade candies. Registration is required for this event, which will take place from 3 to 4 p.m.
All programs are free and will take place at the Saratoga Library. Throughout the “Focus on Food” series, libraries will also highlight materials such as cookbooks, food magazines and DVDs, along with a variety of nonfiction books for foodies of all ages.
For a complete schedule of the program, visit the Santa Clara County Library website atsccl.org/food.
Hungry? Then visit the library–not to eat, but to learn how to eat
