Soup Making Class and Gift Baskets

Wow, we had such a great turn out for the Soup Making Class. 20 people attended, that's 5 more than we expected! I also had expected that soup making would be a good class for the fall, and it ended up being 90 degrees on Tuesday. I scrambled to include a cold fruit soup in the venue so we weren't eating all hot, hearty soups on a hotter than hot day!

We started with Fruit Loop Soup [cold], then made Ravioli in Chicken Broth, Salmon Posole and Cilantro Soup, and lastly Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Soup. Everyone had a different favorite, but all soups went over well. Making 4 soups in a 2 hour class is a challenge, even with some of the prep work done before hand. All attendees got handout that included recipes for stocks and 10 other soups. It was a fun class, look for us to be doing another one in the Winter Series with Compliments [Canandaigua Adult Education] and through Victor's Community Center.

Today we got an opportunity to provide 35 gift baskets to a group coming into town next week. The people travelling in are from out of state and the host wants to offer them something that is uniquely local. APPLES! And along with those apples they want some spices made by Canandaigua Spice Company that could be used with the apples. So today we have been making and packaging Cinnamon Pecan Spice, Maple Dip Mix, Apple-liscious Sprinkle [great on baked apple, apple pie, or oatmeal] and including maple syrup in the baskets, along with some locally grown apples. These are the projects I love. I know that these folks have never had any of our products before and that they will be trying them for the first time.

We really focus on locally grown and locally processed foods. I am pleased to have over a dozen local farmers that grow herbs/vegetables for us. This year we have added locally grown garlic, leeks, okra, pineapple sage, red onion, lemon basil, lime basil, mints, cilantro, and other products to our selections. Sustainable agriculture and local/regional food is a growing trend that has not reached its zenith yet. So if you aren't aware of what your local region grows or produces, look around and try your local farmer's market, local meat producers, or local food processors. Buying local means buying fresh. Read more about our committment to local products on our website www.canandaiguaspice.com under About Us.

Until next time,
Michelle
Owner
Canandaigua Spice Company