New graduates of Stone Soup class learn to prepare healthy meals and low cost

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Graduates of the Stone Soup class at Cornell Cooperative Extension enjoyed a delicious meal they made during their last class last week. The menu included turkey tacos and mango salsa.

KNOWLESVILLE – Homemakers who participated in Stone Soup classes at Cornell Cooperative Extension at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, not only learned to cook, but they had fun doing it.

Sarah Martin, SNAP Ed nutritionist, dons her chef’s hat for the last Stone Soup class.

Stone Soup was a program funded by a grant for Community Action of Orleans and Genesee and Cornell Cooperative Extension from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York’s Blue Fund. The grant was secured by United Way of Orleans County.

Twenty-three individuals participated in the seven-week class, in which they learned new, healthy recipes and how to cook nutritional meals.

Patricia Hurd of Bergen is a single mother of five, who said it was interesting to learn new recipes. She also learned how to read labels and tell what ingredients are good and what are bad. Her son Harlow, 11, attended some of the classes with her and neither had ever eaten kale or spinach before. They loved the quesadillas they made with turkey, spinach, kale and cheese.

Gail Starkweather of Carlton signed up for the class because she wanted to do something cool. Her table included Tina Marie Boardway of Lyndonville, Belle Bedard and Tammy Elder of Albion and Patty Giverson of Kendall. The ladies said they have all become friends.

Giverson said it may have been a long drive each week to attend the class, but it was worth it.

“I’ve gone home and prepared some of the recipes we learned for the girls I play dominoes with,” she said.

In addition to learning new, healthy recipes, the class participants each received a new Instapot.

From left, Gail Starkweather of Carlton, Tina Marie Boardway of Lyndonville, Belle Bedard and Tammy Elder of Albion prepare ground turkey for their last meal in the Stone Soup class.

Sarah Martin, rear, and Marie Gabalski, nutrition program coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, prepare for the final class of Stone Soup, a program funded by a grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York’s Blue Fund.