Homesteading Experiences

Services

I grew up on a farm in Louisiana where we were self-sufficient. My grandfather grew and raised everything we ate, except flour and sugar – these were the only things I ever saw my grandmother purchase. The experience of growing up with real food, food that came to the table through love and hard work, shaped my passion for growing, eating, preserving and sharing beautiful food with others.

Preserving, Canning & Fermenting

During your Preserving, Canning & Fermenting Experience we will collect seasonal fruits and vegetables from the garden and orchard, as well as forage for herbs and weeds around Candelo. Using traditional methods of canning, fermenting, salting and pickling, we will preserve the harvest we collected.

The Seasons will guide us…in Spring we might make Verdurette, a soup bouillon made with wild greens or, maybe, preserve lemons and forage for plums; in Summer we might bottle stone fruit or pickle cucumbers; in Autumn there is never a shortage of pears or tomatoes that need to be bottled and milk that needs to be made into yogurt; and, in Winter, we can make sauerkraut from the cabbages in the garden or spicy pickled beetroot. You will taste different preserves, pickles and fermented foods, including homemade olives and cucumber pickles, yogurts and preserved fruits, during your Experience.

$125 per person

Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread and Baking

There’s nothing like fresh baked bread! In this Experience you will learn to create beautiful gluten-free sourdough bread. We will explore flavour options like cinnamon-fruit bread, olive and rosemary, pumpkin with pepitas, walnut and chocolate. You will leave with a starter to take home so you can begin baking straight away.

We will also explore gluten-free baking – cakes, savoury and sweet muffins, crackers and cookies, all made without gluten. You will leave with a gluten-free cookbook and lots of inspiration.

$90 per person

Wholesome Sweets

It’s no secret…I have a sweet-tooth and I love to share my favourite wholesome sweet recipes – Better-than-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hazelnut and Pear Cake, Lemon Bliss Balls, Old-fashioned Custard, Almond Butter Fudge.

These recipes are made without refined sugar, flour or hydrogenated fats; instead, the focus is on nutritious, organic ingredients like hazelnut and almond meal, honey, preserved fruit from the orchard, coconut flour, butter, tahini, raw cacao…

You will learn to create healthier alternatives to store bought sweets and snacks and leave with my Wholesome Sweets Cookbook.

$125 per person

Seasonal Cooking Class

Learn to create seasonal meals using the fruits, vegetables, herbs and wild foods available each season.

In Spring we will focus on using the last of the kale, cabbages, onions and other Winter crops, as well as foraged foods like wild greens and edible flowers. Summer brings stone fruits, French beans, cucumbers, potatoes and squash. With the bounty of Autumn comes tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants, chilies, apples and pears. And in Winter there are broad beans, pumpkins, brassicas – kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, and, of course, all the preserves from the year.

We will harvest from the garden and orchard, forage for wild foods and herbs. Using what we find we will create a beautiful, seasonal lunch. We will discuss other meal options for that season, and you will leave with a seasonal cookbook.

$125 per person

Homemade Yogurt

Homemade yogurt is easy to make and versatile in the kitchen. Yogurt pairs well with both sweet and savoury dishes. I like plain yogurt for serving along-side a spicy curry or to marinate chicken, but it is wonderful with preserved fruit and granola for breakfast or made into a fresh berry tart for dessert.

In this experience you will learn how to make yogurt at home, including Greek-style yogurt, and how to cook with it, too. I will also provide you with a recipe booklet.

$90 per person

Book an Experience

Let me know which Experience you are interested in and how many participants. I will contact you with availability.

nikkiwagnernutrition@gmail.com

8 Wileys Lane, CANDELO

0448 830 361