Cooking with Kids

by Meredith Antunez July 12, 2017

A few weeks ago, Chef Jeff and I had the opportunity to teach a cooking class for kids at the Durham Farmers Market, and honestly, I don't know who had more fun, the kids or us. Fifteen wonderful young people, ranging in age from 8-15 joined us under a tent in the middle of all the action at the market, and together we had a blast learning about fresh produce, meeting the farmers, taking a tour of the edible garden and finally, making a fantastic snack that we shared with their parents and friends. The star of that snack was a homemade ketchup, which every single participant deemed the best they'd ever had. Our recipe is below, but as Jeff explained to our wonderful guests, a recipe is mostly a suggestion- the most important thing is always to taste your food and have fun with cooking, make changes that suit your taste and don't be afraid to experiment! Cooking is so much fun, and we were thrilled to share our love of it with the group from the Farmers Market. We look forward to our next class, Saturday August 19th. Click here to register your child!

Home-Made Ketchup

Yield=1 pint

3 # Tomatoes, rough chopped

1 Yellow Onion, rough chopped

1/4 cup packed light Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1 Clove

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Simmer tomatoes, ketchup, onions and spices for 30 minutes. Blend (carefully!! Hot liquids expand in the blender) on high speed to smooth, and add in vinegar, worcestershire and salt and pepper. Pour into very fine strainer, allowing the thin liquid to separate out. Cool and enjoy!