style=”text-align:left;”>By Lisa Woo, Nutrition Educator

Happy October Apple Fans!

September was a whirlwind month for the Apple Corps team! We welcomed a fresh, new round of Americorps Members (8 new, 2 returning) and after a brief orientation they were off and running at their new project sites. September is also a bit of a transitioning month, from summer to fall, vacation to school. So while some of our programs are just beginning to rev up, others are winding down. One such example of the latter, was our final farm-based Community Kitchens NW event hosted at Solid Ground’s Marra Farm located in the South Park neighborhood of southwest Seattle.

All summer long, the Lettuce Link program–which hosts one of our Apple Corps Members–invited members of the South Park community to Marra Farm to prepare a meal from scratch. And while the farm kitchen set up is primitive, nothing beats harvesting fresh, organic produce from 10 feet away.

Unfortunately, with the rainy season looming over our heads, September marked the last farm-based Community Kitchens [they’ll move indoors to the local community center]. But despite the threat of rain and thunder in the distance, the show still went on, and a handful of families and Apple Corps Members arrived, ready to celebrate over delicious food.

Our final Community Kitchens was led by an active Marra Farm volunteer and Concord Elementary mom (the school which neighbors Marra Farm), Mónica, and featured an amazing play on the Mexican dish, Chile Relleno. Using fresh zucchini from the farm, Mónica guided us through the process of slicing and stuffing the [massive] zucchini with shredded mozzarella, coating them with a whisked egg white mixture, and frying them up until golden brown. Accompanied by warm salsa made with juicy Mara Farm tomatoes, the result was a crispy, cheesy plate of heaven!

The Apple Corps Team wants to thank Mónica and the handful of families at Marra Farm that night for welcoming us into your community and sharing such a wonderful, culturally rich experience with us!