Salem Museum is hosting a Herb Faire from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 28. Along with a plant sale with stock from Walter’s Greenhouse and  perennials from local Master Gardeners, Master Food volunteers Rebecca Shannon and Maxine Fraade will offer six classes on cooking and growing techniques with herbs throughout the day through a program with the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Herb Faire Class Schedule:

9 – 9:30 a.m. Planting Techniques for Herbs with Connie Stone

10 – 10:30 a.m. Herb Pastes and Butters: Learn why herb pastes and butters are the best way of preserving delicate and quickly lost herb flavors. Perfect for common culinary herbs, pastes and butters are wonderful to spread on meat, poultry and seafood, add to soups and sauces, and flavor mayonnaise and spreads. Come learn with Rebecca Shannon how to make, freeze and use these great additions to your pantry!

11-11:30 a.m. Fresh Herb Salads/Vinaigrettes: Fresh herb vinaigrette salad dressings are a simple, delicious and inexpensive way to capture summer’s lively flavors in each mouthful of greens, as well as perk up familiar family-favorite salads. Join Maxine Fraade and learn how to make several kinds of herb vinaigrettes to use on your mixed salads and add new tastes to traditional potato, tuna and chicken salads.

12 -12:30 p.m. Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Hard to say which is better, the wonderful taste of summer fresh herbs add to your cooking or the amazing fragrance they’ll add to your kitchen as you use them in soups, stews, vegetable dishes pastas and more! Let’s find out as Maxine Fraade makes several quick dishes incorporating fresh herbs as an ingredient.

1 – 1:30 p.m. How to Dry Herbs: Come learn with Master Food Preserver Rebecca Shannon how to dry herbs by hanging, microwaving, oven-drying, and using a dehydrator. We’ll learn which techniques to use for different situations and taste a bousin-style cheese spread made with Rebecca’s home-grown and home-dried herbs from her large organic garden

1:30 – 2 p.m. Ways to Grow Herbs with Cindy Reynolds and Connie Stone

The fee for classes is $3 each to cover handouts and tastings. Please make reservations with Connie Stone at 761-1923.

Submitted by Connie Stone

For more information on the Master Food Volunteers, keep reading below:

Maxine Fraade is among the most popular instructors for Roanoke County Parks and Recreation programs where her cooking classes on international cuisine are frequently full. She has studied at the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City, as well as other culinary schools across the United States, Europe and Asia. Maxine is a graduate of the first group of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Food Volunteers. Her website, The Roanoke International Cooking Experience (RICE), is found at http://www.binaryspark.com/asian/

Rebecca Shannon is a former professional cook who began as a dishwasher and ended up as a head chef. She is a member of Slow Food USA and a graduate of the first group of Master Food Volunteers sponsored by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Rebecca has returned to her roots as a gardener, cook, and food preserver, and with her husband, is busy growing their 4.5 acres in Floyd, VA. into a productive small holding. Follow her blog “Eating Floyd” at www.eatingfloyd.blogspot.com .