Recipes and Reads Culinary Labs

Recipes & Reads Culinary Lab workshops serve up comprehensive, culinary literacy programs that include hands-on demonstrations of food and nutritional literacy; food acquisition methods; food handling, hygiene and safety; culture and history of food; and consumer cost-saving techniques and meal stretching. Each of the culinary lab workshops may include the use of fully stocked mobile, kitchen carts to aid in these food-related demonstrations. The labs are strategically located at library branches throughout the county and serve all ages. Registration may be required, at some locations, for Recipes and Reads Culinary Lab workshops.

April 2026 R&RCL Web Content

Food Waste Prevention Campaign

Preventing food waste is a great way to stretch household food budgets.   One simple step is to use all produce brought into the kitchen.  Scrap gardens can be grown from almost any seed, pit, or cutting and bring a second harvest to the kitchen.  Infused oils can be made from zests or peels of citrus fruits or from extra herbs.  Vegetable stock can be made from discarded peels and trimmings.  Freeze commonly discarded produce waste, like onion skins, carrot peels, and celery ends, to accumulate enough to make a large batch of vegetable stock.

Image credit: Image by Andrea from Pixabay

Lemon infused olive oil

• 1 large lemon
• 1 cup olive oil

1. Wash and dry the lemon.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemon in long, large strips.  Avoid the white pith or the infused oil will be bitter.  Set remainder of lemon aside for juicing. 
2. In a small saucepan, add the lemon zest and the olive oil.  Over low heat, allow the zests to steep in the warm oil for 10 minutes.  Do not allow the oil to simmer or bubble. 
3. Remove saucepan from heat and allow oil to cool to room temperature.  Remove lemon zests by straining or by using tongs to pick out the zests. 
4. Transfer infused oil to a clean jar or other covered container.  Lemon infused oil will keep for weeks in a tightly sealed container in refrigerator and can be used in salad dressings or on grilled chicken and seafood.