All through Lucia Mar USD Adult Education

GARDENING CLASSES --

Vegetable Gardening Essentials           8 weeks: April 30 – June 18       Tuesdays 9-12n

As the title suggests, this class takes the students back to the basics -- with soil wisdom, seed sowing how-tos, planting timing and making compost.  The “intensive” side of vegetable gardening covers making raised beds, vertical gardening, rotation and preventative pest management.  Basic cool-season and warm-season vegetables are discussed, along with perennial vegetables.

Weekend Gardener                               8 weeks: May 2 – June 20               Thursdays 6-9pm

Based on the book “Central Coast Gardening Essentials”, this is a “back to basics” class perfect for the 9-to-5’er (note the evening hours).  It focuses on those practices that minimize your work, provide you with a more rewarding garden and make this wonderful hobby even more enjoyable.  The class first addresses and dismisses those gardening practices that bog down many gardeners and make gardening such a confusing chore.  It also covers and simplifies planting and other basic maintenance techniques including pruning.  Of course no gardening class, not even this one, would be complete without a look at the most effective and efficient ways to manage gophers and weeds.

COOKING CLASSES --

Pasta: Essential Techniques and Recipes     5 weeks: April 29 – June 10          Mondays 9-12n

There aren't many foods as easy or satisfying to make and eat as pasta dishes.  Starting with the essential skills, the class continues to cover the technical aspects of pasta types and techniques.  Students will learn how to make several different kinds of fresh pasta at home, from basic pastas to "pasta ripieni" (stuffed pasta) and "pasta colorata" (colored pasta).  Recipes start with quick sautéed sauces and further include classic simmered sauces and baked pastas.  Instructive and inspiring for both professional chefs and amateur home cooks.  This career technical education class will result in a Certificate of Completion.

Chinese Cuisine: Foods and Techniques     5 weeks: May 21 – June 25      Tuesdays 6-9pm

Instruction will be provided on the essential skills and ingredients used in a Chinese kitchen. Emphasis will be placed on wok and stir-frying techniques, along with braising, steaming and deep frying. Students will also learn to prepare traditional Chinese dim sum. Using authentic Chinese ingredients, the recipes will highlight fresh, locally-sourced vegetables with light servings of beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Students palates will be expanded with intriguing new ingredients introduced through food preparation techniques that are unique to Eastern cultures. Finally, students will learn how to incorporate common Western food items into Asian-inspired dishes for a fusion-style Chinese cuisine.  This career technical education class will result in a Certificate of Completion.

Pie Workshop                                       4 weeks: May 29 – Jun 19               Wednesdays 9-1pm

We start in the first week with baking basics and making doughs and crusts, and then we make some no-bake pies, then some fresh fruit pies, and finally some custard pies.

BBQ Workshop                                     2 weeks: June 8 – June 15              Saturdays 9-1pm

            This intense two-day course provides hands-on demonstrations of cooking techniques and tools for gas grills and Santa Maria style BBQ.  The curriculum also covers the use of dry rubs, marinades, sauces and smoking techniques for the grill. ONE SEAT LEFT



Venues:

All gardening classes (except the walking tours) are held at the Adult Ed "Portable" on the 17th street side of Oceano Elementary School.

Cooking classes are held at the Oceano Community Center, 19th and Wylmar in Oceano.

The easiest and most effective way to register is to visit the Oceano Community Center and bring a check (they don’t take credit cards in the office).

For you techies, LMUSD AE has an catalog on-line.  It’s convenient and it does accept credit cards.

There is no registering by phone.

OCC: 1425 19th Street ♦ Oceano, CA 93445 ♦ (805) 474-3900 ♦ Fax: (805) 473-5641