Lunch 'n Learns are a time for us to get familiar with what's in season and how to enjoy it! Each session will focus on something in session and discuss kitchen preparation. All ages are welcome. Due to the nature of the class, we'll only hold sessions in person, but recipes, handouts, and presentations will be available following the class. 

Sessions:

• August 1 – Protein: Building Strong, Satisfying Meals: Learn how protein supports muscle health, metabolism, and fullness. We’ll cover plant-based and animal-based protein options and how to incorporate them into everyday meals. Includes a simple, protein-rich recipe using fresh garden ingredients.
• August 8 – Carbohydrates: Fueling Your Body the Right Way: Carbohydrates often get a bad reputation, but they’re an important energy source. This class will focus on fiber, blood sugar balance, and choosing quality carbohydrate sources. Includes a recipe highlighting whole grains and seasonal produce.
  
• August 15 - Foraged Salad: In this class, we will be walking out in the garden together to “build-a-bowl” of wild edibles which includes different kinds of medicinal greens and flowers. There will be other available additives that are nutrient-dense like a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, fun options for dressings like herbal-infused oil and vinegars, and herbal salts. We will all enjoy our community lunch together outside with refreshing beverages also made from wild edibles. Come re-wild yourself with us through food!
  
• August 22 – Fats: Flavor, Fullness, and Heart Health: Explore the role of healthy fats in heart health and satiety. We’ll discuss how to incorporate fats like olive oil, nuts, and seeds into balanced meals. Includes a fresh, flavorful recipe featuring healthy fats and garden produce.
  
• August 29 - "Nesto" Pasta: ​Learn how to bring the elements of nature into your kitchen with stinging nettles! In this class, Eve will be teaching you how to safely identify and handle nettles to make a nourishing meal. Nettles can be used in the same way that many fresh herbs are used to make traditional pesto. However, this will be a wild rendition, called "nesto" (nettle pesto!). To pair with our meal, we will also be enjoying a refreshing wild lemonade made from sumac berries.
  

Meet Your Instructors: 

Marin Easton:
Marin Easton, MPH, RDN, is a clinical dietitian working with veterans, where she provides individualized nutrition counseling for a variety of health conditions including heart health, diabetes, kidney disease, and weight management. She also sees patients privately through Nourish, a telehealth nutrition platform. Marin recently earned her Master of Public Health in Nutrition from Utah State University, where she developed and taught a community nutrition education series at Unity Gardens as part of her Applied Practice Experience. She is passionate about making nutrition practical, approachable, and enjoyable, with a focus on using fresh, seasonal foods. Outside of work, Marin enjoys traveling and trying foods from different cultures, listening to audiobooks while walking or driving, and playing video and card games with friends and family.

Eve Morningstar
Eve Morningstar is an urban farmer, budding herbalist, and lifelong student of nature. She is the Horticultural Lead and one of the educators at Unity Gardens and in the community—She teaches an annual 6-week Garden Education Series during her dormant period at the garden and has taught a brief snippet of those classes on the local news station, Hometown Living, this year. She also teaches classes on spring, summer, and fall foraging, medicinal tea gardening, and herb preservation. Eve will be teaching an introductory herbalism course at Growing Summit this year. Eve is an alumni of the Indiana Master Naturalist Program, Herb Pharm’s Herbaculture Program in Southern Oregon, and is currently enrolled in another 9-month long community herbalism intensive in Chicago. She is passionate about teaching others how to re-establish their connection with nature and re-wild themselves through gardening, herbalism, and foraging. Eve hopes to foster a deep relationship between people and plants within her community.