Farm Fresh at JGS Lifecare: From Local Farms to Our Table
At JGS Lifecare, we believe fresh, healthy food can bring people together. This summer, Chef Charlie and Chef Adam came up with a fun new idea: take the residents of Ruth’s House Assisted Living to local farms and farmers markets so they could choose their own fresh fruits and vegetables and then let our chefs turn their selections into delicious seasonal creations.
The idea grew from our residents’ love of Chef Charlie’s monthly cooking classes. The chefs wanted to take that experience one step further by giving residents the opportunity to choose the ingredients. Delia Jones, Life Enrichment Director at Ruth’s House, realized how much the residents loved Chef Charlie’s monthly cooking classes and thought the farmer’s markets trips would be a fun activity. And judging from the number of residents who participate every week, she was right!
“It’s exciting to have access to all these great farms such a short distance from Ruth’s House,” said Chef Adam Sliwak. “These visits enable our residents to better understand the process and see firsthand how local produce can result in food that is fresher, tastier, and more nutritious than food traveling through long supply chains.”
So far, residents have enjoyed three farm adventures. At Calabrese Farms, they selected fresh asparagus and discovered an herb called Strawberry Mint, which many had never tried before. Chef Charlie transformed the asparagus into an Asparagus Pâte à Choux with cheese and created a refreshing Strawberry Mint Mojito for teatime.
On our most recent adventure, residents visited a local blueberry farm, where they even picked their own blueberries. Chef Charlie then used their fresh-picked berries to create a delicious Blueberry Lemon Cake. Take a look at the recipe below.
Farm Fresh at JGS is about more than great food. It gives our Ruth’s House residents the chance to get out into the community, explore local farms, choose the ingredients they want to try, and then see those ingredients transformed into fresh, healthy and delicious meals.
We are excited to see what the fall harvests bring and what our chefs and residents will create next!
Chef Charlie’s Blueberry Lemon Cake
After the blueberry farm adventure, Chef Charlie transformed the residents’ freshly picked blueberries into this delicious seasonal cake.
Ingredients
- ½ pound butter
- ½ pound margarine
- 3 cups of flour
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 tablespoons vanilla
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 12 eggs
- 1½ cups sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
- Gradually combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Gently fold in the fresh blueberries.
- Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through and golden.
