One thing that we have been doing is having a mini-workshop to prepare the recipes before our public workshops. This allows our interns to confidently assist with our workshops, gain volunteer hours and work together as a team. We encourage teamwork so that everyone feels empowered and knowledgeable in teaching our workshops.
We'll start our next training session the second week of February 2025, and we are busy getting ready for the trainees. We are still getting confirmation from the ones who are interested in joining us and we could have as many as nine new trainees. I would like to give a shout out to Sherida for all of her hard work as training coordinator, I'm not sure where we'd be without her.
We already have our workshops planned for 2025 and it looks like it'll be a busy year. We'll are offering eleven of our usual 3rd Saturday workshops, four free evening Zoom classes and four Spanish language classes. San Joaquin County Master Food Preservers are leading the way in teaching Spanish classes. We just successfully completed our third Spanish class in December, and we offered a version of our Gifts from the Kitchen class.
Our 2025 brochures are ready and look fantastic thanks to Sherida's hard work. Workshops this year include sourdough, salsas, holiday spreads, BBQ's and picnics, mushrooms and zucchini preservation just to mention a few. Most of our Saturday workshops will include a lunch. It's nice to have social time to get to know one another and talk about what everyone is learning and have an opportunity to ask questions.
Something else we are working on is updating our equipment. We have just gotten new 8-quart saucepans. Cutting boards have already been renewed as well as some other items. We have many more things on our wish list so hopefully there will be more to come.
Kathy Anderson and I have only been co-coordinators since July, and I think we are succeeding in offering more opportunity for our members to gain volunteer and continued education hours. We are open to suggestions for additional classes and appreciate input from our members. We truly want to proceed into the future with the feeling that we are all a team building our program together. We cannot wait for the coming year and the challenges that it will bring. Have a wonderful New Year and we hope to see you in January at the Lemons X 3 workshop, January 18, 2025, 9 am to 2 pm at the Cabral Agriculture Center in Stockton.
