Image via Flickr user Jo-H

Monday, March 8, 7-8:30pm: Issaquah PCC Food Packaging Work Party held at Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank. “Help package bulk foods purchased with PCC Food Bank Program donations from PCC shoppers.” (Click here for more charitable and volunteer events.)

Tuesday, March 9, 6:30-9:30pm: Beer Tasting 101 at North Seattle Community College. “Do you feel like beer terminology has gotten a lot more complicated in the last decade? There are more choices today than ever and sorting through them can be daunting. The class will cover a wide range of classic beer styles, from golden Pilsners to black-as-night Stouts. We will sprinkle in a little bit of beer history and a basic overview of the brewing process. After tasting some of the finest local and European beers, you will be armed with enough knowledge to appreciate the complexities of today’s modern beer world.” $49 (Click here for more beer events.)

Wednesday, March 10, 6pm: Queso y Vino Wine Dinner at Art of the Table. Menu: “Scallop & Oyster Crudo, Citrus, Pear, Frisee Salad Remeage Les Vins de Vienne Blanc; Wild Mushroom Ragu, Creamy Polenta, Guanciale, Nebbiolo; Chickpea & Heirloom Bean Soup, Chorizo, Winter Greens, Olive Oil; La Huella de Adaras, Almansa '07; Duck Confit Cabbage Wrap, Currant & Carrot Cous Cous, Jus, Dom. de Font-Sane Gigondas '06; 7-hour Braised Leg of Lamb, Garlic, Pistachio-Herb Pesto, Patatas Revolconas, Villa Creces Ribera del Duero Tempranillo '05; Olive Oil Cake, Honey Ice Cream, Stewed Orange Compote; Chateau de Pena Rivesaltes Ambre Vin Doux. No food substitutions $75 (plus tax & gratuity) Call 206.282.0942 for reservations.” (Click here for more wine events or here for more cheese events.)

Wednesday, March 11, 6:30pm: Flavors from India: Simply the Most Loved Recipes. “Chef Anjali will demonstrate the techniques of making Indian food, while sharing information about Northwest ingredients and the best Indian products available locally. Indian born and raised, Anjali will share some fun experiences about the cuisine of India and have you sample some easy products from the area’s Indian store:  Naan, Samosa and ready to cook spice blends and products that can solve the mystery of cooking Indian food at home. This evening's menu will include: Rann (Whole Leg of Lamb (oven baked Lamb, marinated in yogurt and spices); Ambi Chutney: Mango chutney relish to enjoy with the Lamb; Jhinga Masala (Spice crusted Shrimp); Meva Pulao (Caramelized Onion Basmati Rice with Whole Nuts and Spices); Jeera Sabz : Seasonal produce cooked with tempered Cumin , onions and garlic; Mango Mousse (Mousse made with Alphonso mango pulp from India).” $85 (Click here for more Indian food events.)

Image from the Russian Foods Market Tour

But then this week, I heard from Facebook fan that she'd used this last weekend to go to three free tastings (awesome!). AND, this week I posted the Russian Foods Market Tour, featuring this picture of Georgian wines...and wouldn't you know it, there's a FREE! tasting of Georgian wines this very Sunday.   

So how could I NOT post this round-up today?  And, voila, here it is...

Image via Flickr user Jules:StoneSoup

But every once in a while, I have to bring out the Stern Lecture. And today is such a day. Today I must once again deliver the “Don’t wait until the last minute to make plans” lecture.

You might be wondering: what brought this on? It’s not Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve.  Why would a Stern Lecture be necessary during some random week in March? 

Here’s why: every week when assembling this round-up, I do a quick check to make sure that what I’ve picked for the weekend still has space available, etc. And guess what: a lot of the most awesome stuff is sold out! Almost like other people saw it, noticed it was awesome, and signed up like WAY in advance!

So I am just telling you this so that you can avoid your own heartbreak. Of course these weekend round-ups are handy, but here’s a tip. If you have a specific interest – maybe you want to learn about cake decorating or wild food or French food or cheesemaking – check ahead!  You can always look at one of the A La Carte pages to drill down on your area of interest.  Or if you have guests coming into town or some other special date coming up, check the Food Event Calendar in well advance. Your fellow Seattle food-lovers are speedy.

All right, the lecture is over, back to the funs! There’s frybread!!

Image via Guinness Website

The below calendar features St. Patrick Day events, but also includes Irish food cooking classes and demos, special holiday food products and deals from local businesses and other events related to the holiday.

And a special bonus from sister site Freeattle! See the specially-marked Freeattle events on the calendar for FREE! Irish music, dance, film and cultural events. They might not necessarily have food, but are still fun - and again, FREE! - ways to celebrate St. Paddy's!

If you have a food event suggestion for this calendar, please feel free to email me!

Here are some photos of some special food offerings celebrating the holiday...

St. Patrick's & Irish Food & Culture Events

Like many people who love to cook, I am fascinated by the food products of other countries. Also like many people who love to cook, I love to visit the grocery stores in foreign countries almost as much as I like to visit a museum or tourist hot spot. What better way to try to learn about another culture than to see how everyday folks like me feed themselves their regular meals?

But I don't have to travel outside the Seattle area to see the foods of other regions and countries: we have a lot of great specialty markets right here in the Puget Sound area.  Exploring them has been a favorite weekend activity for me and my food-loving friends.

Of course, I (often) have no clue what I'm looking at. I am still relatively new to cooking, and newer still to learning about the foods of certain regions. But I love to investigate, and I decided to turn my own education into a little series here on the site.

Over the next few months, I'll be posting the photos from visits to local world food markets I'm making with native chefs from those countries. They'll walk me through the products, give us some ideas for what we can do with what we find there, and fill us in a bit on the cooking culture of their home countries.

I am beyond excited about this project! It brings together so many of my favorite things: food and cooking (and grocery stores!), photography, home economics, culture, language, and most importantly for me, the opportunity to be nosy and ask a lot of questions! 

So here is the first one: Russian and Eastern European Cuisine at European Foods on Aurora. My awesome guide was Irina Vodonos of Moscow Gourmet Kitchen. Check it out!

And stay tuned...next up is Indian food at Apna Bazaar with Karuna!

Image via Flickr user GCFairch

So I can't guarantee I'll do a free wine tasting round-up for every weekend here on Fresh-Picked, but let's live for the moment! And in this moment, here is a round-up for this weekend.

(Don't see anything below?  Also check out Freeattle for this week's event round-up.)

Brigadeiro Brazilian Candy image via Flickr ACorsi

Also check out This Week in Freeattle for a whole week chock-a-block of free things to do.

Image via Flickr user DerekGavey

Well, if you want to take a break at some point, why not head to one of our local wine shops for a free tasting?  Here's a round-up of a few FREE! FREE! FREE! tastings to be had today!