FARMINGTON – The Healthy Community Coalition continues its free education series with a session called “Spice Up Your Life,” to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at the Ben Franklin Education Center at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

One way to add zest to meals is to add some herbs and spices to recipes and to experiment with new seasonings. Coalition Nutrition Task Force Chairwoman Marge Blonder, retired dietetic technician, and Eileen Liddy, coalition dietitian, will discuss ways to jazz up meals with old favorites, such as oregano and cinnamon, plus some herbs that might not be as familiar, such as cilantro, curry and sage.

They have tips on using fresh as well as dried herbs, how to store seasonings and how to start a herb garden. There will be a recipe to sample and recipes to take home and try.

Blonder and Liddy have herb gardens and use herbs extensively in their cooking.

The April 14 session, “Great Adventures in Your Own Backyard!,” explores places to hike, bike and ski in the state. Other dates and topics include May 12, “Tobacco Industry Targets Our Children,” and June 9, “Fruits and Vegetables.”

The sessions are part of the coalition’s free health education series offered once a month from October to June. The one-hour sessions focus on topics addressing physical activity, nutrition and tobacco. These behaviors account for 70 percent of all premature deaths in Maine.

Child care is available. For more information, call 645-3136 or toll free at 1-800-525-3136.

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