CANTON -- "Probiotics: What, Why and How, Featuring Hands-on Easy Salad Dressings To Get Started" will be presented by the Local Living Venture on Saturday, April 16 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Presenter Yvona Fast will share what probiotics are and why they are important in the diet, covering the history of fermented foods in our diet and the also of condiments such mustard, ketchup, and salad dressings that were traditionally often fermented and probiotic in nature.

The group will share in making healthful salad dressings and many probiotic foods will be covered, including yogurt, sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, easy vegetable ferment salad dressings, and whey, as well as making some fresh, home made mayonnaise.

Workshop presenter Yvona Fast is the author of the award-winning cookbook, "Garden Gourmet: Fresh and Fabulous Meals from your North Country Garden, Farmers’ Market or CSA."

Her weekly column, "North Country Kitchen", has run in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News since 2005 and offers a medley of nutritional information, historical facts, and easy, seasonal recipes that help the reader prepare wholesome family meals and achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Fast's food articles have appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including Adirondack Life, Farming, E, and Home Cooking. She can be found on the web at www.WordsAreMyWorld.com.

For this event, the free is $22 for general public, $40 couple/family rate for two people, and $10 for students. Partial scholarships are available upon request, but a portion of the costs is a materials fee for the shared meal. All Local Living Venture workshop presenters are generous volunteers donating their time to support this community organization.

Registration is needed to receive the exact location of this hands-on workshop. Info: LocalLivingVenture@gmail.com or 347-4223.