Upcoming Review Series: GNOWFGLINS eCourses
Howdy Folks!
Some of you are already familiar with the fantastic ecourse series offered by Wardeh Harmon of GNOWFGLINS (g-NOWF-glinz.) However, I bet not all of you have taken the leap and purchased a subscription to them.
Perhaps you’re uncertain if it’s worth the cost of enrollment (which is a very reasonable $10/month for the entry level,) or are inherently skeptical of online courses. I fall into both camps myself; however, people I know and respect have said wonderful things about Wardeh’s ecourses. Thus far, they’ve been 100% right!
Because I want to help educate people about the power of real foods, I’m taking one for the team, and am going to do the courses hands-on, reviewing as I go. That way, you can get a preview each course to see if it’s something you might find useful.
My reviews will not reveal any of Wardeh’s proprietary information; rather, I’ll talk about her presentation, how easy I found it to follow along, whether my kitchen experiments were easy or hard, and what the results were. This will be a long-term project, rather than a Boot-Camp-style, intensive, week-long thing. For each ecourse, I’ll need to read and watch the course material, then reproduce the lesson in the kitchen – it may be awhile between reviews.
Let’s begin with an overview and an introduction to what we’re talking about.
What are the GNOWFGLINS eCourses?
Wardeh’s ecourses teach real food concepts, cooking methods, recipes, tips, tricks, and resources. They’re a cornucopia of incredibly useful knowledge that will begin changing your kitchen habits for the better immediately. I’m not exaggerating – you can begin using Wardeh’s information right away, without any special equipment or expertise.
The lessons cover a wide variety of topics, from lacto-fermentation to corned beef.
View Wardeh’s introduction page here.
Paid membership includes:
- Unlimited access to all cooking classes
- New weekly video and print lessons
- Private support forums
- Bonus videos
- Monthly Q&A meetings
- Weekly menu plans
- Discounts on eBooks and more
In What Format are the eCourses Presented?
Wardeh offers a variety of formats for the courses; videos, podcasts, and printed materials. The printed materials are comprehensive, and include items not covered in the videos and podcasts. The videos show Wardeh walking through the recipe or process she describes, so you can see how she performs each step. Her instructions are clear, and her friendly, knowledgeable approach in the videos make them clear, and easy to follow.
To get a taste for Wardeh’s teaching style and content, you can view a bunch of free videos available on YouTube. There are also some free recipes and other great information on Wardeh’s blog.
I’m not really a “print it out and put it into a binder” sort of person; I don’t like to use the paper, especially when I can just as easily turn on the kitchen laptop and read from there. The information is so great, I may end up printing it out, anyhow, to more easily reference in the kitchen.
Why Maintain My Subscription After I Finish the Lessons?
If you’re really diligent and watch continuously, you could get through all of the ecourse videos in a few days, and get everything printed out, too. So, why keep up a monthly subscription?
Wardeh is always adding new material; right now, she’s working on the Fundamentals II coursework, which covers natural sweeteners, whole fats, and more. Additionally, members receive a new subscription incentive monthly, such as cast iron cookware care, exclusive recipes, and more.
A word about religion…
I’m only mentioning this because I know several folks who read this site may object to a slight religious overtone to Wardeh’s lessons, and I don’t want them to dismiss the whole website out of hand due to one small factor.
Most of us from time to time encounter spiritual paths which are not our own, and have to decide whether we can separate the person, the service, or the information from its religious elements.
“GNOWFGLINS” stands for “God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.” Wardeh is Christian, and that does come across in the lessons to a small degree; however, for the non-Christians interested in her ecourses, it is not overbearing, obnoxious, or preachy. In most lessons, in fact, the topic doesn’t come up. However, when it does, it’s usually a brief comment, such as, “God designed the seeds this way because,” or something similar. Non-Christians could easily substitute “nature” or “evolution” in their interpretations.
While many in the homesteading community are Christian, we have a wide variety of other demographics represented, some of whom might be put off by the Christian element in Wardeh’s ecourses. My personal feeling on the matter is this: Non-religious or non-Christian readers would be missing out by dismissing Wardeh’s expertise and valuable information because she is religious. The real food information and the science behind it is sound.
I’m really excited to share my experiences with you as I learn, and I cannot wait to really get started. Today, I received my GNOWFGLINS cheese making kit in the mail kit from Homesteader’s Supply – woohoo!