For the Antigo Times

The Antigo Area Community Food Pantry started a new partnership with Tree Toppers 4-H Club and Sweet Thyme Coffee Shop this month, focusing this time on lentils.  About forty club members helped pack 120 bags of dry lentil soup mix for Food Pantry clients.

“We wanted a service project that felt both informative and meaningful,” says Tonya McKenna Trabant, Food Pantry Manager, “and everyone stepped up to make it happen.”

The recipe for “Lily’s Lentil Soup” emerged from the taste tasting done by Sweet Thyme’s Lili Wagner and Tanya Seldon in partnership with McKenna Trabant. Ingredients were selected based on specific requirements including being simple, shelf stable, healthy, and delicious.

“Developing the recipe was interesting and I hope we can gets kids to do more of that part in the future” commented Wagner.

4-Hers worked in shifts to pack seasonings and lentils. They also sampled the soup, and several other lentil recipes including a cold lentil salad, dessert superfood bites, and a hot cereal mix.

“We focused on lentils because they’re so often overlooked and are so versatile,” says Seldon.

Lentils are a high fiber, high protein part of the legume (bean) family.  They readily absorb almost any flavor and are relatively easy and quick to prepare. In their dry form, they keep for years on the shelf, and they’re inexpensive, making them an ideal food in many households.

The group will pack more mixes for the Food Pantry after getting feedback from Pantry clients.