• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Food Preservation Workshop Will Help Save Season's Best

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 May 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Mary Jean Porter, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

May 3--Food preservation in May? Isn't that a harvest-time activity?

Yes, it is, but crops already are being harvested or now are plentiful at the supermarket, such as luscious red strawberries that can be made into jam; asparagus and spinach that can be frozen; soon-to-be-shelled delicious green peas for canning or freezing.

Karen Summers, master food safety and preservation adviser, knows spring is the time to start putting up foods for the future. She'll conduct a food preservation workshop - Introduction to Canning - from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 20 at the Creative Arts Building at the Colorado State Fairgrounds. The class, sponsored by Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, will cover food safety - how to avoid food-borne illness; equipment - jars, lids, canners, utensils and up-to-date recipes; water-bath canning for high-acid foods such as fruits, pickles and tomatoes, and to process jams and jellies; and pressure canning, which is necessary for canning low-acid foods such as meats, fish and vegetables.

The class will include lectures and demonstrations, with class participation in water-bath and pressure-canning projects. Resources will include CSU Cooperative Extension food-preservation publications outlining processing times and temperatures, altitude adjustments, equipment, techniques and recipes; and publications from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Frequently asked questions received in the Pueblo County extension office will be reviewed and answered by master food safety and preservation advisers during the class.

Summers said home canning is a safe method of food preservation if practiced correctly, and is a way to preserve seasonal produce and specialty foods.

"It is a way of controlling the quality of the foods we eat, and economically producing gourmet or low-sugar, low-salt and preservative-free foods," she said. "Fruits and vegetables can be preserved at the moment they are at their best, and home canning provides foods for nutritious meals and gifts."

Summers noted that novice and experienced canners are well-advised to review the basics each season because many historical recommendations for preserving food and canning methods aren't currently accepted or endorsed by the USDA, Cooperative Extension Service or the U.S. manufacturers of home canning jars.

"New knowledge and technology have provided us with the means to keep food safe," she said. Cost for the class is $20, which includes a packet of information and a copy of the newest edition of "Ball Blue Book of Preserving." The book has served many generations of home canners and has been updated to include the latest science and research-based home-canning techniques and recipes.

Registration and prepayment are required by May 12. Call 583-6566 to register or for more information.

A 30-hour course for master food safety and preservation advisers, sponsored by El Paso County office of CSU extension, will start Friday. Registration is closed, but more information about the training can be obtained by calling the local extension office or (719) 636-8920.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Pueblo Chieftain

More News in this Category