Additional Courses Offered Through the Summer
Local residents interested in food preservation are invited to Food Preservation 101, a two-hour overview of general food preservation principles. The class includes current recommendations for canning, freezing and drying, display of equipment and utensils and sources for safe and tested food preservation information. The course will be held Tuesday, June 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Cass County Extension office in Atlantic. Fee for the course is $5 per person, and includes all materials, recipes, etc. Pre-registration is requested by Monday, June 27 by calling 712-243-1132 or emailing [email protected].
Preserve the Taste of Summer is a longer, more in-depth course that combines educational classes and hands-on food preservation workshops, and is a great opportunity for those who want to go beyond the basics. The educational classes can be done online anytime by registering at www.extension.iastate.edu/registration/events/conferences/preservation/ or they can be viewed in a group setting by making arrangements in advance (call 712-243-1132). The classes are required to be completed before participating in the hands-on workshops. Two workshops will be hosted later this summer, at the Cass County Fair Food Stand. A workshop on salsa making (hot-water bath canning) and freezing food will be held on Saturday, July 30 from 9 am to 1 pm, and a workshop on pressure canning will be held on Saturday, August 1, from 9 am to 1 pm. Fees for this program start at $25, depending on the number of courses and workshops you plan to attend. All participants in hands-on workshops will leave with several jars of freshly canned goods to take home and enjoy!
Updates for Home Food Preservers
Look to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach for up-to-date, accurate and safe information on home food preservation. Publications and programs are under regular review and revision and some important changes have been made for this year’s gardening and preserving season, according to Barb Fuller, local human sciences specialist in nutrition and wellness.
“If you have older versions of these publications, throw them away and replace them with the revised versions to be sure you are using current recommendations,” says Fuller. “Home canned food is a great way to have fresh summer produce available all year, but safety is key to enjoying that food year round.”
Cass County Extension also offers pressure canner dial gauge testing by appointment. Dial gauge pressure canners should be tested annually for accuracy. Dial gauges will also be tested at the end of the Food Preservation 101 program on June 28 for any participants interested.
If you get stuck or have a question about a recipe, you can get answers to food preservation questions by calling ISU Extension and Outreach’s toll-free AnswerLine. Experts answer questions Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and from 1– 4 p.m. In Iowa, call 1-800-262-3804; Relay Iowa phone linkage for deaf/hard-of-hearing individuals, 1-800-735-2942. Questions can also be emailed to [email protected]. Frequently asked questions and other resources are available at the AnswerLine website, www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/answerline.