Calloway County CES

Title:

2024 Promotion of Food Preservation and Safe Food Storage

MAP:

Thriving Individuals, Strong Families

Agents Involved:

FCS, 4-H, ANR, HORT, and Program Assistants

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Nutrition and Food Systems General

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Food Preparation and Preservation

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

LEAP

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Build Engaged and Empowered Communities – General

Situation:

Since the dawn of mankind, we have been looking for a way to sustain food supply sources and availability.  Our ancestors, in many different cultures, used what was available in their environment to preserve and store food and thus were able to settle in a particular area and form communities because of food storage and preservation. Recent economic and health related events have many people desiring a way to process their own food and to safely store it.  Home processed food can be customized to meet individual health needs and the consumer knows exactly what is in it.  The New York Daily News recently reported a 30% rise in the sale of canning jars due to the demand for home processed foods.  The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) saw  an increase of 620% in website access and 270% in requests for home food preservation validated recipes from March 2020 to 2022.  Historically, consumers have shifted food purchases to include supplies for home canning during times of economic hardship and uncertainty.  The Calloway County Extension Council recently identified food preservation and safe storage as an emerging county need.  The Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Calloway County is uniquely qualified to provide educational training of skills to accomplish this need for our community.

Long-Term Outcomes:

County residents will increase access to healthy foods through food preservation

County residents will gain new sources for more affordable food by utilizing safe food storage and preservation

Intermediate Outcomes:

County residents will improve food availability year round by planting, maintaining, harvesting, and preserving produce.

Initial Outcomes:

County residents will increase knowledge of food protection, food storage, and food preservation.

County residents will gain new skills on manipulating equipment for food preservation and storage.

County residents will integrate ways to eliminate food waste in their family.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome:  Learn to protect food, food storage and preserve food

Indicator:  Participants will adopt safe food handling procedures

Method:  Participation in UK researched food preservation trainings

Timeline:  2024-2027

Intermediate Outcome:  residents will improve food availability by planting, maintaining, harvesting and preserving produce

Indicator:  increase in requests for validated recipes for canning, and acquiring gardening best practices

Method:  one on one conversations

Timeline: 2024-2027

Long-term Outcome:  County residents will increase access to healthy foods through food preservation

Indicator:  Increased  number of home canned food products and other forms of food preservation

Method:  survey self report

Timeline:  2024-2027

Learning Opportunities:

Audience:  Calloway county residents

Project or Activity:   Hands on lessons

Content or Curriculum: Home Canning Basics 

Inputs:  paid staff, volunteers, subject applicable publications from UK , NEP

Date: March through October

Audience:  Preschool and early elementary students

Project or Activity:  Introduction to Basic Gardening

Content or Curriculum:  LEAP program book How Groundhog's Garden Grew

Inputs:  FCS agent, 4-H agent, Master Gardener Volunteers

Date:  Spring through summer

Audience:  Calloway county residents

Project or Activity:  consultations with residents

Content or Curriculum:  Master Gardener Courses

Inputs:  paid staff, ANR agent, Master Gardeners

Date:  year round