Food Preservation Workshop

10 (female) participants attended the Lee County Food Preservation Workshop. Only a few of the participants had experience with preserving food at home. Participants expressed a desire to learn all the recommended safe ways to preserve foods. Participants canned green beans in the pressure canner, tomatoes and salsa in the boiling water canner, apples and tomatoes and fruit leathers in the dehydrator, and prepared blackberry jam for the freezer and blanched and packaged corn for the freezer. 

By the end of the workshop, participants felt confident to use their newly acquired skills and were discussing recipes from the Food Preservation Workshop booklet that they planned to use to preserve foods - safe, high quality foods - for their families!

Almost half of the participants (44%) identified themselves as occasional canners and almost half as first-time canners (44%) with only 11% as seasoned canners. 

All (100%) of the participants reported that the food preservation program fulfilled their expectations. All participants (100%) agreed that they have better skills in home preservation methods following the program, that they understand the difference between low and high acid, that they can accurately prepare foods and containers for home food preservation and that they can identify spoilage in home preserved products. 

One participant commented that "practicing the methods of food preservation by preparing the home preserved foods is great because it helps me to feel confident and inspired to go home and can". 

Other comments were "I have learned so much!" and "I have enjoyed this workshop so much!"