The Incubator Farm Program is a three-year farm business development program for New Americans in Louisville, KY. As a part of the 2^nd year of this program, the co-facilitators: Jefferson Co. Extension Service, and Common Earth Gardens, a division of Catholic Charities, invited the Bullitt County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences along with the UK Food & Nutrition Specialist to provide workshops on food safety, micro-processing and basic canning to these farmers and other individuals in the west end of Louisville.  Four classes are planned on basic canning to allow refugees and new American citizens to gain basic canning skills. This would assist in their Micro-processing certification and the ability to market more products at the Farmer’s Markets.  The first class was held with 6 individuals and 3 interpreters in attendance.  Two individuals walked out of the class exclaiming they had learned several things they were doing wrong that they would correct. Two more classes were held in the month of May with 18 individuals and 5 interpreters in attendance.  With this new audience, new resources were developed to aid in teaching the topics to this diverse audience.   

After receiving feedback from the participants and the co-facilitators, three more topics were identified to meet the needs of the participants: the US measuring system; food dehydrating; and pickling.  Classes are scheduled for when the Farmers Markets season is not in full swing.

With the success of programs to these audiences, the Catholic Charities and Dare to Care program called on the Extension Service to assist in teaching Life Skills to a different audience they serve.  The independent living adults requested to learn canning so the Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences taught a 2 part series on water bath canning.  During the second class, each of the 12 participants were able to make a batch of jelly. They left excited and beaming with pride that they had "made" jelly. The program administrators reported the classes were such a success that the students continued to talk about their experience in making jelly for a month after the class.

From overcoming a language barrier to various disabilities, all 36 individuals were able to improve their quality of life, emotionally, financially and nutritionally through the life skill of home food preservation.