Author: Amanda Dame
Planning Unit: Hopkins County CES
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Plan of Work: Improving Basic Lifeskills, Well-being, and Quality of Life
Outcome: Initial Outcome
The 2019 Hopkins County Community Assessment revealed community members rated Better Food Safety Practices and Better Skills for selecting and preparing healthier food as an important need for Hopkins County residents. To address this issue in Hopkins County, the Hopkins County Family, and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent hosted a three-part Food Preservation Series in June and July of 2022. This three-day series class focused on water bath canning, pressure canning, drying, and freezing fresh foods. During each class, participants learned food preservation basics and practiced their new skills of preserving food at the end of class. The majority of participants had little to no experience preserving foods. After the class of those reporting, 92% of participants could identify safe researched-based methods of home preservation. With, 76% of those reporting they have better skills in home food preservation after the class. Furthermore, 77% can now identify the correct methods of canning for low-acid and high-acid foods. Six months after the class participants reported correctly preserving 62 canned jars and frozen half-gallon bags of produce. As a way to assist with the financial cost of preserving foods, Hopkins County residents were able to rent out canners, dehydrators, and other preservation equipment from the Extension Office. Individuals were asked to pay a refundable deposit when checking out equipment. Through this program, one individual who owned an older canner which after testing was not recommended to use for canning was able to rent a canner from the Extension Office to preserve green beans.
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