Charcuterie boards became popular in 2020 with popularity increasing in 2021 and continuing into 2022 and 2023. The popular charcuterie board commonly contains an appealing spread of cheeses, meats, fruits, vegetables, and dips. The word “charcuterie” is derived from a French word referring to a delicatessen specializing in dressed meats and meat dishes or the products sold in such a shop. The charcuterie boards that are currently popular have deviated from both the historical meaning of this word as well as the previously common meat and cheese trays and have broadened the classification to include everything from main course breakfast and dinner boards, desserts, and snacks, as well as the more traditional meat and cheeses. Charcuterie boards remain a popular addition to gatherings, so this program was developed to provide information on how to create a charcuterie board as well as address the food safety concerns that this trend presents. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1 in 6 Americans get sick from contaminated food or beverages, and approx. 3000 die each year from foodborne illnesses.

In January 2023, the Russell County ANR and Russell County FCS agents worked in collaboration to present a 3-part class series titled “Summer Sausage and Charcuterie Board Workshop”. This workshop was implemented to teach participants how to prepare their own summer sausage (including the fermentation process) as well as how to create their own charcuterie boards. Participants received information on food safety principles including hand washing, the importance of temperature control, cutting board food safety, and food handling of raw and cooked food products. Participants also had the opportunity to make their own cutting boards and learned how to use a wood burner to personalize the cutting boards as well as sanding and sealing the boards. They also were able to learn about the process of making and curing their own summer sausage and were educated on how to incorporate wild game, such as deer meat, into their summer sausage.

A total of 11 participants took part in the class series. Of the participants surveyed, 100% of participants stated an increase in knowledge of how to cure summer sausage at home. 54% of participants increased their knowledge of cutting board food safety, 81% increased their knowledge of overall food safety and the Temperature Danger Zone, and 90.9 % increased their overall understanding of how to prepare a charcuterie board. 54% of the participants surveyed stated an intention to make summer sausage at home and 100% of the participants surveyed stated an intention to make a charcuterie board at home. All the surveyed participants stated that the subject matter was timely, practical, and educational. Participant feedback on the most significant takeaways from the program included: Food safety and temperature, making summer sausage, how to make food appealing, hand cleaning and food temperature, and different options to make sausage at home. One participant stated that “I will definitely be making some charcuterie boards for my family in the future."