Home food preservation can help prevent food waste and save on family food budgets. There is an increased interest in eating fresh, locally grown produce and home food preservation has had an increased interest in recent years. If not done properly, however, loss of food, time and money are the least of one's worries. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in the United States. From 1996 to 2014, there were 210 outbreaks of foodborne botulism reported to the CDC. Of the 145 outbreaks that were caused by home-prepared foods, 43 outbreaks, or 30 percent, were from home-canned vegetables.

In response to client inquiries, telephone calls, and requests for more detailed information on freezing and drying foods, the Boone County Cooperative Extension Services offered six workshops for adults focused on home food preservation. Two half-day hands-on sessions focused on water bath canning, two half-day, hands-on sessions on pressure canning, and two half-day lecture and demonstration sessions on freezing and dehydrating foods.

Individuals learned the importance of using reliable, research-based recipes and methods, choosing the most appropriate and effective method of preserving the product, the proper methods of preparing and preserving different foods, and the value of preserving their own foods in all of the sessions. 

A total of 32 adult males and females from the general public attended one or more of the sessions. Post session evaluations revealed twenty percent of participants were new to Extension programming. Surveys were mailed four months after the programs and two months after the end of a typical harvest season. Results from the mailed survey showed that 73 percent of participants now use appropriate containers when freezing foods; 73 percent now use only “approved” recipes from reliable sources instead of those that have been passed down or from unreliable sources; and 53 percent now use only approved canning jars and lids for their product; and 67 percent leave the proper amount of headspace. Of those returning the survey, half indicated they had saved money by preserving foods at home reporting a savings of almost $1,200. Participants also reported learning and practicing safe food handling and storage methods (80 percent); cooking more and healthier foods at home (67 percent); and 47 percent shopping at farmers markets and roadside stands during the season.

Participants reported home preserving about 432 pints of food either by canning, freezing, or dehydrating. Three participants shared home preserved foods with family and friends. Similar classes in the area offered by private sector companies cost approximately $175.00 per person for these topics. Individuals participating in this program saved about $200 for a total value of more than $5,500 of programming provided.

1/2/2024