With prices of groceries ever increasing and concern over the economy, there has been an interest in learning to can and preserve food so that participants may be self-sufficient with a deeper connection to local food sources.  

Four Food Preservation Workshops were offered to teach safe canning, freezing, and dehydrating methods by providing hands-on workshops, fact sheets and research-based recipes.  

Eleven participants total, 3 adults and 8 youth attended two workshops to properly prepare and preserve salsa in a boiling water bath canner.  A third workshop that had 8 adult participants covered Freezing and Dehydrating methods and a fourth workshop was held to teach 11 youth Jam and Jelly Preservation through boiling water bath canning.  

 The FCS agent, 4-H agent and a KSU agent worked with the individuals to preserve 24 pints of salsa, 20 half-pints of strawberry Jam, and 9 apple pie fillings, along with dehydrated apples and banana chips.  All participants were apprehensive about safely preserving their own food but felt confident after attending these workshops.  In addition to workshops an article on safe food preservation practices was submitted to the local paper with circulation to approximately 3,000 people and 2,000 more being delivered to stores in the area.