Situation

Due to the growing popularity for local foods and backyard gardens, home food preservation programs are in demand. 

Partnership

The Jessamine County Extension Service partnered with Cheryl Case and Peggy Helton, retired Family and Consumer Sciences Agents, to present a ….

Educational Response

,,, 3-day food preservation workshop that address water bath and pressure canning, freezing, and drying food. The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for Jessamine County presented nutrition information and promoted upcoming programs. The Nutrition Education Program Assistant conducted demonstrations each day with Plate It Up recipes. 

Target Audience

The 19 women who participated included a mother-daughter pair with 84% being new to Extension food preservation programs. 

Outcomes

Participants canned green beans in the pressure canner; dried apples, bananas, and mangoes in the dehydrator; canned salsa and kosher dill pickles in the boiling water canner; and prepared corn and blackberry freezer jam. Participants were very pleased with their very own jars of green beans, dried foods, salsa, pickles, blackberry jam, and corn that they personally preserved. This gave participants pride and confidence and motivation to go home and preserve healthy safe foods for their families. 

One lady commented: I was always scared of a pressure canner because when I was young I remember a pressure cooker exploding. Because of this class, I feel confident that I can use a pressure canner now! They shared that they have confidence in the information provided by Extension verses information from internet sources. 

Those who attended the food preservation workshop last year shared that they returned because they learned so much last year and wanted to learn more.