Participants of all ages  attended the Leslie County Food Preservation Workshop.  40% of  participants had experience preserving foods but only 20% of the participants owned and used a pressure canner.  Participants shared reasons for attending the workshop.  Most wanted to be sure that they preserved food safely.  One participant commented that she always wanted to home can foods but "didn't have the nerve to try pressure canning on her own".  

Participants learned steps for home canning safe high quality foods through presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on canning activities conducted by retired Family & Consumer Sciences Agents Jennifer Klee and Peggy Helton, and Leslie County Family Consumer Science agent Brittany Bowling.  Participants preserved green beans in the pressure canner, apples and tomatoes in the dehydrator, tomatoes and salsa in the boiling water canner, and blanched and prepared corn for the freezer, and prepared blackberry jam for the freezer.

80% Participants commented that they never knew the importance of knowing the acidity of foods, or how the altitude affects processing times and pressures, or the importance of adding lemon or lime or vinegar to tomatoes and salsa to ensure safely processed foods. 100 % Participants planned to use of the Food Preservation Workshop booklet  as a resource for future food preservation endeavors.   At the end of the workshop, 100% of participants felt they had the knowledge and confidence to preserve locally grown foods at home.