Ten participants completed the 2019 Lee County Food Preservation Program where they were taught the pressure canning, water bath canning, freezing and drying methods of food preservation.  Almost half (44%) of the participants were new to Cooperative Extension programming.  Over a third (38%) of the participants reported never or rarely using food preservation methods, and another 38% reported using food preservation methods sometimes prior to the program.  Participants said that they learned about the program through the Homemaker newsletter, the Extension website, through friends and from the Extension office.  The reasons given by most participants for choosing to attend the program were because of a desire to learn (80%), to improve skills (80%), an interest in heritage skills (70%), for personal accomplishment (60%) and to interact with others (60%).

End of program evaluation results indicate an increase in food preservation skills.  Before and after the program, participants self-report their skill level for each method as either ‘beginner’, ‘intermediate’ or ‘experienced’.  Approximately one-third of the participants reported an increase in skill levels, particularly for the freezing method.  All participants (100%) agreed or strongly agreed they had better skills in home food preservation methods, could identify research-based methods of home food preservation, could identify the necessary equipment for home food preservation methods, understood the difference in and could identify the correct method for canning low acid and high acid foods and could identify spoilage in home preserved products after the program.

Half of the participants (50%) reported growing a garden this year, and are planting in a combined total of over 26,844 square feet (over ½ an acre) of garden area.  Participants commented that the program was wonderful.  There were no suggestions for improvement.

"I'm glad I attended this workshop because I recently canned for the first time and now realize how many safety procedures I didn't follow.  I am glad to know the safe way so I won't have to worry about making my family sick." –Participant 

When the presenter talked about the often practiced unsafe, incorrect, unprocessed method "open kettle canning", one lady spoke up, "That is how I've always canned tomatoes and tomato juice.  I boil my tomatoes and juice, fill hot jars, and they always seal.  I've never lost a jar.  My Grandmother canned tomatoes and juice the same way." The presenters followed up with a discussion on how tomato varieties have changed over the years and how it is now recommended to add acid (citric acid, lemon or lime juice, and/or vinegar) to all tomatoes and tomato products before processing. 

“I am going out to buy a pressure canner tomorrow, I’m so glad I came”-Participant (Came back in the next week and did buy a pressure canner)