The Polk County Extension Office is offering a “Canning and Preserving Made Easy” series of workshops. The first in the series of workshops is “Canning Made Easy,” an overview of canning fruits and vegetables, and will be held at the Polk County Extension Center on June 9. This two-hour workshop will be at 2 p.m. and another at 6 p.m. Both classes cover the same materials.

The second canning workshop, “Canning Jam, Jellies and Pickles” will be on June 16. This workshop will also be a two-hour class with one class at 2 p.m. and one at 6 p.m. The Ball Blue Book of Canning will be available for sale during both classes.

Preserving food cannot be considered new and trendy, but the recent revival fits the modern renaissance of handcrafted food, heirloom agriculture and using foods in its season. Like baking bread or making a slow-cooked tomato sauce, preserving offers primal satisfactions and practical results.

“There’s an incredible surge of interest recently,” said Jimmi Buell, family and consumer science agent with the Polk County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension Services. “People want to take back their food and their skills from the industrial giants. In a time of high food prices, job losses and food safety scares’, home canning is booming.”

Stacks of locally grown, peak-ripe produce are about to appear at farmers markets, roadside stand and backyards all over the county. This is the window of opportunity to preserve all of nature’s bounty.

“The thoughts of home canning whether you are a pro or a novice, can be overwhelming,” said Buell, “but with the help of the Extension Office, we can make the process manageable.”

Call the Polk County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension Service at 828-894-8218 to reserve your space for these workshops or if you have any questions.

– article submitted by Jimmi Buell