Preserving food cannot be considered new and trendy, but according to Jimmi Buell, family and consumer science agent with the Polk County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension Services, the recent revival fits the modern renaissance of handcrafted food, heirloom agriculture and using foods in season. Like baking bread or making a slow-cooked tomato sauce, preserving offers primal satisfactions and practical results, she said.
“There’s an incredible surge of interest recently,” said Buell. “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.”
The extension office will offer a “Canning and Preserving Made Easy” series of workshops, the first of which will be held on June 7 at 2 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. Titled “Canning Made Easy,” the two-hour workshop will present an overview of canning fruits and vegetables and will be held at the Polk County Extension Center. There will be a small fee for the class.
The second canning workshop, “Canning Jam, Jellies, and Pickles,” will be held June 12 at 2 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. This workshop will also be two hours.
The “Ball Blue Book of Canning” will be available for sale during both classes. Call the Polk County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension Services at 828-894-8218 to reserve your space for these workshops or if you have any questions.
– article submitted
by Jimmi Buell