Extension Center to offer workshops using seasonal produce

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 their season. Like baking bread or making a slow-cooked tomato sauce, preserving offers primal satisfactions and practical results.

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

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

The Extension Office is offering a Canning and Preserving Made Easy series of workshops. The first in the series of workshops, Canning Made Easy, an overview of canning vegetables will be on Monday, July 18. The class will feature a demonstration of canning vegetables. This two-hour workshop will be at 2 p.m. and another class will be offered at 6 p.m.

Both classes will be held at the Polk County Extension Center. Please 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