Food Blog

Man in straw hat picks crops in a field

The Food Blog covers our latest research and extension work to advance and optimize the production and vitality of California's abundant agricultural commodities.

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Making strawberry jam with pectin helps preserve the bright color. Photo credit: National Center for Home Food Preservation

Pectin is not gelatin

October 13, 2021
By Susan Mosbacher
If you only have time to read this much: pectin is vegan-friendly. I was having lunch at an outdoor venue with a lovely vegetarian friend. When we got around to all things canning, I told her how excited I was to try a sugar-free jam recipe using a particular pectin. "I cannot eat jams with pectin.
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To help farmers establish connections with restaurants and produce sellers, Catherine Brinkley, director of UC Davis Center for Regional Change, has created online resources for markets and farmers to identify opportunities to build relationships. Shoppers browse a farmers market in Oakland in 2017.

To connect more farmers with buyers, UC publishes community food guides

September 29, 2021
By Pamela S Kan-Rice
Over the past year, many farmers have had to navigate rapid shifts in marketing practices since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional food-supply systems. During this time, establishing relationships with local vendors has become necessary for growers to maintain and increase profits.
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