Peek inside a UC Master Food Preserver kitchen

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Food news from the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Author: Brenda Dawson

Published on: November 15, 2011

I brought my camera with me to a Master Food Preservers class Saturday at UC Cooperative Extension Sacramento County on pressure canning. In case you’ve been thinking about participating in a Master Food Preservers class, here’s a peek inside the Sacramento demonstration kitchen:

Three photos of a man speaking around kitchen equipment.

Volunteer Dennis Prendergast teaches a Master Food Preservers class about pressure canning.

“Cooking is a whole different ball game from canning — a whole different science,” Prendergast said. He's been a UC Master Food Preserver since 1995, and regularly teaches the monthly Saturday morning classes in Sacramento county. Next month's Saturday morning class will be on dehydrating, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Dec. 10.

Close-up of a pressure gauge and an empty pot near a stovetop.

A pressure canner

Man ladles water, pots steam on a stove.

Prendergast ladles hot water into a canning jar filled with carrots, while water in the pressure canners warms up on the stovetop.

Prendergast recommended several reference books to the 30 class participants, while waiting for the pressure to build in the canners.

Photo of pot with pressure gauge and steam coming out.

Teacher with pots steaming on stove, and class behind him.

Man adjusts the lid on a jar of carrots, close-up on jar of carrots.

Final product

UC Master Food Preservers is a volunteer organization structured in a way similar to UC Master Gardeners. Master Food Preserver candidates complete training to become knowledgeable in food preservation and then are required to volunteer time sharing their knowledge with the public by teaching classes and answering questions.

UC Cooperative Extension currently has Master Food Preservers in four counties:

Sacramento
El Dorado (now known as Central Sierra)
Los Angeles
San Bernardino

In Sacramento County, the Master Food Preservers offer a monthly class on Saturday mornings that focuses on techniques of a specific preservation process – either water-bath canning, pressure canning or dehydrating. Once a month on Wednesday evenings, the group offers classes that focus on preserving specific fruits or vegetables.

This Wednesday’s class is on “Fall Fruits and Winter Squash” which will include quince and pomegranates among others. The class is 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the UC Cooperative Extension office, 4145 Branch Center Road in Sacramento; registration to attend is $3.

Tags: canning (5), food preservation (7), food safety (48), home canning (6), Master Food Preserver (11), volunteer (2)

Comments: 8

Comments:

by Brenda Dawson

on November 30, 2011 at 1:37 PM

Just heard that UC Master Food Preservers will be starting up in Humboldt soon: http://cehumboldt.ucdavis.edu/Plant_Science/Master_Food_Preserver/

If you know of others, please share!

by Liesl

on January 4, 2012 at 11:22 AM

I keep hearing that a master Preservers group was started in OC last year, but I cant find them, I wish I had known at the time. Could you possibly point me in the direction of who I could find out more information from?

Thanks Liesl***

by Brenda Dawson

on January 5, 2012 at 8:24 AM

Hi Liesl, That's a great question. I contacted Orange County, and they explained that they are in the process of starting up a Master Food Preserver program very soon, with hopes to have classes for the public later this year (earliest possibility sounds like late Spring).

The program for now is being run through the UC Master Gardeners in Orange County, if you'd like to follow up before the public classes start, here's some contact info: http://ceorange.ucdavis.edu/Master_Gardener/

It's great to hear so much interest in these food preservation classes.

by Lisa Bramblet

on October 8, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Greetings! I am a Contra Costa County Certified Master Gardener and would LOVE to help get Master Food Preservers going in Contra Costa County! I have been canning/dehydrating etc. for 28 years now and did not know until recently that there was a UCCE program for Food Preserving. I asked our MG Coordinator and she had no knowledge of the MFP program and said it was not under the MG area. Please help me get in touch with the proper channels to begin this conversation and bring MFP to Contra Costa County. I have searched the UC website and cannot find a contact and the email I sent to El Dorado County has gone unanswered. :(
Thanks for any assistance on making the proper connections you can offer. :)

by Brenda Dawson

on October 10, 2012 at 5:52 PM

Hi Lisa, What great enthusiasm! I should probably clarify that I am only a fan of the UC Master Food Preservers. But this program interests me personally, in part because it seems to be driven by volunteer passion. Go MFPs!

But I did ask around about your interest in starting up an MFP program where you live -- and it sounds like the best place for you to start would be by talking to your local UCCE County Director.

In Contra Costa, Janet Caprile is the UCCE County Director. Here's her contact info: http://cecontracosta.ucanr.edu/Contact_Us/Staff_Directory/

Good luck!

by Marian Hart

on May 14, 2013 at 5:18 PM

I'd really like to help start this kind of program in San Diego. Who should I contact?

by Jean Quillin

on July 18, 2013 at 10:44 AM

I would also be interested in taking this class and starting a program in San Diego!

by Shauna Henry

on September 24, 2013 at 1:51 PM

I am also very interested in taking master food preserver classes in San Diego. I called the UC system and there was nothing yet. Would love to be informed if anything changes.