Holiday Meals: Creative Ways to Prep and Preserve (Online)

Discover how seasonal canned, frozen, and dehydrated foods can simplify preparation and inspire flavorful, creative holiday meals.

Bring homemade flavors to your holiday table while getting a head start on the cooking. From spicy cranberry salsa to dried apple pie, preserved foods can inspire your menu and spread out the preparation with flavorful and healthy ingredients.

And when the gathering is over, turkey broth and soup can become the beginning of meals to come.

How can you use home-preserved foods in holiday meals? What can you prepare ahead, and how can you safely preserve seasonal foods for later?

Join UC Master Food Preservers for a free online class exploring canning, freezing, and dehydrating for the holiday season. Learn practical ways to stock your pantry and freezer, reduce food waste, and enjoy foods you’ve preserved yourself, using research-based recipes and safe preservation methods.

What we'll cover

• Freezing pumpkin for holiday cooking and baking.
• Canning spicy cranberry salsa for a seasonal addition to your table.
• Dehydration ideas featuring wild rice, fruit, nuts, and dried apple pie.
• Pressure canning turkey broth and soup for future meals.
• Carrot cake jam for a sweet holiday spread.

Whether you’re new to food preservation or already have experience, this class offers practical ideas for making holiday cooking more manageable and creative. Bring your questions and learn how to plan ahead, preserve seasonal ingredients safely, and turn homemade foods into thoughtful additions to holiday meals.

Bring your questions! UC Master Food Preservers will be available during the class to answer questions about safe home food preservation.

Photo credit: R. Barker, used with permission.