UC Master Food Preservers of Inyo and Mono Counties

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UC Master Food Preservers of Inyo & Mono Counties

The University of California Master Food Preserver Program extends UC research-based information about home food safety and preservation to the public. The UC Master Food Preserver Program is a public service and outreach program under the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources administered locally by the Inyo-Mono UC Cooperative Extension office.

Our program is led by volunteers from our community. You can join us!

On this site you will find information on canning and home food preservation, along with tips and resources to help residents of the Eastern Sierra deal with our altitude and local conditions.

Canning is not a process that you should be creative with! There is a lot of testing using laboratory equipment that needs to be done to ensure safety. If you have a special something that you want to preserve, but there is no tested recipe, in most cases we recommend freezing it instead.

There is an abundance of incorrect information on the internet. This page has a list of reputable sources that you can use to compare with what you find online.

Pepper Substitutions

If you've come here specifically looking for Dustin Blakey's Pepper Calculator, here is the pepper substitutions page.

Gauge Testing

If you use a dial-gauge canner such as those manufactured by Presto, they should be checked annually to ensure they are accurate. Under-processing of low-acid foods can lead to botulism!

Residents of Inyo, Mono, Kern and our neighboring counties in Nevada can test your dial gauge here at our office free of charge. Please contact us at 760-873-7854 or send an email to Melissa at melyeager@ucanr.edu to set up an appointment or to arrange it by mail.

All-American Canner Owners: Although you have a dial gauge on your canner, your canner is operated like a weighted-gauge canner. Weighted gauge canners are very accurate. The dial steam gauge is there as a monitoring tool. We're glad to try to test your gauge, but sometimes we can't fit our tester on some models while attached to the lid.