Posts Tagged: Master Food Preservers
SAREP, Small Farms and UC Master Food Preservers join forces to strengthen support for sustainable production, local food systems and farmer equity
Dahlquist-Willard named interim SAREP director
The past few years have intensified challenges to sustainability in California agriculture. At the same time, new opportunities for UC ANR programs to meet these challenges have arisen. Large-scale hiring, successfully competing for several multimillion-dollar grants, and expanding our reach to meet the needs of Californians are among UC ANR's recent positive developments. As we look ahead, the challenges to achieve sustainability, food security and economic development present new opportunities for our programs to work together.
UC ANR's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is a leader in promoting safe, sustainable farming practices across the state. The recent retirements of SAREP's director and business manager, as well as multiple recent large grant awards for statewide and regional projects, have created an opportunity to integrate key programs under SAREP to meet grant deliverables and provide administrative support efficiencies. Thus, we are integrating the Small Farms Network and UC Master Food Preserver program with SAREP to form a new framework for support and administration.
These three programs have multiple shared areas of focus and activity such as local food production and marketing, diversified farming systems, food safety and enhancing equity. By integrating these units, we will not only accomplish economies of scale but also foster collaboration on shared focus areas to strengthen overall program delivery to clients and communities. The programs will retain their individual names and identities under this new framework.
Due to the substantial changes to the SAREP director position, the search for a new SAREP director is on hold while we consider how best to integrate the three programs. I have appointed Ruth Dahlquist-Willard to serve as interim director of SAREP for three years effective July 1, 2023.
Over the next six to nine months, Ruth will coordinate brainstorming sessions with academics and staff to gather input on how best to leverage shared interests and resources across the units. She will remain based in Fresno during the interim role. Recruitment will begin soon for the UCCE small farms and specialty crops advisor position in Fresno County, and Ruth will be dedicated 100% to the SAREP director position following this transition.
I am confident that this new structure will strengthen each individual program while also creating new synergies within a powerful statewide unit that can support multiple projects and attract new funding opportunities.
Please join me in congratulating Ruth and lending your support to her in establishing this new framework to accomplish our collective goals.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
Hotel refrigerators vary in temperature
A few years ago, I was in Reno overnight for work and wanted to save my delicious dinner leftovers for breakfast. But when I opened the mini refrigerator in my room, my first reaction was, "That feels too warm!" I did not save the leftovers and made alternative plans for breakfast. Since then, I've wondered how common an unsafe hotel refrigerator might be.
The pandemic delayed my research as travel was out of the question for a while. This year, I had the opportunity to test my question when I traveled up the coast from California to Washington and back home again on vacation. I stayed in a variety of places, perfect for my casual research project. My trusty refrigerator thermometer came with me. The results: mixed!
Of the five hotels I stayed in:
- One in-room refrigerator was too warm to store food safely overnight.
- Two were too cold. One was so cold, it froze the beverage I placed inside. Not optimal, but better than food poisoning!
- Two tested perfectly in the safe zone for food storage.
The score: One out of five refrigerators in my unscientific study was unsafe. One in five is not great odds.
The Ideal Refrigerator Temperature
A temperature range of 33 F to 40 F is ideal. Refrigeration in this range slows the growth of microorganisms, including bacteria. Safe food-handling practices advise that food should be held for no more than two hours above 40 F. Keeping food overnight above that temperature could have serious consequences, meaning storing food in hotel refrigerators that are not 40o F or below for more than two hours can have serious consequences.
Stay Safe When You Travel
Here are three ideas to help you avoid problems when you travel:
1) Measure. Take a refrigerator thermometer with you if you plan to use the in-room mini refrigerator. There's nothing like data to let you know the refrigerator is at the right temperature. Refrigerator thermometers are readily available at grocery and hardware stores, and online.
2) Avoid. Consider not storing anything that might spoil in your hotel refrigerator if you do not know the temperature setting. Cooling sealed canned beverages would be fine. At worst, your beverage will not be as cool as you hoped, but because it's sealed, nothing will spoil.
3) Take a quality cooler. Since I was driving, I took my cooler, one that holds appropriate temperatures for days. Traveling with a ready supply of ice, beverages and confidence that my groceries were held safely below 40 F was lovely. This solution is not for every trip, and of course, you need to replenish the ice as you go.
As you plan your future travel, I wish you a safe journey and a skeptical mindset on the safety of your hotel refrigerator for food storage.
Do you have any questions about safe food storage? You can find your local UC Master Food Preserver program or submit questions at http://mfp.ucanr.edu. You can also sign up to be notified of upcoming online food preservation classes.
More than a TikTok trend, preservation is the future of food
UC Master Food Preservers give live canning demonstrations at Orange County Fair
If you visited the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa during the past month, you might have seen the Master Food Preservers of Orange County in their rustic farmhouse-themed kitchen located in the OC Promenade exhibit hall.
If the decor did not catch your eye, the colorful rows of glass jars lined along the walls certainly would have. For an entire month, three volunteers conducted live canning demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. five days a week. They are with the UC Master Food Preserver Program, a public service and outreach program under UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The OC Fair is UC Master Food Preserver's largest event in Orange County. Last year, the UC Master Food Preservers engaged 7,000 people at their booth.
Food preservation has a deep history rooted in human survival. Whether freezing, drying, fermenting or pickling, preservation is a practice that has prolonged the life of food and humans. Other benefits include reducing food waste and increasing food security.
The latest form of preservation, called canning, was introduced in the early 1800s according to a Smithsonian article. By placing food in a glass jar and heating it to a certain temperature for a prescribed period of time, oxygen is removed and a vacuum is created. This process prevents the growth of undesirable bacteria, yeasts and molds, thus keeping the food from spoiling.
This is what you would have found the UC Master Food Preservers demonstrating at the OC Fair.
During her shift, Flo Vallejo, UC Master Food Preserver since 2018, carefully chopped carrots and daikon into thin slices and placed them inside small mason jars with spices inspired by Vietnamese cuisine.
Between the produce donated by Melissa's Produce and the diverse spices donated by Tampico Spice, the possibilities of what you will see the UC Master Food Preservers canning are endless.
“This is something my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother did. I never understood it because they didn't let the little kids in the kitchen,” said first-year UC Master Food Preserver Alice Houseworth.
Many of the UC Master Food Preservers have some experience with canning, whether it be a practice passed down from generation to generation, or, in Houseworth's case, something they watched their elders do as a child.
Some might view canning as a hobby, but according to the UC Master Food Preservers, food preservation is an opportunity to prepare for economic and climatic change.
Esa Kiefer, another UC Master Food Preserver since 2018, expressed her concern for the rising prices of food and decline in arable land. “I feel like now is the time to prepare for these changing times,” she said. “Who knows what the future will look like for food?”
Perhaps the future of food will come from glass jars.
“You can even can chicken,” Houseworth said. “When it's cheap at the grocery store, you can buy it and use the pressure canner and then eat it when chicken prices go up.”
Vallejo recalls when pickling and canning were trending on social media during the stay-at-home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to find mason jars.
“Preservation has been done for a long time. When I saw a lot of people doing it during the pandemic, I thought it was just because people had time on their hands. But I realized that many became concerned about the food supply and accessibility,” she explained.
The resurgence in food preservation interest makes the work of the UC Master Food Preserver program much more essential. Whether you are feeding a large family, living in a food desert or managing a tight budget, food preservation ensures you are fed today, tomorrow and beyond.
To learn more about the Master Food Preserver Program or to locate the nearest program in your area, visit: https://mfp.ucanr.edu/.
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UC Master Food Preservers turn food scraps into gifts Dec. 1
Free online class offers recipes for using food scraps, answers questions about food preservation
“Putting food in our bellies instead of landfills is good for the planet,” said Sue Mosbacher, University of California Master Food Preserver Program coordinator. In landfills, decaying food releases methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
“We can reduce food waste and save money by creating new foods from food scraps,” Mosbacher said. “Instead of throwing away a lemon peel after squeezing out the juice, use the lemon zest to make lemon curd or citrus salt. They make wonderful homemade gifts for the holidays.”
UC Cooperative Extension Master Food Preservers, a program of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, provides ideas for using leftovers and advice for safely preserving food.
On Dec. 1, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., UCCE Master Food Preserver volunteers of Amador and Calaveras counties will host a free online class to show samples of apple honey, citrus salt, strawberry vinaigrette, sugared walnuts and lemon curd. Recipes will be emailed to participants.
“Many of these gifts are inexpensive to make because you're using food scraps – such as lemon rind or apple peel – and a few other ingredients. You can put the citrus salt in jars you've saved,” Mosbacher said. “It is easy to make and there's no special equipment needed.”
After the “show and tell” session, the UCCE Master Food Preserver volunteers will answer participants' questions about freezing, dehydrating and canning foods and food safety.
Because the class is online, anyone can participate, regardless of their location. Register for the one-hour Zoom workshop at https://mfp.ucanr.edu/Events/?calitem=516566.
The UCCE Master Food Preserver Program extends UC research-based information about home food safety and preservation to the public throughout the year. UCCE Master Food Preserver volunteers are located in 19 counties of California, most recently certifying volunteers in Modoc County, where they are offering pressure canner testing.
UCCE Master Food Preserver volunteers host monthly workshops on the first Wednesday of each month, with hosting duties rotating between Sacramento, El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties.
For 2022, the UCCE Master Food Preservers of Sacramento County are planning to offer the following workshops via Zoom:
- Jan. 19 – Citrus for Super Bowl
- Feb. 16 – Dehydration for Soups
- March 16 – Soups & Roots
- April 20 – “Night of Fermenting” Cheese/Yogurt/Sauerkraut
- May 18 – Jams & Jellies
- June 15 – “Ready for BBQ Season” Condiments & Beverages
- July 20 - Red, White & Blue
- Aug. 17 – “Tomato Mania” Salsas, Sauces & Peppers
- Sept. 21 – Sausages & Mustards
- Oct. 19 – “Apples, Pears & Persimmons Oh My”
- Nov. 16 – Sides Dishes for your Holiday Dinner
- Dec. 21 – Quick Gifts
To sign up for any of the workshops above, visit https://sacmfp.ucanr.edu.
To find other upcoming UCCE Master Food Preserver Program events, visit https://mfp.ucanr.edu/Events. To find a program in your county, visit https://mfp.ucanr.edu/Contact/Find_a_Program.
Resources for preserving food and more information about the UCCE Master Food Preserver Program are available at https://mfp.ucanr.edu.
Learn to make gifts in the kitchen with UC Master Food Preservers
Looking for gift ideas that don't cost much? University of California Master Food Preservers, a program of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, will host online workshops showing how to safely make hot holiday beverages, infused vinegar, spiced nuts, meat rubs, cookie mix in a jar and more. Participants may make their own creations as they watch the demonstrations.
“You can create inexpensive gifts that are made with love for friends and family,” said Wendi Weston, coordinator of the UC Master Food Preservers of Sacramento County.
Gifts from the Kitchen Virtual Workshop will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17. This workshop is hosted by the UC Master Food Preservers of Sacramento County, but they welcome participants from outside the county as well. Register at https://mfp.ucanr.edu/Events/?calitem=499948&g=72758.
“Participants will learn to make flavored tea and the barbecue spice rub during the workshop. It'll be fun and festive,” said Weston, who is planning the series of workshops.
During the two-hour Zoom workshop, the UC Master Food Preserver volunteers will demonstrate how to make cranberry conserve, spiced nuts, infused vinegar and holiday cookies in a jar. They will also share decorating and food safety tips.
After the workshop, the recipe books can be purchased for $10 at https://sacmfp.ucanr.edu. Recipes from past workshops can be downloaded for free at https://sacmfp.ucanr.edu/Monthly_Demonstrations/Recipes.
On Dec. 1, UC Master Food Preserver volunteers of Amador and Calaveras counties will discuss freezing, dehydrating, canning and food safety during an online workshop. Register at https://mfp.ucanr.edu/Events/?calitem=516566.
“We can reduce food waste and save money by preserving food,” said Sue Mosbacher, UC Master Food Preserver Program coordinator.
The UC Master Food Preserver Program extends UC research-based information about home food safety and preservation to the public throughout the year. They are located in 19 counties of California, most recently adding UC Master Food Preserver volunteers in Modoc County, where they are offering pressure canner testing.
For 2022, the UC Master Food Preservers of Sacramento County are planning to offer the following workshops via Zoom:
- Jan 19 – Citrus for Super Bowl
- Feb 16 – Dehydration for Soups
- March 16 – Soups & Roots
- April 20 – “Night of Fermenting” Cheese/Yogurt/Sauerkraut
- May 18 – Jams & Jellies
- June 15 – “Ready for BBQ Season” Condiments & Beverages
- July 20 - Red, White & Blue
- Aug 17 – “Tomato Mania” Salsas, Sauces & Peppers
- Sep 21 – Sausages & Mustards
- Oct 19 – “Apples, Pears & Persimmons Oh My”
- Nov 16 – Sides Dishes for your Holiday Dinner
- Dec 21 – Quick Gifts
To sign up for any of the workshops above, visit https://sacmfp.ucanr.edu.
To find other upcoming UC Master Food Preserver Program events, visit https://mfp.ucanr.edu/Events.
For resources for preserving food and more information about the UC Master Food Preserver Program, visit https://mfp.ucanr.edu.