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Food Preservation
UC Master Food Preservers of Central Sierra: Article
Quick tips for handling fresh fruits and vegetables All fruits and vegetables should be washed prior to consuming, even if the skins or rinds won’t be eaten. Washing produce helps to remove dirt and bacteria not only from surfaces, but also prevents bacteria from being carried into the food when cut…
Choose only yellow peaches and nectarines for canning Food safety research is happening all the time, with results sometimes dictating changes in home canning recommendations. It’s for this reason that we always advise following recent recipes published from reputable sources. One such fairly…
Button mushrooms yes; wild mushrooms no. Mushrooms are a low-acid food. To be safely canned, they must be properly acidified (pickled) or processed in a pressure canner.There are other safety considerations as well: Only domestic button mushrooms may be safely canned. Wild mushrooms (whether wild…
Preserve it! Time for a Review Before planning this year’s garden or trips to the farmers market, let’s look at your pantry and freezer with a keen eye. Take stock of what you preserved last season and what you have consumed up to this point. If, by this time of the year, you have an abundance of…
Monica Gross, Los Angeles Co., Online Delivery Program VolunteerDehydration is one of the earliest preservation methods developed by humankind. There is evidence from Middle Eastern and Asian cultures that dehydration was used as a method of preservation as far back as 12,000 BCE. The hot sun was harnessed…
Chocolate paired with cherries is a match made in heaven. With the California cherry season approaching, consider making this delicious and decadent jam. Use it as an ice-cream topping, stir it into yogurt, use it to frost brownies, or top a cheesecake! The possibilities are endless. …
Living in California has given me a deep appreciation for food, gardening, and seasonality. Fresh produce is available year-round, from winter citrus to summer berries and the abundance of warm-season vegetables that follows. Gardening here makes it possible to experience food not just…
The California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) supports Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shoppers in purchasing fruits and vegetables by providing a dollar-for-dollar match to SNAP dollars spent on produce. Nutrition Policy Institute researchers conducted a mixed-methods study utilizing…
Tim Long, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer Dehydration preserves food by removing 80–95% of its moisture, which inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds that require water to grow. It is one of the oldest preservation methods, dating back to 12,000 BCE. This…
Monica Gross, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer For most of human history, feeding a family involved navigating times when food was plentiful, such as at harvest time, and periods when it was scarce. Before methods of food preservation were developed, food insecurity was a…
