From Tammy Roberts, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Bates County Extension office
It won’t be long until many people will have more produce from their garden than they can eat. Spending some time now with that produce will make you glad you did when the winter winds start blowing. There is nothing like home canned green beans for dinner from your garden on a cold winter night. Better yet, how about a vegetable stew made from your garden produce? Participating in a University of Missouri Extension home food preservation class can help you do that and much more.
Classes will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesdays and Fridays, June 13 thru 27 at the First Christian Church, 11 W. Pine in Butler.
June 13- Pressure Canning Low Acid Foods – Be ready to start with fresh green beans and participate in the canning process until we take the jars from the canner.
June 15- How to Pickle- We will prepare and process dilled green beans. We will also discuss how to prepare and process fermented pickles and sauerkraut.
June 20- Salsa From Your Garden- We will prepare and process both a fresh tomato and fruit salsa.
June 22- Jams and Jellies- In this class you will make blueberry spice jam as well as freezer jam. Receive lots of tips on how to make sure your jams and jellies turn out perfectly.
June 27- Freezing and Dehydrating- Learn how to get the very best results when freezing your produce. See what to look for when purchasing a dehydrator. Learn the process of preparing food for dehydration and how to store dehydrated foods. This class is lecture and discussion with sampling.
In all classes participants will receive University of Missouri Extension guide sheets and other handouts so that you will have all of the information you need to get started at home. These are hands-on classes. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and participate in each process from fresh produce to sealed jar.
Cost of the classes is $20 each or $80 for all five. Pre-registration is required five days before each class. For more information or to register, call Bates County University of Missouri Extension at 660-679-4167.
