General Food Preservation Class Offered

Preserving your summer bounty is a great way to enjoy home-grown produce year-round. The key is not serving food borne illness, like botulism, with your home preserved foods.

Home food preservation is not difficult, but it does require following specific directions exactly, said Sara Sprouse, a human sciences specialist in food and health with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “Ignoring recommended procedures can result in home canned products that will make you, your family and friends very ill.”

To help Iowans safely preserve foods, Sprouse will lead Preserve the Taste of Summer 101 on Tuesday, April 12 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The class, offered at the Des Moines County Extension Office, 1700 W. Mt. Pleasant St., West Burlington, is part of the ISU Extension and Outreach Preserve the Taste of Summer program.

“Preserve the Taste of Summer 101 is a general overview course that highlights the key information you need to know to get started preserving food at home,” said Sprouse.

This class will:

  • Discuss four food preservation techniques – pressure canning, hot water bath canning, dehydration and freezing;
  • Provide science-based, reliable, food preservation resources; and
  • Answer your general food preservation questions.

“This information-packed class is helpful for beginner home food preservers as well as for experienced home food preservers interested in staying up-to-date on the current recommendations,” said Sprouse. “Past participants have shared that Preserve the Taste of Summer 101 was informative and fun and that it provided new information to keep them up to date and safe.”

The cost of this workshop is $10 per family. Registration is required by April 7th.

Participants can register for the workshop at https://go.iastate.edu/YPFSLG.

To learn more, contact the Des Moines County Extension Office at (319) 671-7165.