PERU, Ind. — Gone the way of the horse and buggy are the old canning equipment and techniques. And safe home food preservation skills are not always passed down from generation to generation or taught in the home. The Mastering Home Food Preservation Program fills a local need for education on safe food preservation practices. Sponsored by Purdue University Extension, the program focuses on USDA approved canning techniques. “Canning is still a tradition in some families, but it isn’t always taught by grandma or even taught in the home anymore. It is important to have the most up-to-date knowledge available on the latest canning techniques to assure a safe product,” says Atina Rohzon, Health and Human Sciences Educator with Purdue Extension Jennings County. “Through research, we now have information about food safety that we have never had before. We need to keep up with the new food preservation techniques, new equipment and new canning products.”
Training involves taking 40 hours of course work and exams. The units focus on the general principles of safe food handling and the procedures of water bath canning, pressure canning and freezing fruits and vegetables. The program features units on food safety, freezing, boiling water canning, pressure canning, pickling fruits and vegetables, preserving jams and jellies and drying fruits, vegetables and meats. Each unit consists of instruction including lecture, multimedia, and hands-on laboratory food preservation activities.
The training series will be held daily from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM Central Time on August 6 – 10, 2018 at Ivy Tech Community College, 425 W. Main Street located at Peru, Indiana 46970. The cost of the program is $200.00 which covers the Mastering Home Food Preservation notebook, lab activities and food preservation examples from the five sessions.
For registration or more information about the Mastering Home Food Preservation training, contact Karen Richey, Health and Human Sciences Educator with Purdue Extension Marshall County, krichey@purdue.edu or call 574-935-8545. Registration deadline is Monday, July 23, 2018. Class is limited. Lodging and accommodation information is available. Participants will need to reserve their room by July 25, 2018.
— Purdue University Extension
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