WATERLOO, N.Y. — Summertime in the Finger Lakes is ripe with fresh fruits and vegetables found in backyard gardens, Farmers Markets, roadside stands, and over 6,500 local farms. Farm raised meats, wild game, and wild caught fish are also plentiful, along with wild picked food, such as black raspberries. Preserving this bounty for the winter through food preservation techniques: canning, freezing, drying, and fermenting can be deeply satisfying for many reasons. Food preservation is economical, nutritious, and can support local farms. For over 100 years, the Cooperative Extension system has been the go-to resource for safe and proper food preservation techniques.
Food preservation instructions change over the years as safer and more effective ways to preserve food are developed. Food preservation instructions are researched and updated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which then passes the latest information on to Cooperative Extension. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is the direct link to the USDA through its National Center for Home Food Preservation and is accessible online to everyone at www.homefoodpreservation.net. There is a wealth of information at this site from basic food preservation “how to”, such as How to Use a Canner, to over 185 specific recipes that are guaranteed to be safe. There are tutorials, power point presentations and much more for the home canner. Since botulism food poisoning can occur in low acid canned foods, it is vital that you use a safe, tested recipe to keep your family safe. Recipes on this website and other sites with a url ending in .edu can be trusted resources for research-based canning directions. Beware of canning directions found on social media, which may disseminate unsafe methods.
Seneca County Cornell Cooperative Extension will have a Master Food Preserver educator at the beginning of the Seneca Falls Farmers Market on Tuesday, July 13th and July 20th at 3:00pm, who can answer your food preservation questions and test your pressure canner gauge if you bring the lid. A Master Food Preserver will also be at the Ovid Farmers Market on Friday, July16th at 3:00pm. In the meantime, if you have any questions concerning food preservation, please contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or Seneca County CCE who has a certified Master Food Preserver on staff, Moira Tidball (mmt65@cornell.edu and/or 315-539-9251). No matter what food preservation methods you choose, the health, economic, and community benefits are numerous!
–Cornell Cooperative Extension