September-October 2016 Volume 36, Issue 5
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #115 Albany, OR
Extending Knowledge and Changing Lives in Linn and Benton Counties May 2014
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Preserving Food Can Tap Garden’s Full Potential handled and what ingredients have been added to protect it from contamination and That garden you’ve tended mishandling. all summer? “Also, a Due to popular demand, Even though lot of people we are offering two additional it’s finally like reducing food preservation classes in ready for their carbon harvest, there’s September. Both classes will footprint, be held at the OSU Extension more to do to so they office in Linn County, 33630 capture its true McFarland Rd, Tangent. like eating value. locally and • Wednesday, Sept. 7, According to knowing that 6-9 p.m. Preserving Jeanne Brandt their food Tomatoes • Wednesday, Sept. 28, of Linn and hasn’t been 6-9 p.m. Pickling class Benton County transported Extension all over,” she Register for one or both Family and said. classes by visiting our Community “It gives website. http://extension. Health, people great oregonstate.edu/linn/familymaximizing the community-development-fcd variety, too. value of your You can spice garden involves things or food preservation. preserve them whole or in In addition to helping chunks or in mixtures that gardeners enjoy the fruits you like,” Brandt said. “You of their labor year-round, can make small packages, preserving those fruits so if only one person in a and vegetables provides household likes it, you can assurances that what you preserve it in real small eat is safe, healthy and tasty, containers. You have a lot of Brandt said. options.” “Preserving food gives us First on a checklist for food great control,” Brandt said. preservationists should be to “We have seen a lot of (food) plan ahead, Brandt said. recalls this past year, and “Plan ahead for how you’ll if we are handling our own handle the produce, so that if food as much as possible, you are going to can or if you we know how it has been are going to make something
INSIDE:
PHOTO BY LYNN KETCHUM
By Mitch Lies, Growing Editor
Learning jam and jelly making at an OSU Extension food preservation class at the OSU Extension Service Linn County office.
out of it, that you have the other ingredients and you have the equipment,” she said. “And carve out some time. Because fresh produce has a short window of when it is optimum quality, you need to be ready.” Among food preservation options, canning, drying and
freezing are the most common choices, and the most readily accessible, Brandt said. “One thing that people badly overlook is freezing foods,” she said. “Most people have some access to freezer space, and most people use their freezer space really poorly. Even
top-of-refrigerator freezers could be used for preserving food, and usually what we have stuffed in there is open packages of processed foods and commercially frozen vegetables that we let freezer burn.” Freezing food from your
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Fall 2016 PNW Brownbag schedule. Meet the new regional dairy agent. 2016 Linn and Benton County fair re-cap. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 —
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