Preserving Nature’s Bounty
By VICKIE HADLEY
CFCS, CPFFE, HHS Extension Educator, CED
FORT WAYNE — Picture your garden overflowing with plump, juicy tomatoes, shiny green peppers, and crisp green beans. Imagine picking juicy peaches, pears, and apples from the local orchards or selecting fresh produce from baskets at the farmers’ markets.
Why not save some of this bounty to enjoy all through the year? Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage, loss of quality, edibility, or nutritive value caused or accelerated by micro-organisms.
Learn to preserve foods safely. The Purdue Extension Service in Allen County will be conducting Preserving Nature’s Bounty workshops to discuss safe home food preservation procedures and to answer the frequently asked questions on canning, freezing, and drying foods.
Workshops are scheduled at the Allen County Extension Office for the following dates:
- 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 17
- 7 p.m. Thursday, June 23
- 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 20
- 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 3
- 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 21
Contact the extension office at (260) 481-6826, email [email protected], or visit the webpage for a complete brochure and more registration information. Cost is $5, payable at the door to cover printing costs. Register early, class size will be limited.