This year we got to hold two Food Preservation workshops at our office. The first workshop focused on pressure canning while the second focused on water-bath canning.
First Workshop: Pressure Canning
Our first workshop was taught by Dr. Connie Shepard from Comal County. The workshop started off with a power point presentation over canning basics and how to can food safely.
Dr. Connie Shepard, a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent from Comal County leading participants through an educational power point presentation.
Participants filling mason jars with carrots and spices. Spices used included mustard seed and celery seed.
Our family and Consumer Sciences agent, Sonia Coyle helped participants cook up the canning liquid that gets placed in the jars to preserve the carrots. After the canning liquid was ready, participants got to finish filling their jars. Then all of the jars got placed in a pressure canner and after processing they were ready to take home!
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- Sonia helping a participant fill her jar with the canning liquid. The canning liquid consisted of water, canning salt, vinegar, and sugar.
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- After participants filled jars with carrots, spices, and canning liquid they placed them in a water bath canner
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- One of our Master Wellness Volunteers, Padma got the chance to take home her own canned jar of carrots!
Second workshop: Water-Bath Canning
For our second workshop Elsie Lacey, a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent from Caldwell County taught participants about water-bath canning. She started with a presentation on the how-to’s of canning, food safety tips, accompanied by some instructional videos. The participants got to make a grape jelly to take home!
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- Elsie starting the workshop off with a presentation
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- Elsie talking to the class about how the water-bath canner works
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- Elsie teaching participants about water-bath canning
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- Sonia Coyle helps participants with grape jelly recipe
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- Creating the grape jelly mix
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- Placing the grape jelly mix into mason jars
Both of our Food preservation workshops were a great way for people in and around Travis County to learn about home food preservation from some experts! Each class of participants got to take home a Ball Guide to Canning and various door prizes (as well as a whole lot of new knowledge)!
For more information on home food preservation, check out: