Penobscot County Cooperative Extension

Home canning assistance this season is available from our office in the following ways:

• Current recipes
• Pressure canner dial gauges can be checked for accuracy at no cost
• Fact Sheets on step-by-step methods for preserving
• Workshops on canning produce by using a water bath canner and a pressure canner
• Solutions to canning problems
• Telephone inquiries - Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Learn to can your garden produce with these "hands-on" workshops. We will be using pressure canners and water bath canners to can vegetables, jams, and pickles. Watch this space for our 2008 workshops!

Call the UMCE Penobscot County office at 942-7396 or 800-287-1485 (in Maine) for more information about workshops and events.

If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in a UMCE program, please contact your county office to discuss your needs.

Contact: Louise O. Kirkland, Extension educator
E-mail: kirkland@umext.maine.edu

Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine

A Member of the University of Maine System

• Non-discrimination statement and disability resources
• Non-disclosure statement

Freezing -

is one of the simplest and least time-consuming ways to prepare foods at home. It keeps well the natural color, fresh flavor and nutritive values of most fruits and vegetables. Read more about freezing at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze.html. For assistance with your freezing questions, you may call our office at 942-7396 or 1-800-287-1485(in Maine).

Food Drying -

is one of the oldest methods of preserving food for later use. It can either be an alternative to canning or freezing, or compliment these methods. Drying foods is simple, safe and easy to learn. Food dehydrators are available from the small appliance section of department stores, mail-order catalogs, natural food stores or garden supply catalogs. If you are thinking about making such a purchase, consider reading more about them. The National Center For Home Preservation has an article which may be helpful located at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry/dehydrator.html

UMCE Food Drying Publications

Additional Food Preservation Resources -

• Home Canning fact sheets
  • Can Home-Canned Food Spoil?
  • Using Home Preserved Foods Safely
  • Food Canning Basics
• National Center For Home Preservation
  • How Do I...Can
  • How Do I...Dry
  • How Do I...Freeze
• Iowa State University Extension - Answer Line
  • Food Preservation Q and A
• University of New Hampshire Coop. Ext.
  • Freezing Vegetables
  • Freezing Fruits