Just the week before last I wrote about a food preservation curriculum the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is creating. Last weekend my daughter and I ran into women from the University of California Master Food Preserver Program at the Elk Grove Pumpkin Festival. I haven’t thought about preserving food this much since fourth grade when a Montana history lesson on pioneer food had me slicing and drying apples for after school snacks.
Sherie Lozano, one of the volunteers at the festival booth, said the UC Master Food Preserver Program can provide trained experts for classroom instruction or kid programs – for free. I’ve already shared Sherie’s name with the teacher at my school who will be teaching teen cooking classes next month for our after-school program.
The Master Food Preserver Program is located at UC Cooperative Extension offices across California and has been in operation for more than 35 years, according to the brochure handed out at the festival booth. The program headquarters are in Davis.
“The UC Master Food Preserver Program teaches communities how to safely preserve foods because we believe everyone should have access to safe and healthy food,” the brochure states. “The local food movement has made food preservation a popular pastime for some individuals and families. However, in many low income and rural communities, knowing how to safely preserve foods provides something far more essential: access to healthy, nutritious food throughout the year, not just when fruits and vegetables are in season and more affordable.”
Master Food Preservers complete 70 to 84 hours of training before they are certified to volunteer through the program. Volunteers answer calls and e-mails about food preservation, work in the community as specialists, staff booths at events, write articles for publication, teach classes, and test pressure canner gauges for accuracy.
The volunteers also host a wide variety of workshops for the public throughout the year. In Sacramento, this year’s line-up includes creating edible gifts, making soup from fall vegetables, alternatives to sugar, and making grilling sauces.