Food Preservation Season is Upon Us! Talk to your Family & Consumer Sciences educator to get your pressure canner dial gauge examined for FREE!
NOTICE: Be Aware - Vinegars should have 5% acidity.
Vinegars have been selling at 4% acidity. Avoid these products in retail stores and online. Vinegar acidity is labelled directly on the bottle.
OUR HISTORY
Since the 1900’s Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) educators have taught how to safely preserve food, whether it was canning, drying, or freezing using USDA home food preservation guidelines. Our educational programs and problem-solving assistance are available to citizens and are based on the research and experience of land grant universities such as the University of Maryland, College Park.
OUR PARTNERSHIP
UME Master Gardeners (MGVs) teach people how to grow produce in home, community, and school gardens through the Grow It Eat It (GIEI) program, and FCS educators teach people how to safely preserve their harvest through the Grow It Eat It Preserve It program (GIEIPI).
FCS EDUCATORS CAN ADVISE YOU ABOUT:
Canning
- Jams, jellies, and butters
- Pickled & fermented products
- High acid foods (peaches)
- Tomatoes
- Low acid foods (green beans)
Freezing
We teach evidence-based information on safely freezing foods at home.
Dehydration (drying)
We teach evidence-based information on safely freezing foods at home.
Additional Resources
Things to Consider for Home Canning
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Get Fresh produce for the canning from your own garden or click here to find farmer’s market in your area
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Canning tool kit and canners can be found at Walmart, Target, Lowes, amazon.com, Ace Hardware, kitchencrafts, fresh preserving store are few of the places where these tools can be found.
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Altitude - Water boils at lower temperature in higher altitudes. It is very important to make altitude adjustments while processing canned food. Refer to USDA approved recommendations for time and pressure (psi) for the recipes based on your altitude. Find Your Altitude: click on this link (https://geodata.md.gov/topoviewer/). Use a generic online conversion calculator to calculate meters (m) to feet (ft.).
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Checklist for Successful Canning
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General Canning Issues
Preservation Methods
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Drying (dehydration)
Videos
(Videos are published by National Home Food Preservation Center)
