Two free workshops will teach Alachua County residents how to properly can food today.
UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will host its eighth annual workshop at the Alachua County Extension Office, located at 2800 NE 39th Ave., today from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m and again from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Both sessions are free, but a condensed information packet will be available for $3, said Brenda Williams, an IFAS Family and Consumer Sciences extension agent.
The main goal, Williams said, is to help guests produce a safe product.
“We don’t always can like grandmother did, because we’ve learned things,” she said.
The workshop will also provide tips on how to make jams, jellies and pickles, according to a press release.
Williams said she hopes to familiarize people with both the boiling-water and steam-pressure methods of canning food.
Using either method without proper guidance or tools could result in the formation of deadly bacteria, said Amarat Simonne, an IFAS professor and food safety specialist.
She said attendees can look forward to learning from Williams, who has years of experience in food preservation.
“Canning your own food can be very satisfying,” she said. “You’re taking the fruit of your labor and saving it properly.”
