For 3 straight days in 2017, the burners of the Harvest Kitchen were filled with pots of bubbling jam and canners of pickles. This was the birth of the volunteer program teaching food preservation to the St. Lawrence County region and beyond. The intensive training was attended by 21 educators and community members passionate to learn more and serve their neighbors with preservation education. While trainings had been held in other parts of NY and US, this was new for our county. It was only my second month in my new job as Local Foods Program Leader and I was excited to bring a lifetime of homesteading experience into this role.
Over the years a core group of us have taught a variety of classes, that share recipes, food safety and preservation of fruits, vegetables and meats by various methods including: dehydration, fermentation, freezing, water bath canning and pressure canning. Many classes were held in person and were interactive, then we moved to live online classes in 2020 with multiple cameras to keep the spirit of food preservation education alive.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since that first training, but our Master Food Preserver Volunteers have a positive impact in our region in many ways including teaching workshops in the Harvest Kitchen and offsite, tabling at events and answering 1-1 consumer questions. With a larger pool of volunteers, we would be able to offer additional classes and programming, so this year we are ready to inject a fresh batch of energy into the volunteer program.
We are thrilled to announce a new Master Food Preserver Volunteer Training! CCE of St. Lawrence County is hosting a 3-day intensive training for a new group of community volunteers. It will take place in our onsite space, The Harvest Kitchen at the Extension Learning Farm in Canton, Thursday June 16 to Saturday June 18, 8am-5pm. Participants would need to attend all three days. Lunch will be provided and we’ll make 15+ different recipes during the training as well as teach the basis of each method and best practices.
Home food preservation in northern New York is very popular. This training is specifically for people who have some existing experience, but are eager to hone their skills and serve their communities as Master Preserver Volunteers. For folks that want to learn for their own home use only, I recommend taking one of our fun 2-hour workshops generally held in the summer and fall.
If you have some free time and want to join a group of like minded individuals, consider this volunteer opportunity. After the intensive 3-day training, the group meets every other month. The meetings include planning future programming, learning new skills and connecting over the joy of food preservation.
Once individuals have taken this training, they can become “certified,” as Master Food Preservers, by practicing a range of preservation skills and submitting their activity log to Cornell Cooperative Extension. Individuals are only considered “Master” Food Preservers in the years when they are actively volunteering 40+ hours a year for Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Ready to learn more?
- Here’s the brochure for the upcoming training.
- Find Master Food Preserver volunteer position description here.
- Apply for the upcoming training by clicking on this link!
With support from the ALCOA Foundation CCE can cover the costs of the expert instructors and all the ingredients for the recipes. There is a fee of $125 per participant which covers the cost of supplies, lunch each day and a manual. Applications are due April 25th. Since space is limited, we’ll have a phone “interview,” with each applicant, and get back to everyone by May 15th.
Reach out to me (Flip) anytime with questions, mpf65@cornell.edu or 315-379-9192, ext. 229.
