Cold Storage Workshop

This workshop next Tuesday evening is nearly full, with a handful of spots left. It’s our first  time ever offering this fascinating topic and it’s a combo deal with presentation and tour! If you’d like to increase your self-sufficiency or store produce in the non-growing months,  find details at the event and registration page here. This session is part of the Homesteading for Everyone series created by CCE St. Lawrence and with a diversity of topics offered throughout the year.

flier for cold storage workshop

Join us of the 16th, by signing up here.

 

Festivities at the Learning Farm

On Saturday May 6th, Extension’s Harvest Kitchen and high tunnel were filled with families and friends enjoying the beautiful sunny day during the Grow and Preserve Open House. Visitors learned about numerous food preservation and gardening resources available at Extension through an assortment of activities. We shot some photos of all the happenings, check them out below!

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As a result of our many years of teaching food preservation classes, the Harvest Kitchen has a well-stocked kitchen. For the Open House, we assembled a Preservation Equipment Showcase so community members could wander through the shelves to compare tools. In 2022, after 50 years of putting up food for her own household, Mary Robinson went through the training to become a Master Food Preserver volunteer. She’s pictured here, sharing information about food preservation with a visitor. Other volunteers sharing their experiences in preserving the harvest include Kathryn Farr, Sasha Kocho-Williams, and John Youngblood.
MFP
One thing our Master Food Preserver volunteers love is how canned foods pack a lot of flavor while simplifying future meals. Danielle Barse and Jan DeWaters gave out free samples of chili and corn relish in the Harvest Kitchen, along with the recipes to make these water bath canned and pressure canned recipes at home.

Read more Festivities at the Learning Farm

Contributing to Future Food Preservation

Within minutes to the end of a workday, my energy was waning when the phone rang and the caller ID said Denver, Colorado. The person asked for me by name and then shared some lovely news. She was so tickled by the idea of our Canning Jar Drive, she went online, ordered new jars, and had them delivered directly to the Extension Learning Farm! She has family in the North Country and they love participating in Extension programming. I was touched by her generosity and after chatting for a few minutes, I set the phone down.

Two minutes later, the phone rang again. It was an elderly gentleman in Chase Mills. He said he and his wife had canned and preserved food for decades and now they were ready to pass on the supplies to others to carry on the tradition. He planned to drop off the canning supplies when he was next in Canton for an appointment.

These calls happened within minutes and energized me! They are fabulous examples of the thoughtfulness and care in our community, and showcase creative ways to participate in this brand new activity at Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.

Just like these generous callers, you too can support the preservation programming offered by our Extension educators and Master Food Preserver volunteers by participating in the Canning Jar Drive. Our preservation workshops are hands-on and offered in a sliding scale format where participants can choose how much to pay $10-40. Your donations will offset the costs of programming while also helping your fellow community members gain the supplies and skills to preserve foods.

How to participate in 4 easy steps

1. New or used jars welcome. Collect canning jars from your storage areas or friends and family. If you’d like to support our programming but have no jars, simply purchase a case to donate.  Make sure the jars are intended for canning, such as Ball, Kerr, Bernardin, etc. All sizes welcome.

canning jars

2. Drive jars to the donation site, the Extension Learning Farm in Canton. Donations are accepted anytime Monday through Friday 9am-3pm throughout the month of April.

If you want to order online and have them delivered here as in our kind caller, send to Harvest Kitchen 2043B State Highway, NY 13617.

enatrance to Learning Farm

3. Deposit jars in the shed. The shed is on the right side of the driveway when pulling into the farm so it’s easy to move jars into this covered location. Read more Contributing to Future Food Preservation