Master Food Preseever volunteers

March 20, 2025Flip

Growing Food Preservation Education

Do you have some experience with food preservation and would like to be part of helping others gain confidence in the kitchen?

I’m excited to announce an upcoming training to grow our Master Food Preserver volunteer base. Applications are open throughout the month of March to participate in the May training. I have the privilege of being the coordinator for this delightful program, and the group is curious, fun and capable. Their experience varies widely, from homesteaders who have been growing their own food for decades to others who are newer to the scene and have insights about how to lessen the learning curve for other newbies.

The food preservation methods covered in the program include water bath canning, pressure canning, fermentation, dehydration and freezing. Volunteers are not required to teach classes. Some prefer planning programs, answering questions 1-1, assisting at workshops, tabling at events and strengthening the program in other ways.

Here’s some goodies to help you decide if joining the Master Food Preserver Volunteer Program is a good fit for you.

Below is a photo slideshow of preservation activities over the past three years showcasing our great volunteers and the many types of programs we’ve offered.
Join me tomorrow, Friday, March 21st, for a free 30 minute webinar starting at noon for folks to ask questions and learn more about the program and training.
Here’s a 5-minute radio interview I just did with Jody Tosti of B99.3 Community Connections.
The event page for the training has all the written material about the program including a recruitment brochure, a volunteer position description and the application.

January 27, 2025Erica LaFountain and Flip

Celebrating our Volunteers with tamales

Our volunteers make it all possible here at the Extension Learning Farm. We recently gathered to celebrate the dedication and year’s accomplishments of all three Ag and Food System volunteer programs (Master Food Preserver, Energy Navigator and Master Gardener). From teaching classes, answering 1-1 questions, attending events for outreach and more- these are active, capable folks! For a change of pace, it was fun to simply gather and enjoy time together. Extension organized a tamale-making activity in the Harvest Kitchen for any volunteer who thought that would be an enjoyable treat, then a larger group came together for a shared potluck lunch and conversation. Check out the slideshow below for a few shots of the action.

At our 2nd annual Volunteer Appreciation event, we recognized Ken Kogut with the Fruition Service award for his spirited contributions, his continuous learning, and his 30+ hours spent helping us build a new High Tunnel last fall. Thank you, Ken!

Linda mixing the dough for the meat tamales, a mixture of corn masa, lard, salt and water.
Nancy and Matt sorting the corn husks, placing the smooth side up for filling.
Filling and folding the tamales before steaming.
Filling a corn husk with the masa dough and black bean filling.
Sasha loading the tamalero to steam the tamales.
Sasha and Jan loading in the tamales to be steamed.
Fresh tamales!
Ken Kogut being presented with the Fruition award by Erica LaFountain Community Horticulture Educator. The award is presented annally to a volunteer in the Ag and Food Systems department who brings spirit and integrity to their volunteerism with Cornell Cooperative Extension.
The diverse potluck had tasty morsels from fresh bread and warming soups to hardy salads and fermented pickles.
Sampling the freshly made tamales.
An abundant spread.
Enjoying the potluck feast and one another's company.

We look forward to widening the circle of volunteers. There is a new group of Master Gardeners whose training will finish in April, and openings for Energy Navigators trainings starting in mid-February and mid-April, find more here. The Master Food Preservers just secured May 13-15, 2025 for a training too so keep your eyes peeled for registration opening!

November 28, 2023Kathryn Farr

Is My Old Pressure Canner Safe to Use?

So, you spot a used pressure canner at a thrift store. Given the average price of a new pressure canner [around $200.00], that $25.00 price tag looks pretty good, but is the canner safe to use? What should you look for before using an older pressure canner? Extension employee Leslie Swartz recently posed that question to the Master Food Preserver group. Leslie had been gifted with a used Presto pressure canner and asked the group to evaluate it for safety.

The Master Food Preserver group evaluated this Presto pressure canner.

First Things First: When do I use a Pressure Canner?

A boiling water bath canner is fine for processing high acid foods like jams and pickles because molds, yeast, and enzymes are destroyed at temperatures below 212°F [the boiling point]. However, botulism spores can survive a boiling water bath, creeping inside the sealed jars of foods. Pressure canners use—well—pressure to heat the inside of the canner to 240 degrees. Water inside the canner is transformed into steam, which replaces the air in the canner, forcing the air out of jars and preventing bacteria from coming in. [The Cooperative Extension offers hands-on classes in how to use a pressure canner. See the Extension’s Events schedule.]

The Parts

The first thing the group asked was to see the canner’s user manual. We found the model number stamped into the side of the body and found the user manual online. The diagram below is an excerpt from How to Use and Care for Your Presto® Pressure Canner. Considering the critical functions of the various parts during the canning process, the group checked each part to see that it was in usable and working condition.

First Impressions

One MFP suggested checking the bottom of the canner body to see if it was perfectly flat because a warped canner bottom will prevent the canner from heating evenly. Our canner did not rock on a flat surface; its bottom was flat. Read more Is My Old Pressure Canner Safe to Use?