Canning, Freezing & Drying

Whether you're preserving your own harvest, or produce that you've purchased locally, canning, freezing and drying can be effective ways to serve foods that taste harvest-fresh at a later date.   To ensure that the products you serve are safe, it is important to follow tested guidelines for safely preserving foods by these methods.  Cooperative Extension offers both information and hands-on, small group training in a variety of home food preservation topics.

Don't see a workshop offered in your area?  Request one. Call Carole Fisher at 272-2292 or email <crf11@cornell.edu>  with your request.

Preparing safer meat jerky

Jerky is a lightweight, dried meat product that is a handy food for backpackers, campers and outdoor sports enthusiasts. It requires no refrigeration. Jerky can be made from almost any lean meat, including beef, pork, venison or smoked turkey breast. (Raw poultry is generally not recommended for use in making jerky because of the texture and flavor of the finished product.)

Raw meats can be contaminated with microorganisms that cause disease. These harmful bacteria can easily multiply on moist, high protein foods like meat and poultry and can cause illness if the products are not handled correctly. If pork or wild game is used to make jerky, the meat should be treated to kill the Trichinella parasite before it is sliced and marinated. This parasite causes the disease, trichinosis. To treat the meat, freeze a portion that is 6 inches or less thick at 5 º F or below for at least 20 days. Freezing will not eliminate bacteria from the meat.

General Tips For Safe Food Handling of Meats:
The following general tips for safe handling are based on USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline recommendations:
● Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meats.
● Use clean equipment and utensils.
● Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40ºF or below. Use ground beef and poultry within 2 days, red meats within 3 to 5 days or freeze for later use.
● Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.
● Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Do not save and re-use marinade.

When preparing jerky from wild game, it is important to remember that the wound location and skill of the hunter can affect the safety or the meat. If the animal is wounded in such a way that the contents of its gut come in contact with the meat or the hunter's hands while dressing the meat, fecal bacteria can contaminate the meat. It is best to avoid making jerky from this meat and use it only in ways that it will be thoroughly cooked. Deer carcasses should be rapidly chilled to avoid bacterial growth.
Fact Sheet on Preparing, Drying, and Storing Meat Jerky

Workshops 

The following small-group workshops on home food preservation methods are offered during the summer months, at the Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue in Ithaca.  Topics coincide with the growing season, so participants can learn to preserve various kinds of produce while it is available at local farm stands and markets. Space is limited, and advance registration and pre-payment are required.

Cost is $15 per class unless otherwise specified.  Register by calling (607) 272-2292 or in person at CCE-Tompkins (Full payment is required at time of registration). Please check back in Spring for 2012 dates.

Fresh from the Garden: Homemade Jams:  
Participants will use freshly-picked local fruit to make a cooked strawberry jam (reduced-sugar recipe) and a strawberry freezer jam, and will take home a jar of jam from the workshop.

Boiling Water Bath Canning:  
This class covers how to safely use a boiling water bath canner to preserve tomatoes, fruits or pickles.  Participants will receive updated information on canning procedures and hands-on practice. 

Canning Vegetables and Meats with a Pressure Canner: 
Learn how to safely can low-acid foods, such as vegetables and meats, in a pressure canner.  Get updated information on canning techniques, and learn about the different types of pressure canners that can be used. This is a hands-on workshop.

Freezing and Drying Foods
This class will cover how to freeze fruits and vegetables to get the best results. Participants also will learn tips on blanching, packaging, and how to avoid the biggest freezing errors, as well as methods for dehydrating fruits, vegetables and meat jerky at home.

Making and Canning Fresh Salsa
This class covers how to make salsa using fresh local ingredients, and how to preserve it by using a boiling water bath canner.

View our FACT SHEETS on food preservation.