Preserve Your Harvest: Basic Canning and Food Preservation

Got lots of veggies coming in from the garden, or expecting to this season? Are you a member of a CSA farm or like to buy in bulk from a local farmer? Like to dumpster dive, but don't know what to do with that big score?

Now is the time to prepare for the coming harvest! In this class, we'll explore some of the different options for preserving your harvest. We'll cover some of the basics of putting up veggies by water bath and pressure canning. We'll also talk about dehydration, vacuum sealing, and freezing. Many veggies store very well on their own without refrigeration if you know how to cure them and store them in the right conditions. This is not only a great way to preserve all your hard work, but it's a great way to lock in the vital nutrients your harvest holds.

Instructor Dan Durica lives at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Missouri and has been growing and preserving a lot of his own food in different ways for a few decades. His goal has always been to be as self sufficient as possible and to preserve his harvest with as little labor and energy input as possible. You can check out his work on his YouTube channel Hardcore Sustainable.

Host or Publisher Sweetwater Organic Community Farm