By Angie Schiappacasse, UMM Student Intern
Mary Jo Forbord demonstrating different types of canning equipment
Residents of Morris and surrounding communities gathered at Morris Elementary School to share in an evening of food preservation on Monday, September 20, 2010. Canning methods demonstrated proved especially practical for those end-of-the-season produce extras and a fun way to preserve purchases for non-farmers.
The workshop was a collaboration of Morris Community Education and Recreation and Morris Healthy Eating. The workshop was also sponsored by Buy Fresh Buy Local – Upper Minnesota River Valley, a program hosted by the University of Minnesota West Central Partnership.
Instructors Mary Jo Forbord, Morris Healthy Eating Coordinator and local farmer, and Dorothy Rosemeier, Director of the West Central Partnership and part of the Morris Healthy Eating team, combined their canning experience to create a class designed to extend the craft to others, sharing tips and tricks collected from much home practice.
The ten participants ranged from UMM students to residents of Cyrus, MN, some new to the art, some old pros. The aged recipes and locally-grown produce used were supplied by the two instructors. The menu: tomato-apple chutney and pickled beets.
The group used pressure canner and hot-water bath methods, using the elementary school food service kitchen’s industrial-size appliances and spacious food-prep facilities.
Many learners had arrived alone and on cue, each introduced her or himself to the group in quiet tones, some looking at their feet, unsure of what to say. But as the evening went on, participants abandoned shyness as they worked alongside each other toward a common goal. Two teams were created, one for each canned good, and team members gathered round their stations to share in the work—people who had never before met, starting conversations and friendships.
UMM student Kristina Wilkinson, a Psychology Major and Spanish Minor, shared that food preservation was relatively new to her. Like several other participants, Wilkinson signed up for the class to learn how to use the art at home.
“My family back home grows a lot of food, and we end up throwing a lot of it out. My mom has experimented with [canning], but it definitely seems like an exact science.”
A happy undertone to the evening was the sustainability of the food and preservation practices. All of the produce used was raised organically, and if sealed properly, would be good for a year, even two years, making canning a great way to keep extra produce from spoiling on the countertop.
Forbord, heading up the pickled beets’ team, expounded on the eccentricities of hot-water baths and pressure canners as Rosemeier, leading those working on the chutney, explained “best canning practices.” Additional food preservation resources were provided.
Over the course of the three-hour workshop, participants engaged in cleaning, blanching, peeling, chopping, mixing, and all the rest, preparing tomatoes, apples, onions, and other local ingredients to be stored for the long Minnesota winter.
As the class drew to a close, everyone gathered around the stove to watch the boiling pots. The jars inside contained the products of their hard work and collaboration. While all were eager to hear the lids ping, indicating successfully-sealed preserves, they wouldn’t rush the exact science needed to do the job right.
Pickled beets and Apple Tomato Chutney
Conversation filled the wait-time, until the jars of chutney and pickled beets began to ping gloriously. The once-strangers who had gathered for the project wrapped their hot jars in spare sweaters and elongated sleeves, and headed out.
For more information on home food preservation, check out the latest up-to-date materials at the National Center for Home Food Preservation web site or at the University of Minnesota Extension — Food Preservation web site .
