Food Safety and Preservation Blog
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Raspberry Richness
Lately, I've been experimenting with making jam the “old fashioned way,” which means a long cooking time and no added pectin. I'm finding that the fruit's flavor is much more concentrated and the jam has an extra layer of richness that I...
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Curious about Chutney
Curious about Chutney Author: Jennifer Codron, UC Master Food Preserver Program Volunteer Fall is here and so are the many delicious varieties of apples on the Central Coast! Apples are versatile and can be used in a variety of ways, like chutney....
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Wine by Another Name...Jelly!
Have you ever wondered what to do with leftover wine or perhaps a bottle that didn't quite suit your taste? I know I have been in this predicament a few times. It's a shame to pour it out, so what do you do with it? How about...
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Preserve the Flavor of the Season- Blenheim Apricots on the Central Coast
It's that time of year again! The dominant variety of apricots, Blenheim, that have a short season here on the Central Coast, have arrived. I used to have a Royal apricot tree in my yard and made delicious jam every year. Unfortunately, it contracted a...
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Get Ready for Summer Picnics and BBQ’s with a Freezer Coleslaw!
With the weather warming up, I am beginning to think of summer potlucks and picnics with friends and family. Even in summer life is busy, so when I saw the social media post from the UCCE Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County on making...
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Valentine's Day cookie mix in a jar, a perfect match for your dried cranberries
This article first appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Last November I had an abundance of fresh cranberries. After water bath canning a few jars, I decided to dry the rest with my dehydrator. I finally found the perfect way to use...
By Shannon A Klisch
Editor - Area Director for UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties -
When life gives you apples... make apple rings!
We are blessed here on the Central Coast with an extended apple season that begins in August and can continue well into November. Although applesauce and apple pie are favorites this time of year, dehydrating apple slices can be a yummy snack and even...
By Shannon A Klisch
Editor - Area Director for UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties -
Preserving food, preventing hunger
Since 2014, the San Luis Obispo Master Food Preservers (MFPs) have collaborated with the Food Bank Coalition to bring low-cost food preservation education to SLO community members picking up food from local pantries and...
By Shannon A Klisch
Author - Area Director for UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties -
4 Tips for a Food Safe Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving could be our biggest family and friend get together in a long time, with some projecting a 13% increase in holiday travel compared to 2020. To protect yourself and your family from COVID-19, see CDC's Safer Ways to Celebrate...
By Shannon A Klisch
Editor - Area Director for UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties -
We love our volunteers: Making dehydrated cherry tomatoes from an unexpected bounty
If you have a garden or compost bin, you probably have plant volunteers. What is a plant volunteer? Any type of plant that grows somewhere you did not intentionally plant it. That's what happened to Master Food Preserver, Lynn Pastusak....
By Shannon Klisch
Editor - Area Director for UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties -
Got Stone Fruit? Try these Dehydrated Honey Dipped Nectarines!
The end of summer is fast approaching and if you have fruit trees, you might have a load of stone fruit on your hands. What to do with all of that bounty? Cari Curtis, Master Food Preserver with San Luis Obispo County walks us through the...
By Shannon Klisch
Editor - Area Director for UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties -
Ask a Master Food Preserver Live Zoom Session
Getting ready for all the wonderful pickles you'll be making this summer? Join us for a brief update on making perfect pickles with fresh ingredients from you garden, farmer's market, a CSA box, or the grocery store! We will have a...
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Jam On!
It's that time of year again when the strawberries on the Central Coast of California ripen in the fields and the markets begin bursting with flats of these juicy red berries. Why not savor the fresh delicious taste of these berries year-round by making...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Editor - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
Ask a Master Food Preserver Live Zoom Session April 24 @ 10am
Spring has arrived! As the days & nights grow warmer, more colors appear in fruit trees and flowers. For UCCE Master Food Preservers, the onset of Spring ignites visions of gardens and re-stocked shelves of freshly preserved...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Author - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
Sourdough Starter Discard? How About a Pretzel?
I'm always on the hunt for recipes that use my sourdough starter discard. I saw this recipe for soft pretzels on the King Arthur Baking Company® website and thought I would give it a try! Who doesn't love a soft warm pretzel just made for...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Author - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
Lemons Everywhere!-Making Preserved Lemons
Are you in lemon overload right now? We are so fortunate to live on the Central Coast of California where citrus trees are abundant and well suited to our climate. Lemons are often seen carpeting neighborhood yards while the trees hang heavy with...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Author - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
Preserving Plum Sauce in the Winter-Use Your Frozen Fruit
Is your freezer full of your summer fruit bounty? Are you wondering how to use some of that stashed produce? My freezer was experiencing an overload of plums. The last couple of summers, my Santa Rosa plum tree has provided a large crop...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Author - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
It's Sauerkraut Time!
Have you thought about making sauerkraut? Do you already make sauerkraut? Or, have you made sauerkraut, and something went terribly wrong and you don't want to make it again? These are questions many of us have asked and continue to ask...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Author - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
A Bounty of Pomegranates
I stood by our courtyard wall and worked my spade into the hard, clay soil. I'd always wanted to grow pomegranates, but my shaded half acre of Monterey pines and oaks in Cambria ruled out that possibility. Here I stood at my new/old 1930's home in sunny...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Editor - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator -
Cranberry Fig Chutney
Thanksgiving is upon us. This recipe has layers of flavor and texture and has become a family favorite – at least among the family members who aren't die-hard canned jellied cranberry sauce fans. The recipe below is as-printed and was...
By Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Editor - Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator