UC Master Food Preserver Newsletter | UC Master Food Preserver

In November of 2024, the UC Master Food Preserver Program launched a monthly newsletter that delivers recipes, how-tos, and food preservation inspiration straight to a subscriber's inbox. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

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Past Newsletter Full Emails

2026

2025

2024

Monthly Articles To-date

gloved hand holds a quartered lime covered in salt over a bowl

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Preserved Limes: A Zesty Twist on Preserved Citrus (July 2026)

July 9, 2026

By UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program

by Katie Yamashita, Los Angeles County, Online Delivery Program Volunteer Few preserving projects are as accessible as salt-cured citrus. There's no canner, no fermentation crock, no specialized equipment beyond a clean jar, and the ingredient list rarely goes beyond what's already on hand: citrus…

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over a dozen small bumpy cucumbers in a bowl, three small red onions on the table outside the bowl

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Crunchy, Sweet, and Tangy: Bread-and-Butter Cucumber Pickles (July 2026)

July 9, 2026

By UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program

Three tips for making the best pickles by Ariel Patton, UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program Volunteer There's nothing quite like a sweet, tangy, crunchy pickle to perfect your next sandwich. This bread & butter pickle recipe is an annual staple in my kitchen. With the amount of…

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a rectangle of dehydrated berry and apricot puree on a cutting board next to a pair of scissors

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

The Science of the Perfect Chew: Making Better Fruit Leather at Home (July 2026)

July 9, 2026

By UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program

by Paige Weisskirch, UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program Volunteer Fruit leather is one of my favorite ways to use up fruit that is just past its prime: soft pears, a handful of mushy berries, peaches that need to be used today, or the apples that have lost their crispness but…

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a smiling woman holding a half-gallon jar of homemade sauerkraut

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Spotlight: Paige Weisskirch, Monterey County, 2024 MFP Volunteer (July 2026)

July 9, 2026

My name is Paige Weisskirch, and I volunteer with the UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program. I live on the Monterey Peninsula, which means I am lucky enough to live near the beach, but not exactly in backyard tomato country. It is foggy and cool much of the time, so big backyard…

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three jars containing pickled vegetables

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Not a Bushel: Small-Batch Canning for the Rest of Us (June 2026)

June 11, 2026

Paige Weisskirch, Monterey County, Online Delivery Program Not everyone has, wants, or needs to preserve a bushel of anything. In my house, that's probably for the best. I have a small family and a garden that prefers to produce a little bit of lots of things instead of a lot of any one thing. I…

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UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Guacamole, Bruschetta and More! (June 2026)

June 11, 2026

Monica Gross, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer How do you know an avocado is ripe? It avocadon’t stay on the shelf for long!What did the avocado say to the toast? “You’re the best thing since sliced bread!” My love affair with avocados began when I was a teen and tasted guacamole…

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UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Spotlight: Marlene Suzuki, Los Angeles County, 2025 MFP Volunteer (June 2026)

June 11, 2026

My name is Marlene Suzuki. I became a Master Food Preserver in 2025. I grew up in Pennsylvania and watched my grandma can jars of tomatoes and other vegetables from her garden. We always went to grandma’s house to get something tasty from her pantry and garden.I just visited back east for my 50-year…

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UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Spotlight: Debra Barger, Butte County, 2025 MFP Volunteer (May 2026)

May 12, 2026

I learned how to can fruits and vegetables from my grandmother while growing up mostly in the Midwest. I loved the cool, earthy smell of a root cellar and took delight in perusing the many rows of colorful jars, especially when it was 95°F outside with 90% humidity.  Wherever the family moved, we…

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raw asparagus stuffed into a jar with flat end down

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

Learning Through Experience: Pickling Asparagus for the First Time (May 2026)

May 12, 2026

By Robin E Martin

Four valuable lessons that will take the stress out of canning pickled asparagus.My first time making pickled asparagus at home, by myself, with a borrowed steam canner, was a lot of fun, a fair amount of work, and produced what I would call mixed results, but I have no regrets. The recipe I…

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three groups of dried adobo peppers look alike

UC Master Food Preserver: Article

An Adobo Pepper Dehydration Experiment (April 2026)

April 11, 2026

Monica Gross, Los Angeles Co., Online Delivery Program VolunteerDehydration is one of the earliest preservation methods developed by humankind. There is evidence from Middle Eastern and Asian cultures that dehydration was used as a method of preservation as far back as 12,000 BCE. The hot sun was harnessed…

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