Monthly Articles To-date

Tim Long, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer    Dehydration preserves food by removing 80–95% of its moisture, which inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds that require water to grow. It is one of the oldest preservation methods, dating back to 12,000 BCE.  This…

Kirsten Hansen, UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program Volunteer  The Master Food Preserve Online Delivery Program volunteers loved making preserved lemons this winter! Our Citrus 1: Citrus Without Canning class and Garden to Glass: Winter Mocktails classes featured two different…

Monica Gross, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer  For most of human history, feeding a family involved navigating times when food was plentiful, such as at harvest time, and periods when it was scarce. Before methods of food preservation were developed, food insecurity was a…

Earl Weak, UC Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Alameda Earl Weak relaxes at his home after an orange harvest (used with permission)My name is Earl Weak. I became UC Master Food Preserver (MFP) in 2024 as a member of the first class of the Online Delivery…

Paige Weisskirch, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer “How Death Came, Unbidden, to Mrs. Sales Dinner Party”, an illustration accompanying an article reporting on a botulism outbreak due to improperly processed olives in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 30, 1919.  Botulism Is Rare…

Marina Hsieh and Henry Shaw, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerKnown as Mứt Tắc in Vietnam, these delicious, candied tidbits are a traditional Lunar New Year treat. Just as you eat fresh kumquats whole, you candy all parts of the fruit, whether whole, sliced, or quartered. Serve with tea, in…

Joy Agcongay, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer Why Salt and Sugar Matter in Preserved FoodsWhen we talk about salt and sugar in general cooking, we often think of them as tools to enhance flavor. In food preservation, however, salt and sugar often play a different role. They help…

Cole Imperi, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Los Angeles Cole Imperi and fellow trainees (Used with permission).  The first time I canned anything was the second summer after I bought my first house a few blocks from the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky. I…

Maria Giovanni, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer California has a diverse landscape, with altitudes ranging from 280 feet below sea level (Death Valley) to 14,500 feet (Mt. Whitney). The location of your kitchen is an important consideration in home food preservation. The first step is…

Robin Martin, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Sacramento Robin Martin (Used with permission).  I grew up 10 miles west of the Twin Towers in a third-floor apartment. My mom (a transplant from LA) was (and still is!) an excellent cook; she prepared fresh…