UC Master Food Preserver Program

UC Master Food Preserver Newsletter

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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

2025

2024

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Spotlight: Jadrian Johnson, Class of 2025 MFP Volunteer (September 2025)

August 30, 2025

Jadrian Johnson UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Los Angeles Image credit: Jadrian Johnson, 2025. There is a unique alchemy in food preservation, a practice that feels just as much a form of time travel as it does domestic science. Within a simple jar, we can…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Spotlight: Michele Jones, Class of 2025 MFP Volunteer (August 2025)

August 2, 2025

Michele Jones UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Placer Image credit: Maria Giovanni, 2025 Hi, my name is Michele Jones, and I am proud to be a recent graduate of the UC Master Food Preserver Program, graduating in June 2025. I grew up watching my mother and…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Ice Ice Berry: Freeze Your Fruit Like a Legend (August 2025)

August 2, 2025

Paige Weisskirch, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer Freezing fruit at home is one of the simplest and most effective ways to preserve your harvest, or that great farmers-market haul, so nothing goes to waste. It gives you the convenience of having high-quality, ready-to-use fruit at your…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Why Do My Pressure-Canned Jars Continue to Boil as They Cool on the Counter?

August 2, 2025

Henry Shaw, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer If you've done any pressure canning, you've probably noticed something curious: the jars often keep boiling long after you remove them from the canner and place them on your counter (Fig.1). This bubbling can go on for minutes — or even hours…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Making and Using Dehydrated Tomato Skins (August 2025)

August 2, 2025

Monica Gross, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer There are a surprising number of uses for tomato skin! This article will explain how to make a powder out of tomato skins and what to do with that powder (Fig.1). Prior to canning tomatoes, it’s necessary to remove the tomato skin. This is…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

The Overlooked Step That Protects Your Dehydrated Foods (July 2025)

July 5, 2025

Joy Agcongay, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer The Overlooked Step That Protects Your Dehydrated Foods: The Critical Step of Conditioning in Food DehydrationWhy Conditioning MattersConditioning refers to the process of evenly redistributing any remaining moisture across a batch of…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Frozen Sour Grapes: A Cool Flashback with a Tart Twist (July 2025)

July 5, 2025

Jadrian Johnson, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer Image credit: Jadrian Johnson, 2025 If your childhood tasted like Atomic Warheads and early-generation Sour Patch Kids, you already know the joy of a good sour pucker. This recipe for frozen sour grapes brings that same zingy magic,…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Preserving the Revolution: Food Traditions That Fed a New Country (July 2025)

July 5, 2025

Paige Weisskirch, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer Image credit: capecodprof from Pixabay, 2013 This month, many Americans celebrated Independence Day with home-canned jams, pickled vegetables, and smoked meats, foods that connect us to a long tradition of preservation. What many…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Spotlight: Maria Giovanni, Class of 2024 MFP Volunteer (July 2025)

July 5, 2025

Maria Giovanni, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Previously Butte, now lives out of state (CO) Image credit: Maria Giovanni, 2025 Do you ever think about the “why” and “how” of food? I joined the UC MFP Online program from a different perspective than most…

UC Master Food Preserver Program: Article

Can You Reuse Commercial Product Jars for Canning? (June 2025)

May 30, 2025

Henry Shaw, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer It’s sometimes possible, but it’s not recommended. Can one reuse mayonnaise and other similar commercial product jars for home canning? Some people have done so with some success. But although it’s technically possible, it’s…