Food Preparation

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…

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…

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…

 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…

Preserve it! Make jams and jellies All varieties of berries are in season. While they are delightful added to salads, stirred into your daily yogurt, made into a pie, or blended into a smoothie, we have all been over-enthusiastic when stopping at a fresh berry stand. You made the smoothies, the pie, the…

Preserve Today, Relish Tomorrow. Many of our local u-pick blueberry farms are open between late-May and mid-July. We all know blueberries are pretty expensive, but, oh, so worth the effort and expense. Here is a recipe that gets the most out of your harvest basket: Blueberry Bonanza is two recipes in…

Reduce fruit float when canning fruitFruit Float is the term used when produce separates and floats to the top of the jars.There are a few things that can be done to avoid or reduce fruit float when canning fruit:Use Firm Ripe Fruit. Firm fruit has less air trapped in it than ripe fruit. It also absorbs less…

The USDA recommends preserving enough for one year. We should all have an annual habit of checking our inventory of preserved foods. The USDA recommends we preserve enough food for one year. Why is one year recommended? Here are a few reasons: In one year, another crop will be available for…

Keep perishable food safe by observing the room temp time limits. One of the basic maxims of food safety is keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.  Not keeping perishable food hot enough (at or above 140°F) or cold enough (at or below 40°F) allows bacteria to multiply quickly, causing the food to…

There are 31 reasons to follow safe food handling procedures. Bacteria and other microorganisms (such as parasites and viruses) are everywhere.  They’re in the soil and water, they float through the air, they’re on plants and are in and around animals, and they’re even on people. The good, the…