Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension offers food preservation and food safety education by way of their Master Food Preserver Volunteer Group. Each year, the volunteers choose topics to present to the public in small hands-on workshops. This year, the volunteers decided as a group to change the way they offer their classes in an effort to reach more people.
In the past, each Master Food Preserver class would focus on a specific method of food preservation, the volunteers who lead the classes would choose one to three recipes to teach during class, and the public participants would create those products, following the step-by-step procedures taught to them by the MFP instructors. This style of workshop was extremely popular, but the kitchen could only comfortably fit nine participants plus the volunteer instructors and helpers. As the program has gained in popularity over the years, the workshop registration would fill up within days of being announced, and then each class would have 10 to 20 additional people on waitlists, hoping for cancellations.
This year, the MFP Volunteers decided they wanted to reach a bigger audience, so all of their workshops will be held “demonstration-style” in a larger room instead of the hands-on classes in the kitchen. In these demo-style classes, the instructors will be at the front of the room, showing participants each step in the process of that particular method of food preservation. Participants will be able to experience the food preservation process, handle and observe the various equipment needed, and receive printed handouts with detailed tutorials and relevant recipes.
“Due to class size limitations in the kitchen, we wanted to make the information accessible to more people in our community,” said Karen DesJardin, long-time MFP Volunteer and instructor of the annual Intro to Canning class, “By doing demonstrations instead of the hands-on classes, it helps to keep costs down, and allows the education to be available to all.”
Because each participant will not be making their own preserves to take home, the need for produce and class supplies is greatly reduced to just what the instructor needs for their demonstration activities. In this way, the group is able to offer the classes at a reduced cost to the participants. This year, all classes except Pie Making (where participants will be able to make their own pie crust to take home) will be offered for an optional $5 donation to the program. These funds will help cover the costs of educational outreach, updated testing materials, and supplies for future workshops.
Despite of the change in teaching format, participants can expect the same level of professionalism, education, and experience that Cornell Cooperative Extension public outreach is known for.
“There aren’t many workshops or events that are as in-depth and comprehensive as the workshops provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension,” said Eileen Sorochty, a long-time volunteer for both the Master Food Preserver and Master Gardener Programs, “We present a science-based learning experience for anyone who has an interest in knowing about and/or doing themselves, proper and safe food preservation.”
The classes kicked off with the annual Intro to Canning and Review class on May 1. Upcoming classes include: Freezing and Dehydrating on Wednesday, June 26, at 6 p.m.; Pressure Canning on Saturday, August 24, at 10 a.m.; and Pie Making on Wednesday, October 23, at 6 p.m. The Pie Making class will be offered for a required class fee of $15 and participants will be able to make their own pie crust to bring home (they will need to bring their own rolling pin). All other classes are offered at an optional donation of $5 to benefit the Master Food Preserver program.
Call 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or email http://klo54@cornell.edu to register. Pre-registration is requested to allow for enough seating and handouts.
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