The National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia has updated their curriculum Put it Up! Food Preservation for Youth. These educational lessons are written for youth, from 4th to 12th grade, but could be used for anyone to understand the science of safe food preservation.
This curriculum can be used for schools, summer camp instructors, parents, 4-H agents, other Extension educators, farm to school programmers, and classroom teachers…anyone who is comfortable with food preparation and food preservation, or is willing to learn!
The series is composed of six different food preservation methods: boiling water canning, making jam, pickling, freezing, drying, and pressure canning. Each method is divided into a beginning hands-on activity and an advanced hands-on activity. Activities may stand alone or be sequenced for cumulative learning. In addition to step-by-step procedures, reflection questions, and ideas for experimentation, each method also includes additional activities: a science-based fill-in-the blank challenge, a history-based word search, a glossary, a resource list, a knowledge test, and more. Each preservation activity is also accompanied by a legal-sized “poster” with simplified step-by-step instructions to be printed and posted as a checklist to help keep everyone on track and working together.
