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Category: March 2022

Getting Ready for Food Preservation!

Canning
Food preservation is a science! Be sure to use current recipes and guidelines for best results.

Gardeners are planning what they want to plant this season, and eager to plant early season crops. It’s also time to plan for how to preserve your bounty.

Canning supplies are refilling stores. But be a smart shopper and do your homework. There are many counterfeit products that can lead to problems in canning. All of the Ball® products are made in the U.S.A. so be sure to look for that designation on the packaging. The lids will have the Ball® logo and they are silver. If anything is “Made in China” and it looks like Ball® products, they are not  legitimate.

Manufacturing of canning products is running 24/7 to get products restocked. Glass is the biggest concern in the supply chain to make jars. Lids are back to pre-pandemic stock numbers.

A new item coming out is a “throw back” to vintage jars. Ball® is making a rose-colored jar to celebrate that vintage color from the early 1900s. They are also coming out with some new storage containers.

If you have a dial gauge pressure canner, it is time to get it tested. Local Extension offices can test the brands Presto, National, Maid of Honor and Magic Seal. We cannot test All American gauges. Contact your local Extension office for assistance.

Learn more about food preservation at www.rrc.k-state.edu/preservation/index.html.

 

National Nutrition Month®

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports the annual focus of National Nutrition Month®. The goal is to educate consumers about making informed food choices along with improving physical activity.

For the March 2022 campaign, the theme is “Celebrate a World of Flavors.” Learn to incorporate foods and flavors from other cultures around the world each week.

There are tools to help spread the message of choosing nutritious foods and boosting a variety of flavors. This includes social media posts and many tip sheets, activities, and more. See the National Nutrition Month® website for details.

 

The Science of Charcuterie Meats

Charcuterie
Photo: Canva.com

Cured meat products are relishing in the popularity of charcuterie boards served at events and parties. There are hundreds of cured meats that chefs are inspired to use with cheese, crackers, nuts, and fruits for a flavor explosion.

The Spanish or Italian inspired dry cured meats are a mix of art and science. They use salt, meat chemistry, temperature and environment to create a variety of flavors. The water activity is key to create a shelf stable meat that does not require heat treatment. The water activity, which is the amount of water available for microorganisms to grow within the product, is affected by the moisture content, salt content, and environmental temperature. Some dried sausages have starter cultures added to decrease the pH, or acid content, and add flavor. Dry-cured ham, country ham, and prosciutto are popular meat choices for a tasty charcuterie board.

Learn more in this February 2022 Food Technology article.

 

Food Safety in the Reel World

The Partnership for Food Safety Education is hosting a free webinar on March 2, 2022 about making food videos and incorporating food safety information.

The Safe Recipe Style Guide for Video Creators will provide practical advice for making social media-friendly videos. You’ll learn how to add simple food safety prompts to cooking and recipe videos.

Learn how easy it is to add food safety steps to videos while keeping them short.
Influence your followers’ food safety behaviors with PFSE’s new library of stock images and video clips!

Register now!

This webinar will be presented by Dr. Ellen Shumaker, food safety extension associate with North Carolina State University.

 

Walk Kansas 2022

Walk KansasThe annual Walk Kansas program from K-State Research and Extension starts March 27th and goes through May 21st. Local Extension offices are planning now to offer this program to you! Walk Kansas is a team-based health initiative. Teams can be family, co-workers, friends, community organization members, neighbors, or part of a faith-based community.

  • Groups of six form a team.
  • One serves as the captain.
  • Team members do not have to live in the same town, county, state or country.

Contact your local K-State Research and Extension office for details.

Save the date for 5K for the Fight! May 7, 2022 in Manhattan, KS.

 

New to Canning? Let Us Help!

Food PreservationCanning your own garden produce or farmers market produce can be rewarding and a great way to save your food for later use. But if you are new to canning, it is important to start by getting educated and learn how to can safely.

For canning fruits, pickles, jams, jellies and most tomato products, a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid and rack is needed. Water bath canners have fitted lids and removable perforated or shaped-wire racks. The canner must be deep enough that at least 1 to 2 inches of briskly boiling water covers the tops of jars during processing.

For canning plain vegetables, some tomato products and meats, a pressure canner is needed. Today’s pressure canner may have a weighted gauge or dial gauge, for indicating and regulating the pressure.

With any of these, always read the manufacturer’s instructions before canning any food. Also, be aware that some canners cannot be used on glass stovetops. Learn more about water bath canning and pressure canning, and much more at Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe.

 

Michigan State University Mobile Food Lab

Now this is innovation! Michigan State University has designed a mobile food processing lab to train students on food processing. Graduates can receive a certificate and associate degree when the training is completed. This program is a partnership with community colleges across Michigan.

The mobile lab has food grade equipment, preparation space and storage space. It also has custom made air filtration, electrical, compressed air, steam and water systems to fit the mobile trailer. This mobile lab is a small scale version of what is  seen in food manufacturing operations. It saves money and space in capital investment and is able to reach more people.

Learn more about this unique education opportunity at www.canr.msu.edu/iat/certificate_programs/mobilelab.

 

Add Some Green Each Day!

Photo: USDA Flickr

Spring is coming! So add some green color to your meals to add nutrition and to enjoy the fresh green color. Here’s some ideas!

  • Sliced green apples dipped in yogurt or peanut butter.
  • Crunchy celery and cucumbers with savory hummus.
  • Try Zoats! Zucchini in oatmeal for breakfast.
  • Broccoli and cheese is always a classic side dish.
  • Fresh spinach in scrambled eggs or a veggie omelet is an easy way to add green and vitamin A.

Source: Celebrate Spring! University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension

Photo: USDA Flickr