Master Food Preservers (formerly named "Family Food Educators") are trained and certified in food safety and preservation. They volunteer to staff the food preservation hotline, conduct workshops and demonstrations, and provide information at fairs, festivals, farmers markets and health fairs. They are knowledgeable, skilled and have practical advice for stretching your food dollars.

The MFP program has recently expanded to include nutrition training and certification in addition to the traditional food safety and preservation. This new curriculum provides increased opportunity to meet the growing needs of our schools, families and communities in addressing obesity, disease prevention and other health issues.

Some Nutrition-trained MFP will begin using the Smart Start Eating and Reading curriculum, designed to help elementary students learn good nutrition and healthy behaviors through reading and hands-on activities. MFP will assist in classrooms, after school programs, day care centers and at student events where ever their assistance will benefit child education.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been the major source of research-based home-canning instructions. Their recommendations are published in the Complete Guide to Home Canning. View it on National Center for Home Food Preservation web site at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

The Extension Services in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho have included USDA canning recommendations in their Pacific Northwest food preservation publications. Most of these are available on line. To access them, go to http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch Publications are available on canning fruit, vegetables, tomatoes, salsa, meat and poultry, seafood, and smoked fish as well as pickled vegetables.

The current version of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is also based on USDA recommendations. Only up to date editions should be used because home canning recommendations have changed through the years. USDA updated their canning recommendations in 1988 and revised them in 2009.

Ball blue books are available at the Extension office or by going to http://www.freshpreserving.com/

• Wellness Ink newsletter and Sweet Preservation News
• Food Preservation Publications
• ASK KAREN USDA Food Safety Education
• Food Safety
• Egg Safety Center
• Food Storage for Emergencies
• Nutrition and Diet
• Healthy Recipes
• National Chicken Council
• National Turkey Federation
• How to become trained in Nutrition
• MFP Volunteer Hours Monthly Logsheet

If you have food preservation, food preparation or safety questions, please contact our office and we will endeavor to provide up-to-date research based information for your use.