Food Preservation

Master Food Preserver Michele Pryse teaches food preservation techniques in the Medford, Oregon area. Photo by Lynn Ketchum.

OSU Extension Family and Community Health provides publications and resources to help you preserve and store food. Extension also provides classes in food preservation and safety.  Contact your local Extension office for information about classes.

• Pressure Canner Use and Care – SP50-649 (PDF)
• Using and Caring for Your Pressure Canner – PNW 421
• Where to Get Your Pressure Gauge Tested in Oregon (PDF)

Fruits and vegetables

• Canning Vegetables – PNW 172 (PDF)
• Canning Fruits – PNW 199 (PDF)
• Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products – PNW 300 (PDF)
• Salsa Recipes for Canning – PNW 395 (PDF)
• Recetas para el Envasado de Salsas ($1.00)
• Making Berry Syrups at Home – SP50-632 (PDF)
• Fruit Pie Fillings – SP50-616 (PDF)
• Problems and Solutions: Canned Vegetables – SP50-742 (PDF)
• Problems and Solutions: Canned Fruit and Tomatoes SP50-743 (PDF)

Meat, poultry, game, seafood

• Canning Seafood – PNW 194 (PDF)
• Home Canning Smoked Fish – PNW 450 (PDF)
• Canning Meat, Poultry & Game – PNW 361 (PDF)
• Problems and Solutions: Canned Meat, Poultry and Fish - SP50-741  (PDF)

Other

• Canning Soups - SP50-931 (PDF)

 Pickling

• Fruit Pickles and Chutney - SP50-757 (PDF)
• Low Salt Pickles - SP50-533 (PDF)
• Pickling Vegetables - PNW 355 (PDF)
• Pickling Fish and Other Aquatic Foods for Home Use - PNW 183 (PDF)
• Problems and Solutions: Pickles and Relishes - SP50-744 (PDF)
• Problems and Solutions: Sauerkraut - SP50-745 (PDF)

Jams, Jellies, Preserves

• Low Sugar Fruit Spreads - SP50-765 (PDF)
• Making Jams, Jellies, and Fruit Spreads - SP50-764 (PDF)
• Remaking Soft Jellies - SP50-604 (PDF)
• Problems and Solutions: Jams and Jellies - SP50-746  (PDF)

Freezing

• Freezing Fruits and Vegetables – PNW 214 (PDF)
• Freezing Convenience Foods that You've Prepared at Home – PNW 296 (PDF)
• Home Freezing of Seafood – PNW 586 (PDF)
• If Your Home Freezer Stops - SP50-470 (PDF)

Drying

• Drying Fruits and Vegetables – PNW 397 (PDF)
• Making Dried Fruit Leather – FS 232 (PDF)
• Drying Herbs - SP50-921  (PDF)

Smoking and curing

• Meat/Poultry Jerky - SP50-535 (PDF)
• Smoking Fish at Home – PNW 238 (PDF)

Preserving Specific Foods

Fruits

• Apples - SP50-446  (PDF)
• Apple Cider and Fruit Juices - SP50-455  (PDF)
• Asian Pears - SP50-694  (PDF)
• Berries - SP50-780 (PDF)
• Cherries - SP50-883  (PDF)
• Figs - SP50-648 (PDF)
• Peaches - SP50-444  (PDF)
• Pears - SP50-678 (PDF)
• Plums and Prunes - SP50-586 (PDF)
• Wild Berries and Fruit - SP50-536  (PDF)

Vegetables

• Beans (Green, Italian or Wax) - SP50-445 (PDF)
• Corn - SP50-443 (PDF)
• Dried Beans - SP50-955  (PDF)
• Garlic - SP50-645  (PDF)
• Peas & Edible Pea Pods - SP50-305 (PDF)
• Peppers - SP50-454  (PDF)
• Pumpkins & Winter Squash - SP50-767 (PDF)

Other

• Using Preserved Foods Safely - SP50-494 (PDF)
• Preserving for Special Diets - SP50-646  (PDF)
• Herbs and Vegetables in Oil - SP50-701  (PDF)

Volunteers

Family Food Education (FFE) Volunteers educate the public about safe food handling/preservation over the phone and at workshops and exhibits.

In 2011, 277 new and veteran Master Food Preserver/Family Food Education volunteers contributed over 21,630 hours in these counties: Central Oregon (Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson), Clackamas, Coos/Curry, Douglas, Jackson/Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Linn/Benton, and Wasco/Hood River.

They educated the public about safe food handling and preservation over the phone, at workshops, and at exhibits and demonstrations at sites such as farmers' markets and county fairs. Over 24,530 contacts were made.

Of these, over 2,500 callers received assistance from the Food Safety/Preservation Hotline

Other Food Preservation Resources

• USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning publication guide
• The National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)

Content Contact: Jeanne Brandt