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.

Holiday Fact Sheets!  Turkey Basics - SP50-1000 (PDF), Turkey Fact Sheet - SP50-880 (PDF), and Preparación del Pavo - SP50-880S (PDF)

• Pressure Canner Use and Care – SP50-649 (PDF)
• Using and Caring for Your Pressure Canner –  PNW 421 (PDF)
• Storing Food for Safety and Quality - PNW 612 (PDF)
• 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 PNW-395S (PDF)
• 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)
• Canning Smoked Fish at Home – 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)
• Harvesting, Handling & Storing Nuts from the Home Orchard - FS 146 (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)
• Flavored Vinegars - SP50-736 (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

• Making Jerky at Home (PNW 632) (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)
• Rhubarb - SP50-882 (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)
• Preserving Mushrooms - SP50-919 (PDF)
• Pumpkins & Winter Squash - SP50-767 (PDF)
• Rhubarb - SP50-882 (PDF)

Other

• Food Safety Tips for Older Adults (SP-50-872)
• Food Safety Tips for Pregnant Women (SP-50-838)
• It Must Have Been Something I Ate (SP-50-784)
• Using Preserved Foods Safely (SP-50-494)
• Making Garlic- and Herb-Infused Oils At Home (PNW 664)
• Herbs & Vegetables in Oil (SP-50-701)
• Home Pasteurization of Raw Milk (SP-50-932)

Volunteers

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

In 2013, 460 new and veteran Master Food Preserver/Family Food Education volunteers contributed over 20,845 hours of time in 26 counties, including: Central Oregon (Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson), Baker, Clackamas, Coos/Curry, Douglas, Harney, Hood River,  Jackson/Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Linn/Benton, Lincoln,  Marion, Polk, Tillamook, Union, Wallowa, Washington, and Wasco, and Yamhill.  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 46,421 contacts were made by volunteers, faculty and Extension staff, with 2,262 of these from callers receiving assistance from the Food Safety/Preservation Hotline.  The Hotline is operated with volunteer assistance during the food preservation and holiday season. In addition, an estimated 188,322 Oregonians were reached by our faculty and volunteers through radio and television broadcasts, social media sites, and newspaper articles  related to food safety and food preservation topics.

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