First Workshop Details
Date: April 27, 2017
Time: 4:00pm Cost: Free
Location: Rawlins County fair building
For more information: Contact Jo Argabright at 785-626-3192
Plan for a Safe Canning Season
Prevent food safety issues using proper food preservation procedures. One ritual of spring is planting a garden. And for many home gardeners, this includes plans for preserving and canning the year's bounteous produce. Karen Blakeslee is the coordinator of Kansas State University's Rapid Response Center, a resource about food safety issues for consumers. She said a recent outbreak of botulism at a potluck in Lancaster, Ohio is a good reminder that all vegetables, meats and poultry need to be pressured cooked. A woman died and 21 others were confirmed as having botulism from eating potato salad containing home-canned potatoes at that potluck. "Pressure cook all vegetables including green beans, corn and potatoes, anything that isn't pickled," Blakeslee, a food safety expert with K-State Research and Extension, advised. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food not canned correctly or safely can be risky or even deadly. Botulism is a rare illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Foodborne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulinum toxin. Blakeslee advised home canners to use up-to-date canning recipes and equipment. She said any information prior to 1994 should not be used.
"The USDA continues to update information and has updated a lot of recommendations in the last 20 years," she said. "When you do things rights you shouldn't have a food safety problem," Blakeslee also advised against making up home canning recipes or using untested recipes found online, including popular sites like Pinterest.
She referred home canners to USDA recommendations or extension publications as reputable sources of information. The K-State Research and Extension Bookstore has several fact sheets, including "10 Tips for Safe Home-Canned Food" MF3170, available online. Or go to the Rapid Response Center's website for more information. In addition, home canners with a dial gauge pressure canner should have it tested every year. "Most extension offices offer pressure canner testing every year, so contact your local extension office for details," Blakeslee said.
Keys to Embracing Aging Workshop
We’re all aging — but whether we do so gracefully is up to us! Join Rawlins County K-State Research and Extension to learn 12 keys that can help you grow old successfully and with increased longevity. No matter your age, you can take steps now to age well into the future.
This will be a multi series course as part of a USDA grant.
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE