Area residents interested in food preservation are invited to Food Preservation 101, a two-hour overview of general food preservation principles. The class includes current recommendations for canning, freezing and drying, display of equipment and utensils and sources for safe and tested food preservation information.  The course will be held Tuesday, June 28th, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Cass County Extension office in Atlantic. Fee for the course is $5 per person, and includes all materials, recipes, etc. Pre-registration is requested by Monday, June 27 by calling 712-243-1132 or emailing xcass@iastate.edu.

Preserve the Taste of Summer is a longer, more in-depth course that combines educational classes and hands-on food preservation workshops, and is a great opportunity for those who want to go beyond the basics. The educational classes can be done online anytime by registering at www.extension.iastate.edu/registration/events/conferences/preservation/ or they can be viewed in a group setting by making arrangements in advance (call 712-243-1132). The classes are required to be completed before participating in the hands-on workshops. Two workshops will be hosted later this summer, at the Cass County Fair Food Stand. A workshop on salsa making (hot-water bath canning) and freezing food will be held on Saturday, July 30 from 9 am to 1 pm, and a workshop on pressure canning will be held on Saturday, August 1, from 9 am to 1 pm. Fees for this program start at $25, depending on the number of courses and workshops you plan to attend. All participants in hands-on workshops will leave with several jars of freshly canned goods to take home and enjoy!

Updates for Home Food Preservers

Look to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach for up-to-date, accurate and safe information on home food preservation.  Publications and programs are under regular review and revision and some important changes have been made for this year’s gardening and preserving season, according to Barb Fuller, local human sciences specialist in nutrition and wellness.

“If you have older versions of these publications, throw them away and replace them with the revised versions to be sure you are using current recommendations,” says Fuller. “Home canned food is a great way to have fresh summer produce available all year, but safety is key to enjoying that food year round.”

Cass County Extension also offers pressure canner dial gauge testing by appointment.  Dial gauge pressure canners should be tested annually for accuracy. Dial gauges will also be tested at the end of the Food Preservation 101 program on June 28 for any participants interested.

If you get stuck or have a question about a recipe, you can get answers to food preservation questions by calling ISU Extension and Outreach’s toll-free AnswerLine. Experts answer questions Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and from 1– 4 p.m. In Iowa, call 1-800-262-3804; Relay Iowa phone linkage for deaf/hard-of-hearing individuals, 1-800-735-2942. Questions can also be emailed to answer@iastate.edu.  Frequently asked questions and other resources are available at the AnswerLine website, www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/answerline.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has announced that Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons are now available for eligible WIC recipients and low-income older Iowans. The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs provide eligible Iowans with checks that can be redeemed for fresh, locally grown produce at authorized farmers markets and farm stands from June 1 through October 31, 2016.

Northey said “Iowa-grown fresh fruits and vegetables can be found at farmers markets throughout the state.  The Famers Market Nutrition Programs are designed to give WIC participants and low-income seniors better access to these fresh and nutritious foods.”

The Farmers Market Nutrition Programs are administered through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Department on Aging.  For more information contact Stephanie Groom, Program Administrator, at 515-725-1179 or at Stephanie.Groom@iowaagriculture.gov.

WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program

The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides eligible WIC recipients with nine checks valued at $3 each. WIC FMNP checks will be distributed statewide on a first-come, first-served basis.  Eligible individuals may pick up checks at arranged appointments or at regularly scheduled clinic appointments.

A combination of state and federal funds will be used to make benefits available to more than 24,000 eligible WIC recipients this year.  Eligible individuals include children ages 1 through 4, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women that participate in Iowa’s WIC Program.

The state’s twenty local WIC agencies have begun to distribute checks and nutritional education information.  WIC recipients interested in obtaining the benefits are encouraged to contact their local WIC clinic or visit https://idph.iowa.gov/wic/families  for more information.

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides eligible seniors with ten checks for $3 each.  In addition to produce, locally produced honey can also be purchased with Senior FMNP checks.  Applicants throughout the state are offered the checks on a first-come first-served basis and the checks are available through Area Agency on Aging offices. A combination of state and federal funds will be used to make benefits available to more than 19,000 eligible seniors this year.

Eligible seniors must be sixty years of age or older with a household income less than $21,978 if single or $29,637 for a married couple.  Iowa seniors will be asked to complete a one page application verifying their eligibility, by providing their birth dates and the last four digits of their social security numbers.

The Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) have begun to distribute checks and nutritional education information.   To find an Area Agency on Aging near you, contact the Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging (i4a) toll free at 866-468-7887 or at www.i4a.org.