Food for the Trail and Beyond

By Stephanie Hill   UCCE Master Food Preserver 

As the weather warms on the Central Coast, winter stretches into spring and those summer backpacking and camping adventures begin to manifest in the forefront of our minds.  While we would never want to let ourselves become dehydrated on the trails, it can be quite the opposite for our trail foods!  Our February food preservation class is all about food dehydration.  We'll cover all the basics including how to dehydrate fruits, vegetables, and meat, all suitable for taking on those outdoor adventures

The Campers' and Backpackers' Delight: Food for the Trail and Beyond class takes place on Saturday, February 24th, 2018 from 10a.m. to 12p.m. at the UCCE Auditorium, 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo.  Course instructors are certified Master Food Preservers who have received extensive training in food safety and food preservation, have passed a qualifying exam, and now serve as UCCE volunteers, teaching food safety topics to community members.  The UC Master Food Preserver Mission Statement is “to teach research-based practices of safe home food preservation to the residents of California.” If you'd like to learn more about this statewide program, check out the San Luis Obispo UC Cooperative Extension site here: ucanr.edu/mfpslo

The fee for this informative class is $5.00.  Please be sure to register for the class in advance. 

Registration: https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=22440

The UCCE Master Food Preserver program in San Luis Obispo County also offers a “Helpline” service to answer food safety and preservation inquiries from community members throughout the year. The Helpline is staffed by UCCE certified Master Food Preservers. The number to the Helpline is 805-781-1429 and is staffed every Wednesday from 1:00 -3:00 PM. The Helpline additionally receives calls regarding the UCCE food preservation class schedule, food preservation recipes and resources, and how to become a certified Master Food Preserver. Need the gauge on your pressure canner tested? Call the Helpline for an appointment. The Master Food Preserver Helpline is a wonderful free service to the community!