The National Center for Home Food Preservation has revamped its website and has a new look.  It still has all the latest researched information on how to preserve your bounty for safety and quality.  Take some time to look through all they have to share.  National Center for Home Food Preservation.  They have information on Canning, Pickling, Fermentation, Dehydrating, Freezing and much more.  Their recipes also will start with how much you need for that recipe and this can be a starting point for planning how much you want to grow.

April is also a good time to get out your canning equipment like canners and jars.  You need to inspect your jars for any cracks or chips that would lead you to need to replace.  You also want to make sure your canner is ready to go, by checking any gaskets, rubber pressure release plugs and any other parts to make sure you don’t need to replace them.  This is also the time to make an appointment with Cathy Hohenstein in our office to check your gauge if you have a presto gauge canner.

If you want to plan your garden to provide some new vegetables or produce you can also look for some new recipes in our recipe library.  Maybe plant a new type of pepper or tomato this year.

For more information on canning and preserving, call our office and Cathy can help you.