Safely Preserving Foods at Home
Whether you have been preserving food for years or have only recently rediscovered the practice of growing and preserving your own food, proper equipment, ingredients and techniques are essential to ensuring safer and better quality food at home. Below are some resources to help:
Resources for Home Canning
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning: This resource has everything you need to know about canning food at home. It is for those canning for the first time or for experienced canners wanting to improve their canning practices. This publication is available as free download from the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. The Yavapai County Cooperative Extension office also has paper copies of this 196-page, full-color, spiral-bound book available to purchase for $25.00.
- Testing Pressure Canner Gauges: Each year before you begin canning, it is important to ensure that the pressure gauge on your pressure canner is accurate. The Yavapai County Cooperative Extension Office offers free testing for dial gauge pressure canners. Call us at (928) 445-6590 for questions or to identify a good time to bring in your gauge for testing.
- Preserve Smart: Mobile-friendly app and website developed by Colorado State University Extension to help you find tested food preservation recipes and instructions for any elevation.
Resources for Freezing
- How Do I Freeze? page on the National Center for Home Food Preservation's website has instructions for freezing a long list of fruits and vegetables (from apples to zucchini) and meats.
- NDSU Food Freezing Guide is a comprehensive guide from the North Dakota State University Extension Service that includes general information and principles of safe freezing as well as information for freezing specific food items.