The Patrick County and Henry County offices of the Virginia Cooperative Extension joined forces to lead a canning workshop in the Community Kitchen today. Melanie Barrow (Henry County), her Mom, Judy Williams (aka 'Yoda of Canning'), Amanda Wingfield (Patrick County) and her sister Hannah Sullivan gave thirteen willing students a full day of canning instruction, including pressure canning, cold pack, hot pack, and water bath techniques. The students had a wide range of previous experience, from none (me) to extensive. This was the third canning class for one of my table mates. I was struck by how many of my fellow students talked about canning years ago with their mothers or grandmothers, and now wanted to continue the tradition. I've never actually 'canned' with anybody, but I have enjoyed the work of lots of friends and family. Armed with all the information from today's class, I'm ready to fire up the stove and move into the world of Ball jars and pressure cookers.
We all agreed that canning from start to finish is much more fun as a group endeavor, and that having experts available to answer the many questions that will arise builds confidence and ensures a positive outcome. The tip of the day was to precisely follow the instructions laid out in the Bible of the canning world: the 'Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving'.
The next canning class will be later this month at the Armory in Martinsville. Call the Henry County Extension Office for more information. I don't think canning is hard, but for your end product to be safe and delicious, you need to know the rules. These ladies have all the answers!
It was a fun day filled with great information, and to top it off, we all went home with jars filled with preserved locally grown green beans, tomatoes and peach jam!
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