CANTON -- Here is an opportunity to learn or improve a preservation skill from the comfort of your own home. The Harvest Kitchen Preservation Series has moved online and the live instruction is available on a sliding scale of $0-40. There’s two classes scheduled in October.  

The first class is Pressure Canning 101. Tune in on Thursday, Oct. 14 from noon to 2 p.m. The session includes information on why and how to safely preserve vegetables and meats with pressure canning as well as an overview of the similarities and differences in various models of canners. 

The second class is Fun with Fermentation: Vegetable Transformation, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. focusing on the ancient and simple process of fermenting vegetables. While sauerkraut is a commonly known recipe using this technique, this method is flexible and can be used with the vegetables of your choice to create delicious products of any batch size.  Rather than canning with vinegar, this culinary method relies on salt to safely preserve vegetables which creates a unique “living” food.  

The instructor for both sessions is Flip Filippi, co-owner of the community farm littleGrasse Foodworks and Extension’s Local Food Program Leader in St. Lawrence County, NY. Flip is a certified Master Food Preserver who is ready to answer your questions and show you every step to make and enjoy the recipes. 

Reserve your spot in either or both workshops by visiting http://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu/ or by contacting Cooperative Extension at (315) 379-9192, ext. 243 or harvestkitchen@cornell.edu. Once registered, all participants will be sent the hyperlink to join online. The class will be filmed in the Harvest Kitchen and all questions are welcome. Individuals can register for the class to receive the recording to view later.  

The Harvest Kitchen Preservation Series focuses on seasonal recipes using local ingredients, produced in a flavorful and safe way. Each course includes several recipes along with tips for how to use these preserved goods. The courses are taught by Extension educators and/or Master Food Preserver volunteers and are taught in the Harvest Kitchen at the Extension Learning Farm in Canton.