As we are looking to the future for our food preservation programming at Minnetrista, there are many questions that we have about what you, our visitors, would be interested in. With this blog I’m asking for your feedback. Tell me what you think about our current programs (if you are familiar with them), and what you’d like to see in future programming.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope this year started well and continues that way for all. The new year is a time when many are looking to improve. Perhaps one of the items on some people’s list of changes for this coming year is to eat more fresh and local foods. In the winter, this can be a bit difficult and daunting since there are not many items that can be grown in the winter months around here.

It seems for some people that cranberry sauce is the fruit cake of Thanksgiving. By that I mean, it is the thing that people buy but rarely eat. However, a good cranberry sauce (like good fruitcake, I’m told) can be a delicious addition to any turkey dinner.Ball has a great and easy recipe for making cranberry sauce. It has a good texture, bursts with flavor, and boasts a beautiful color.

It’s pumpkin time! Pumpkin pie ice cream, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin pie, pumpkin…everything! It is the time of the year when people start thinking about ways to keep pumpkin around longer because they love it so much. “How can I preserve it?” “Can I make pumpkin pie filling and store it in a jar?”

There is something about a pressure canner that baffles people. Some may recall horror stories from grandmothers and/or mothers that detail canner explosions, jars not sealing, or more. Others may have noticed recent news articles with growing concerns of botulism outbreaks in canned goods. Botulism is a type of food poisoning caused by a bacterium growing on improperly sterilized canned meats and other preserved foods. Stories like these that we have heard or read about have led people to misunderstand some aspects of pressure canning.

Although the odd weather has affected the crops this year, there is still a lot of great produce out there. This is certainly the best time of year to get tomatoes, peppers, onions, along with many other delicious produce items.

This is not the first time I have written a blog like this. However, I think this information bears repeating. It is the beginning of garden season. Many of us who want a veggie garden already have the plants in the ground. This also means it is coming into the season for some heavy duty canning.

IT’S MAY! Can you believe it?! I think I get shocked by May every year. I mean, it seems like winter lasts forever but then, BOOM! It’s spring! Well, May means time for planting gardens for canning. It also means canning programming at Minnetrista is right around the corner! A few months back, I ran a few possibilities for canning workshop recipes by you. Now I’d like to tell you what I have planned so you all can mark your calendars!

I don’t know about you, but the first nice day of this year, which happened to be the first day of spring, I got out in my yard and started to prepare the soil for my garden. I don’ t know if I should actually call it a garden…more like a little patch where I can grow a few plants. One day I WILL have a garden though!

When people see my canning storage at work, they often ask questions about why I have mostly empty bottles of rum, tequila, and brandy. What kind of canning workshops am I running?! I usually begin my response with some kind of joke about where all the booze went. Then, I give the real answer. Part of what I try to do at the canning workshops is try interesting, unique, and fun recipes that deviate a bit from the norm. The “norm” is usually just a recipe I’ve made or tried before—it is very subjective.

Ball jars have been in resurgence over the last couple of years, haven’t they? You can find them everywhere—restaurants, trendy boutiques, back yard barbeques, and, of course, in people’s basements and on their shelves, still full of delicious food.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas season full of laughter, merriment, relaxation, and perhaps some wonderful gifts! Over here at Minnetrista, we are in full planning mode getting things all in place for the upcoming events for the next year!

With all of the Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge and with the looming Christmas feasts, some of you may be wondering how to preserve all the deliciousness. Well, unfortunately, canning probably isn’t your best bet.

Looking to find great holiday gifts for the new, budding canners in your life? Perhaps you are thinking that it is too late to find any of the good canning items. Well, don’t worry. Depending on what you are looking for and where you look, it may be the perfect time to purchase a great food preservation present.

We have all welcomed autumn with open arms here in East Central Indiana. On my commute into work, I’ve seen many houses decked out for the season with scarecrows, pumpkins, and Halloween witches. It is so great—this is my favorite season. Recently, I saw a quote that stated, “Autumn is my favorite color.” That is certainly true for me.

If you have read my blog for a while, it is probably apparent to you that I love jam. Jam is a great way to start learning to preserve; and it is obvious what you can do with it. It is one of my favorite gifts to give people as well. I mean, I gave everyone gifts of jam at my wedding and they seemed to love it! Jam feels like home to me as it is something I often made with my mom and grandpa.

We are into our growing season in East Central Indiana now.  I’m so excited by how many yummy tomatoes are ripening on the branches of my plants. I’ve already made some salsa and I will can some plain tomatoes soon.

Twice in the last few years I’ve chosen to have a chutney workshop. This year we will have a Spicy Tomato Chutney workshop on August 6. Because I choose the foods that we can at workshops, you may assume chutney is one of my favorite condiments. That may be the case now. However, when I first decided to do it, I had never had any before—or at least didn’t think I had. So, before the first workshop, I had to do a bit of research. I didn’t even know what to do with chutney!

It seems to me that most people either love pickles or hate them. I should start this blog by saying that I am not at either extreme but I probably lean toward the latter category. So, many of these recipes are not things that I’ve tried for myself.