A Class with the Master Food Preservers
Dec 14th, 2008 by Amy
Yesterday I attended a Gifts from the Kitchen class taught by the Lane County Master Food Preservers. I probably sound like a broken record, but I am amazed at the incredible resources available to us in the Willamette Valley. The class featured sections on jams and jellies, chutneys, pie fillings, vinegars, and liqueurs. I canned with my Grandma and Mom as a kid and started canning for us last summer. Even though I’m not a total novice, I learned a ton from the instructors. They are not only knowledgeable about recipes, but they understand the chemistry behind it and are able to offer solid advice about food safety and nutrition. The class was incredibly well staffed - the instructor/staff to student ratio was almost 1 to 1. Each of the instructors seemed to have experimented with various food preservation recipes and techniques (safely, of course) and offered in depth experience.
We have attended other cooking class/demonstrations and gotten far less useful information (not to mention having been given a sales pitch for every product/gadget being used) and paid a lot more. The instructors clearly understood that part of the goal of making our own is cost savings and they offered their suggestions and experience on ways to stretch our dollars. They are unpretentious, budget conscious foodies.
The demonstrations included seasonal ingredients (like cranberries and wine) and offered creative ways to use them (like cranberry chutney, wine jelly). There were also several hands-on activities - my personal favorite was the make your own vinegar activity. One particularly helpful section for me was the pie filling part. I have canned pie filling - both apple and cherry, and could never find Clear-Jel. Clear-Jel is commonly used in canned pie filling recipes (all of the ones I have seen) but it is not an easy ingredient to find. I have substituted corn starch in the past, but there really is no good substitute for it. My canned pie fillings are proof of this. I discovered yesterday that the Extension Office sells it in 1 lb or 4 lb quantities. You can also buy it at Cash & Carry in much larger quantities (I think 25 lbs).
They sent us home with a couple jars of cranberry chutney, our vinegar concoction, and a raft of recipes. AND they fed us a delicious lunch. All of this fun, knowledge, and loot for $30.
They are offering more 1 day classes starting in January including a jams and jellies class, and a 4 class series on baking your own bread. If you are interested, contact the Extension Office for information on how to sign up or look for updates on the Culinaria Eugenius blog.
Read about other local food and food related sources here.
Thanks for the great write-up!
I think I might just point people to yours, instead of doing my own, since I’m so thrilled to see your perspective as a student (and satisfied one). It was a blast, and I am really glad we did the class. It was a pleasure to teach you all.
Thank you for providing your insights about local resources, too. One of the best things about the MFP program, as I believe you noticed, was that we represent really different demographics and lifestyles, so when we get together and share recipes and techniques, there’s always something new to be learned!
Eugenia - You did a great job on the class. I was inspired by your many concoctions - especially the homemade celery salt (the smell was incredible) and the vinegars. Really interesting ideas. And I can’t wait to try the wine jelly (although I am sure that mine will be as cloudy as it is in the NW in the winter). Although I didn’t spend a lot of time writing about it in the post, I really like how the class was focused on budget conscious, quality food preparation and presentation. Many (not all_ of the other food related organizations overlook the non-wealthy and do a pretty poor job of including them in the food world. Thank you for offering a different perspective.
[...] flavored vinegars, oils and liqueurs. We had a terrific group of students, one of whom wrote a report on the class over at her new Eugene food blog, Our Home Works. Thanks, [...]
[...] a tequila served with blackberry liqueur, bitters, and mint. I had never heard of a shrub before my Master Food Preservers class 2 weeks ago and was intrigued then. (I am anxious to do more research, but some initial [...]
[...] a tequila served with blackberry liqueur, bitters, and mint. I had never heard of a shrub before my Master Food Preservers class 2 weeks ago and was intrigued then. (I am anxious to do more research, but some initial [...]
[...] « A Class with the Master Food Preservers Family Feud at Sam Bond’s Garage [...]