Applications being accepted for master food preserver training at CCE

Program being offered in Orleans for first time since 2019

Photos courtesy of CCE in Orleans County: The MFP Training course is a combination of classroom lectures and hands-on preservation activities.

Press Release, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension

KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County CCE is offering a free Master Food Preserver Training from March 18 to April 6 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from 12 to 4 p.m.

The Master Food Preserver Core Training has not been offered in Orleans County since 2019. The goal of the training course is to obtain new volunteers in Orleans County who are passionate about home food preservation and motivated to extend their experience and education to the public.

Colin Butgereit, a Master Food Preserver volunteer, explains how to safely use a pressure canner.

In the past, this training course has only been offered by CCE statewide educators who travel around the state, leading the training in various counties each year. Host counties typically needed to charge participants a higher fee to offset the cost associated with contracting with those educators and to cover the cost of the supplies and materials used in the class.

This year, the course will be taught by the Orleans County CCE Master Food Preserver (MFP) Volunteers Karen Desjardin, Colin Butgereit, Eileen Sorochty and Kate Hardner, with CCE Horticulture Educator and MFP Coordinator Katie Oakes overseeing. The instructors offering the course this year have a combined 45 years of experience within the CCE Master Food Preserver program.

In addition to utilizing local instructors, Orleans CCE secured a nutrition-based grant that will cover the cost of all materials and supplies.  Because of those advantages, Orleans County CCE is able to offer this training for the first time at no cost to participants.

“We have such great volunteers already in the program who have so much experience, but our volunteers can only give so much of their personal time to offering workshops to the public,” said long-time Master Food Preserver volunteer Colin Butgereit, “The demand is there in the county for these types of classes, and we would love to expand what we can offer.”

Each year, the Master Food Preserver volunteers offer workshops to the public that offer in-depth education on a wide-range of food preservation topics.  The classes fill quickly and often have waitlist of ten or more people hoping a spot will open up.

“We are hoping to increase our Master Food Preserver volunteer base so we can better serve our county residents who are interested in improving this important skill of home food preservation,” explained Eileen Sorochty, another long-time Master Food Preserver volunteer. “More certified Master Food Preserver volunteers will mean more educational opportunities for our community members.”

Following the core home food preservation training, participants log and document 40 hours of diverse food preservation experience (usually done on personal time using information learned in the training), complete long-term volunteer paperwork including background check, and then receive certification to extend research-based food preservation education to the community as a CCE Master Food Preserver volunteer.

The overall goal of the Master Food Preserver program is to help more Orleans County residents gain experience in preserving their own food at home, an important skill for those interested in relying less on traditional food systems.

“What we are trying to do is help people shorten the food chain and be more self-sufficient in their homes and kitchens,” said Kate Hardner, a MFP trainee who completed the course in Niagara County in 2022.

The Master Food Preserver training will be held at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 State Rt 31, Albion, NY – in the Education Center of the Orleans CCE office building on Tuesday and Thursdays and in the Trolley Kitchen for the Sunday hands-on classes.

To be considered for the class, please complete the Orleans County MFP Training Intake Application (found on the Orleans CCE website). Application deadline is Feb. 21 and participants will be notified if they are accepted into the course by March 1. Class size is limited, and preference will be given to those who are intending to serve as long-term volunteers through the Master Food Preserver program in the future.

Call 585-798-4265 ext 125 or email klo54@cornell.edu for more details.  Once accepted, participants will be expected to attend all nine class sessions.

Participants in the 2019 MFP Training prepare tomatoes for preservation.