PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

Preserving your garden’s summer bounty is a great way to enjoy your home-grown produce year-round – as long as you don’t serve food borne illness, like botulism, with your home-preserved foods, say specialists with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach.

“Home food preservation is not difficult, but it does require following specific directions exactly,” said Holly Van Heel, human sciences specialist in nutrition and wellness. “Ignoring recommended procedures can result in home-canned products that will make you, your family, and friends very ill.”

To help Iowans safely preserve foods, ISU Extension and Outreach Tama County is hosting two Preserve the Taste of Summer (PTTS) courses in July and August. The PTTS 101 course is a general overview that highlights the key information Iowans need to know to get started preserving food at home. This 1-hour course will be held on July 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Extension office. Please phone the office at 641-484-2703 to register. Cost is $10.

During a hands-on workshop on August 2 at Christ United Methodist Church, 301 Broadway Street, Toledo; participants will learn research-based methods for pressure canning and freezing garden produce. This 4-hour workshop will include pressure canning green beans. All supplies will be provided. Registration for this class can be found at https://go.iastate.edu/TV1KMJ. This class is offered at no charge for those selecting the scholarship option during the registration process.

Attendees at the hands-on workshop are invited to bring their pressure canner to the workshop to have the pressure dial gauge tested for accuracy. This is a free service.

For more information, go to https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/preserve-taste-summer.

For more information, contact Cheryl Bruene: 641-484-2703 or cbruene@iastate.edu.