Food preservation workshops planned in Tok

A jar of corn salsa is placed into a large pot of boiling water with other jars
Photo courtesy of UAF Cooperative Extension Service
Tok-area residents can register for a series of food preservation workshops, including classes in making pickles and relishes using a boiling water bath canner such as this.

Tok-area residents can learn to preserve meat, fish and vegetables and make yogurt, sausage and jerky in a series of workshops led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. 

Leslie Shallcross, a health, home and family development agent in Fairbanks, will teach the classes at the Interior Alaska Campus Tok Center on West 1st St.

On Friday, Nov. 1, from 2-5 p.m., Shallcross will lead a class on making vegetable pickles, relishes, salsa and chutney using a boiling water bath canner. The cost is $25.

From 5:30-9:30 p.m., participants will learn to preserve fish and meat using a pressure canner. The class is suitable for people with all levels of food preservation experience. The cost is $25.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Shallcross will discuss how to use fermentation techniques to make yogurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut. She’ll also discuss the differences and similarities of each product. Each person will take home quart jars of sauerkraut and kimchi and pint jars of yogurt and kefir. The cost is $25.

From 2-5 p.m., Shallcross will demonstrate how to make sausage and jerky and discuss how to handle meat safely. Participants will learn to mix meat with their choice of seasonings and practice putting meat into casings. The cost is $25.

All class supplies will be provided by the instructor for each workshop. 

Residents can register using the online forms for one or more classes or by contacting Crystal Wilson, cdwilson@alaska.edu, or Misty Walsh, mdwalsh2@alaska.edu, at the UAF Interior Alaska Campus Tok Center, 907-883-5613 or 1-800-478-2773. The deadline to register is Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Leslie Shallcross at 907-474-2426, lashallcross@alaska.edu. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.

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