Sitka workshops cover homemade food rules, canning and food preservation

Sitka workshops cover homemade food rules, canning and food preservation

Join a series of workshops in Sitka to learn about the updated rules for selling homemade foods, how to preserve vegetables by making and canning soups and pickles, and food preservation safety.

The workshops will be led by Sarah Lewis, a health, home and family development agent for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, and Jasmine Shaw, Extension program assistant in Sitka.

On Tuesday, July 8, Lewis will lead a free workshop to discuss the new Homemade Food Exemption rules. The workshop is for people who have or would like to start a home-based food business, support local foods, or offer homemade foods through their market.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation significantly revised the rules, formerly called the Alaska Cottage Foods Exemption, in 2024. Knowledge of the new rules will help ensure compliance and help people understand the risks and opportunities associated with homemade foods. The workshop will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Sitka Public Library, 320 Harbor Drive.

On Wednesday, July 9, participants will learn to make healthy, home-canned vegetable soups from garden to pantry using a pressure cooker. They will also learn to make vegetable pickles using the water bath method. The workshop will be at Sitka Lutheran Church, 224 Lincoln St., from 5:30-9 p.m. The cost is $40. Children under 12 can attend for free if accompanied by an adult taking the class.

On Thursday, July 10, Lewis will lead a free class outlining the most important food and public safety risks associated with food preservation, such as canning and jarring, and how to minimize those risks. It is designed for community and Tribal leaders and organizations involved with community gardens and farms, food security and sovereignty, food and nutrition education and other food-focused programming. The class will be at the Sitka Public Library from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Register using the online formor visit https://bit.ly/SitkaWorkshops.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For more information, contact Jasmine Shaw at [email protected] or 907-747-9440. Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Shaw. 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 [email protected].

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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