By – Sherida Phibbs
Meet Linda Driver – One Jar at a Time
If you’ve ever attended a UC Master Food Preserver class on jellies and jams, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Linda Driver—a longtime volunteer whose passion for preserving is only matched by her generosity and sense of humor.
Linda became a UC Master Food Preserver in 2013, building on her already solid foundation as a Master Gardener. “I had been canning since I was old enough to stand on a chair and stir,” she recalls. It was a natural next step for someone who finds joy in transforming fresh produce into something delicious and shelf-stable.
When she’s not preserving, Linda’s life is full and vibrant—she gardens, swims, sails, reads, crochets, substitute teaches and regularly gives presentations. But preserving remains a creative outlet she returns to again and again. “I like making one type of thing into another,” she says. “Taking a bunch of plums and turning them into something I will put on my toast.”
Her go-to method is steam canning, and each year she makes an impressive variety: ten different jellies and jams, several types of chutneys, pickles, preserved lemons, and whatever else the season provides. Her favorite? Elderberry jelly—from berries she grows herself.
Linda’s favorite topic to teach is—you guessed it—jellies and jams. She brings warmth and humor into her classes. One of her most memorable moments came during the early days of the pandemic, when she learned to make and share instructional videos online. “Once I finished my jam-making video,” she said, “I sent it to my MFP friends for feedback and told them, ‘When you’re done, tell me who that old lady is making strawberry jam in my kitchen.’”
A generous preserver, Linda gives away much of what she makes—but with a clever twist. “When I hand someone a jar, I look them in the eye and say, ‘And I want my jar back.’” All of her jars are labeled with the contents, date, and a return address label. The result? She usually gets her jars back—and sometimes even extras. “People figure out this increases the chance they’ll get more jelly in the future.”
To Linda, food preservation is more than just putting food in jars. “It’s a creative act,” she explains. “Fruit into jelly, zucchini into relish, lemons into lemon curd—it’s transformation.” But with creativity comes responsibility. “Food safety is first and foremost in everything we do as MFPs. When I give a jar away, I do so secure in the knowledge that what’s in that jar will not make anyone sick.”
When asked what advice she’d give someone considering the program, Linda doesn’t hesitate: “If you enjoy food preservation and sharing that love with others—and more importantly have the heart of a true volunteer—this is the place for you. One of our past trainees said it best: ‘I’ve found my people.’”
And if you’re wondering if becoming an MFP is right for you, Linda offers this thoughtful encouragement: “If this is an area you are interested in and you enjoy working with a group of people to make the world a better place, then this is the place for you. You’ll learn a lot—and get the chance to share that learning with others.”