by Colleen Young, UCCE Program Co-Coordinator

I hope your summer is going well. Our summer in Central California has been a little cooler than usual and even if my garden is a little behind, I’m not going to complain. I will have plenty of tomatoes in the fall so I better decide how to preserve them.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining our program, now is the time to sign up to become one of us. We are already getting ready to start a new year of training for the Master Food Preservers (MFP). We ended up with four graduates this year and they are doing so well, I am amazed by how comfortable they are and how well they have joined our program. We have had a couple workshops since graduation that have given them the opportunity to show what they have learned.

We were very lucky last year to receive several items from our wish list. We are excited to learn how to use them so we can begin incorporating them into our program. One of the most exciting additions is a new freeze dryer. We have had several inquiries about freeze dryers in the last years and once we have learned to use it we will be offering a class to share what we have learned. We are still exploring the best way to bring the information to the public.

Meanwhile, preparations for our 2026 MFP training classes - starting in January - are underway. There is always so much to do before the classes begin, and we are lucky to have an MFP superstar, Sherida, to lead the way. Her organizational skills and thoughtful planning are essential to our success. From determining how may students we can effectively train to designing lab activities, Sherida manages it excellently.

Of course, we build on the successes we have from previous years, but we like to introduce fresh elements to keep things interesting. There are quizzes to create, handouts to prepare and instructors to coordinate. Thankfully, we have a great team that work well together to make it all happen.

Another exciting addition we received is an Owl – a smart 360̊̊ conference camera with a built-in microphone, and speaker that is perfect for hybrid meetings. It is advertised to get smarter over time, I just hope we can keep it from getting smarter than us.

We also are working on our workshop schedule for next year and are always looking to expand our recipe library and to both inspire and delight our attendees. We like to present things that reflect the season and meet the interests of the community, so we welcome suggestions on what our participants are interested in.

We are excited to have expanded our classes to include classes in Spanish. Maricarman is our leader for the Spanish-language classes and she has done a fantastic job. She includes the recipes in both Spanish and English ensuring accessibility for all attendees. Just like in our other classes, we ask participants for input on future topics. The growing interest has excited us and has given us confidence in even more success in the future.

We are looking forward to learning to use all of our new technology, to be able to bring more of our members into the conversation.

We are also working on the workshop schedule for next year

There’s always something exciting in the works, and we’re lucky to have such a dedicated and fun team that makes all the moving parts come together.

We’ll continue to share updates, especially once we’re ready to launch our freeze drying class. Until then, thank you for your continued interest and support!