Duluth Community Garden Program

The Duluth Community Garden Program is offering food preservation classes to further its mission to "provide access for all to food production and preservation resources and promote sustainable gardening practices. DCGP has enhanced its Taste of Summer Food Preservation Program (formerly "The Cannery" Program) with more classes and more technical e... xpertise. Classes are being organized by Master Food Preservers to assist community members in learning the skills to safely preserve and eat healthy, locally grown produce all year long. Participants will be instructed in safe and tested techniques for maintaining taste, quality, and nutrition while preserving our region's seasonal harvest. "Learning the skills of food preservation can greatly enhance our ability to eat locally, and increase the resilience of our home economies, as well as our regional economy," says Katie Hanson, an avid gardener and canner. One of DCGP's Taste of Summer class instructors, Hanson is a recent graduate of the UW Extension's Master Food Preserver certification course and one of our Taste of Summer class instructors. "One of the most important things I learned in the class was that the methods our mothers or grandmothers used to preserve are not necessarily safe methods to use today because the way we grow, process, handle, and prepare food has changed. The nature of the microorganisms that can spoil our food and make us sick is constantly changing as well, so it's important to have up-to-date information about preserving." The Duluth Community Garden Program's new & improved Taste of Summer Food Preservation Program is made possible in part by a planning grant from the Duluth Healthy Community Coalition. The program definitely serves a need in the community as more and more families struggle to eat healthy amidst rising food costs and concerns about industrially grown and processed foods. There is renewed interest in gardening and 'putting food by' for the winter. At the same time, there is less expertise available to help people ...Read More