Program Offers Helpful Tips on the Preservation of Food

If you like preserving food and enjoy sharing experiences with others, become a Master Food Preserver Volunteer. Volunteers who are accepted for the Master Food Preserver Training Program will receive 40 hours of training in up-to-date techniques for canning, freezing and drying fruits and vegetables, plus helpful information on long-term food storage.

Classes will be held each Thursday for nine weeks beginning March 7 at 2615 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400, Los Angeles 90007. Application deadline is Feb. 15. Class size is limited to 35 volunteers. Enrollment is free, but a donation of $12 is requested to cover the costs of the training manual and other printed materials. For information and an application, call the Common Ground Garden Program at 744-4341.

Volunteers who successfully complete training will be awarded Master Food Preserver certificates by the University of California Cooperative Extension, Common Ground Garden Program. Master Food Preservers are expected to donate at least 40 hours of their time during the next 12 months for work on community service projects that teach and demonstrate effective food preserving methods. The Common Ground Garden Program is sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension.