Fermenting, Drying & Preserving for Beginners

I love foraging, I love growing and I want to make the very most of what I find and what I grow.

Preserving for beginners offers all the skills needed to preserve the taste of summer, the cool of winter and the red of autumn.

This class is jam packed with information and is focused on three methods of Food Preserving:

Fermenting

Dehydrating

Boiling Hot Water Bath Method.

The Boiling Hot Water Bath Method is the most information heavy of the three hence I will spend 1/2 of the class on this method.

I will provide comprehensive notes on all three methods to you via email after the class.

In many preserving classes you are taught recipes but rarely are you taught the principles that underpin these recipes. Without an understanding of the principles, you are left always wondering if what you have done will last, if it is safe and safe to share. The notes I will provide you will include links to recipes, but the focus of this class is on understanding “how to preserve” “how to make that preserve safe” & “how to make that preserve last”.

Preserving is easy, that is why so many homemakers get involved, it is also very rewarding.

There is a great deal to learn initially and at first it can seem overwhelming, but once learned it is deeply gratifying, empowering and something of great value to share with others.

What you will learn:
• Acidity; its role in preserving, how to measure pH and what the pH of a preserve should be
• How to determine the acidity naturally found in raw ingredients
• Elevation; how elevation affects preserving times, how to determine if you are at elevation and how to adjust for elevation
• Raw Pack and Hot Pack method
• The role of sugar, salt, heat, time, and acidity
• How to sterilise jars and when not to pre sterilise jars
• How to accurately pack food into jars
• Preserving Organisations and their recipes
• How does the Australian Fowler’s method differ from The National Centre for Home Food Preservation

I will showcase a range of ferments, dehydrated foods including flowers, & preserves.

We will make

• One ferment
• One dehydrated food
• One Preserve

This is a demonstration class with some hands on activities.

Join me if you can! Much huge care, Mara