Savoie interviewed for BDN article on preserving harvest
The Bangor Daily News interviewed Kathy Savoie, an educator with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for an article on preserving the harvest. This time of year, gardens often yield an abundance of fresh produce, more than their owners can consume. Canning and freezing can save the excess harvest for enjoyment during the rest of the year, the BDN reports. “Personally, it’s a large interest of mine. It’s something that I always did, and something I grew up doing. And it’s an area that I’ve seen grow significantly from a public interest standpoint, as local foods have become increasingly popular,” said Savoie, who oversees an Extension program that trains master food preserver volunteers who can help community members safely preserve produce. And food safety is of the utmost importance. One of the best ways to ensure safety is to follow recipes tested by food safety experts — Cooperative Extension, the United States Department of Agriculture or the National Center for Home Food Preservation — according to the article. “It’s very important that people get their recipes from a reliable source. We want to make sure that people are getting the most current information as well,” Savoie said. The article included tips for canning and freezing different types of produce with different acidity levels, and recipes for pickled dilled beans and standard tomato ketchup.