OSU Extension Master Food Preservers make tomatillo/green tomato salsa.
Photo by Jeanne BrandtAs canning season gets underway, the Food Safety and Preservation hotline from Oregon State University Extension Service began taking calls July 10.
The toll-free hotline, which can be reached at 800-354-7319, runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Oct. 13. When the hotline is closed, callers can leave a message. The hotline is staffed by certified Master Food Preserver volunteers in Lane and Douglas counties. The volunteers fielded 1,010 calls in 2022.
Most commonly, hotline callers ask about preserving salsa, tomatoes and tuna. OSU Extension offers publications on each: Salsa Recipes for Canning, Canning Seafood, Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products and Safely Canning Foods: Pressure Canners, Pressure Cookers and Electric Pressure Cookers. These can all be found on the OSU Extension website, extension.oregonstate.edu.
Launched in 1980 in Lane County, the Master Food Preserver program has grown to include more than 300 Master Food Preservers who complete an eight-week course to be certified and volunteer on the hotline.
OSU Extension also offers Ask Extension (extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-extension), an online question-and-answer service, as another way to get information. Extension experts can offer information about anything related to food preservation — from safety concerns to recipes — and strive to respond within two business days.
There’s also a free app — Canning Timer & Checklist — that provides reminders of essential steps in the canning process. Additionally, several Extension offices offer free pressure canner dial gauge testing. Hotline volunteers can provide information specific to a county.
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