Welcome to our Extension Food Preservation Program! Here you’ll find a wealth of resources to get you on your way to preserving your healthy bounty, and doing so in in a safe way. Whether you are new to food preservation, or have been preserving food for many years, our goal is to provide you with helpful recipes, and trusted sources of publications and literature.
Learn to Safely Preserve the Harvest at the Online Food Preservation Series
WSU Extension Publications
WSU has partnered with Oregon State University and the University of Idaho to create a series of Pacific Northwest Extension publications, available for download at no charge. The most popular publications are available for download below, but you may visit the WSU Consumer Food Safety page for a more complete list of publications.
WSU Extension Publications|Canning Fruits
WSU Extension Publications|Canning Vegetables
WSU Extension Publications|Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products
WSU Extension Publications|Salsa Recipes for Canning
WSU Extension Publications|Pickling Vegetables
WSU Extension Publications|Canning Seafood
Additional Resources
National Center for Home Food Preservation (uga.edu) is an extensive site including video tutorials, preservation guides, and recipes.
The USDA offers a Complete Guide to Home Canning publication. The free, 196-page publication can be downloaded from the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. The publication is also available in a spiral, bound book format from Purdue University’s Education Store. Single copies are available for $18 per copy, and bulk discounted prices are available.
The University of Georgia has a comprehensive book available for purchase. If you are interested in purchasing a book for food preservation, this is the one we recommend. The 6th edition of the 388-page book So Easy to Preserve include Preserving Food, Canning, Pickled Products, Sweet Spreads and Syrups, Freezing and Drying. There are 10 new products and 2 revised product recommendations in this edition. $25 includes shipping.
It is critical that you use only tested, approved preservation protocols and recipes in order to ensure food safety. Publications from universities and government sources include these safe practices. The Ball/Kerr company also produces publications that may be of interest, although we cannot answer questions about them as they are produced by a private company with their own testing labs. If you are interested in their recipes, we would suggest sourcing the most up to date Ball publications or website here Canning & Preserving Guides | Ball® Mason Jars (ballmasonjars.com) as recipes and protocols do change over time.
Have a food preservation question?
Want to know the best recipe to use for preserving your produce?
Do you have a question about safely preserving food?
Ask our Food Preservation Coordinator by email at j.bryan-goforth@wsu.edu.