The 4-H Food Preservation Project provides opportunities for members to learn safe food preservation; practice techniques in canning, freezing, and drying of foods; and use preserved foods creatively in meals and snacks. The project has three divisions which build on the experiences of the previous level. Each division may be extended for more than one year to experience and master the skills which have been included. Members enroll according to their experience level not age or grade.
Please note there are age restrictions on this project area:
Youth must be 8 by October 1st of the current 4-H year to be eligible for:
- Competitive situations, such as livestock shows or sales
- Enrollment in large animal projects, including Beef, Dairy, Goat, Horse, Sheep, Alpaca/Llama, and Swine
- Enrollment in shooting sports projects
- Enrollment in projects using motorized vehicles
- Enrollment in food preservation projects
Cloverbuds, 4-H youth ages 5-7, may participate in a number of age-appropriate activities, though they may not participate in competitive events.
If you have questions about eligibility please, contact your county 4-H coordinator.
Objectives
Youth will:
- Learn how to handle food safely and how to prepare food for preservation
- Use basic food preservation techniques
- Choose foods suitable for different types of preservation, including canning, freezing, and drying–experienced youth may also choose more advanced methods of preservation
- Choose appropriate packaging and storage techniques for food preserved with various methods
4-H Food Preservation Curriculum
Available through the Extension office or online.
Youth learn how to safely freeze foods and maintain quality, and how to use the frozen foods they prepared in healthy recipes. The manual includes nutrition information, kitchen basics, the basics of the preservation procedure, and activities for the youth to conduct to learn the techniques. Activities include freezing fruit and vegetables, conducting a taste test, and creating a freezer inventory.
Youth learn how to safely dry foods and maintain quality, and how to use the foods they dried in healthy recipes. The manual includes nutrition information, kitchen basics, the basics of the preservation procedure, and activities for the youth to conduct to learn the techniques. Activities include drying fruits and herbs, making fruit leathers, and making a menu plan.
Boiling Water Canning Project Manual
Youth learn how to safely preserve fruits, tomatoes, fruit spreads, and pickles, and how to use these home-canned foods in healthy recipes. The manual includes nutrition information, kitchen basics, the basics of the preservation procedure, and activities for the youth to conduct to learn the techniques. Activities include canning fruit, making syrup, jams and jellies, and making pickles.
Pressure Canning Project Manual
Youth learn how to safely preserve tomatoes, vegetables, and meats, and how to use these home-canned foods in healthy recipes. The manual includes nutrition information, kitchen basics, the basics of the preservation procedure, and activities for the youth to conduct to learn the techniques. Activities include canning vegetables, beans, and combinations of meat and vegetables.
Washington 4-H Records, Forms, and Guides
For youth members
EM4920E – Getting Started in Food Preservation, Member Kit
C0781E – Food Preservation Record
Used to record the amount and types of foods preserved and the techniques used.
C0803 4-H Canned Foods Exhibit Labels (sheet of 12)
C0804 – 4-H Dried Foods Exhibit Labels (sheet of 12)
For adult helpers and club leaders
EM4921E – Getting Started in Food Preservation, Leader Guide
This publication guides leaders teaching youth through a series of food preservation lessons with hands-on activities. Topics include: Food Safety, Drying Foods, Freezing Foods, and Water Bath Canning.
C0946E – Judging Preserved Foods
Guidelines for judging quality and safety of canned or dried foods.
WSU Extension’s Consumer Food Safety page on canning, with PDF Fact Sheets for many different kinds of foods. Some resources are also available in Spanish.
Helpful Resources
Activity Ideas
Bountiful summer and fall harvests provide the opportunity for students to explore the history and importance of food preservation. By exploring preservation methods, both ancient and modern, students can appreciate the climatic and survival challenges faced people in different places and eras.
Washington Specific Reference Material
C1117E – Food Preservation Resources
This 4-page brochure lists web and print resources for food safety and canning/food preservation.
FS359E – Food Preservation for Special Diets: Adjusting Sugar and Sodium When Preserving at Home
Looking to cut back on sugar and salt? Love canning foods at home? Then this publication is meant for you!
Other Reference Material
From 4-H Programs
From Higher Education Institutions
Harvest, Cook, and Preserve – Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
General food preservation website with information on eating seasonally and food preparation and safety. Includes Family Fun Pages on different types of produce that can be used to learn nutrition facts, ways to prepare the produce, and preservation methods, when applicable.
From Related Organizations, Journals, and Professionals
National Center for Home Food Preservation
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your source for current research-based recommendations for most methods of home food preservation. The Center was established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES-USDA) to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods.
Partnership for Food Safety Education
Comprehensive food safety website for food preparation and handling with the goal of reducing the risk of food-borne illness.
FDA Science and our Food Supply: Food Safety Reference Guide (PDF)
Becoming food safety savvy is as easy as A–B–C! Let your fingers do the walking through this user-friendly reference guide that offers you a wealth of invaluable, up-to-date food safety information.
- Canning
PNW421 – Using and Caring for Your Pressure Canner
Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables because of the high temperature required to ensure against botulism poisoning. This publication describes canner types, safety features, maintenance needs, and provides step-by-step illustrated use instructions.
Canning can be a great way to get full benefit from your garden vegetables. When prepared properly, foods will retain their nutrients and flavor.
Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables because of the high temperature required to ensure against botulism poisoning. This publication describes canner types, safety features, maintenance needs, and provides step-by-step illustrated use instructions.
This publication explains how to ensure both safety and quality when canning fresh fruits. Details covered include selecting and preparing equipment; preparing apples, apricots, berries, cherries, peaches, pears, and plums; sweetening fruit; processing methods; and storage.PNW300 – Canning Tomatoes & Tomato Products
PNW361 – Canning Meat, Poultry, and Game
PNW395 – Salsa Recipes for Canning
PNW450 – Home Canning Smoked Fish
Want to be able to savor the amazing flavors of the Pacific Northwest fishery at any time of the year? This concise guide details the reasons and procedures needed to produce safe and delicious smoked fish.
USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning
Everything you need to know about canning and food preservation is available in USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning. This resource is for people canning for the first time or for experienced canners wanting to improve their canning practices. The information is based on research conducted by the National Center for Home Food Preservation in cooperation with USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
Tip sheet on safe canning practices.
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Canning
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Pickling
Includes recipes for fermenting, freezing, water bath canning, and pressure canning.
- Freezing
PNW214 – Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
PNW296 – Freezing Convenience Foods That You’ve Prepared at Home
Foods in the freezer — are they safe? Every year, thousands of callers to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline aren’t sure about the safety of items stored in their own home freezers. The confusion seems to be based on the fact that few people understand how freezing protects food. Here is some information on how to freeze food safely and how long to keep it.
- Drying
PNW397 – Drying Fruits and Vegetables
Whether for bringing the best of your garden to the winter table, backpacking light and healthy, or economical snacks, drying is made easy with this publication. Emphasizing modern dryers, creative alternative methods are explained. Topics include selection and preparation of foods, pretreatment, packaging, and storage. Additional features are drying charts for common fruits and vegetables, and recipes using dried foods.
Introduction to Food Dehydration – University of Missouri Extension
Dehydration is one of the oldest methods of food preservation, though methods for drying food have become sophisticated over time.
This guide covers different drying methods and the basic temperatures and conditions needed to safely dry food.
PNW632 – Making Jerky at Home Safely
Jerky is a nutritious, nonperishable, and lightweight protein source, but making it requires a lot of care. If done incorrectly, you can poison yourself or others. This publication shows you how to make this delicious treat safely at home, including the proper use of ovens or dehydrators and that of thermometers; how to accurately judge doneness; the preparation techniques needed when dehydrating different types of protein, including fish; and how to condition, package, and store your batches safely after they’re done. Illustrated, with a few recipes.
When raw meat or poultry is dehydrated at home — either in a warm oven or a food dehydrator — to make jerky which will be stored on the shelf, pathogenic bacteria are likely to survive the dry heat of a warm oven and especially the 130 to 140 °F of a food dehydrator. Included here is the scientific background behind drying food to make it safe and the safest procedure to follow when making homemade jerky.
- Curing, Smoking, and Fermenting
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Where there’s smoke, there’s well-flavored meat and poultry. Using a smoker is one method of imparting natural smoke flavor to large cuts of meat, whole poultry, and turkey breasts. This slow cooking technique keeps them tender, too.
- Jams, Jellies, and Spreads
EB1665 – Let’s Preserve Jellies, James, Spreads
Describes general procedures and processing times for pectin and pectin-free canning. Includes several popular fruit recipes and useful measurement and cooking time tables.
USDA Preparing and Canning Jams and Jellies (PDF)
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Jams and Jellies
- Kits, Projects, and Activities from National 4-H
National 4-H Food Preservation Techniques Curriculum Collection