6 from UOG, GCC certified as master food preservers
From left, UOG extension associate Phoebe Wall; Ken Love, president and instructor of Hawaii Master Food Preservers; UOG extension specialist Bob Barber; UOG extension associate Rynette Perez; Jane Tai, vice president and instructor of Hawaii Master Food Preservers; UOG research associate Chieriel Desamito; UOG extension agent Mark Acosta; and Paul Kerner, culinary professor at Guam Community College. (UNIVERSITY OF GUAM)
Island residents can now get guidance locally in food preservation following the certification last week of five University of Guam faculty and staff and a Guam Community College culinary professor as Hawaii Master Food Preservers.
The group was certified after 64 hours of hands-on instruction and an exam in canning, pickling, dehydration, and freezing of locally grown produce and meats.
Their certifications mean they are qualified to conduct workshops and one-on-one consultations. Four received trainer-level certifications that also allow them to certify others.
“Different foods grow abundantly in Guam at certain times of year, and a lot of it goes to waste. But by canning, pickling, and dehydrating, we can extend the shelf life of produce, and even meat, to be available year-round,” said Bob Barber, extension specialist and professor of sustainable agriculture at UOG, who coordinated the training with the Hawaii Master Food Preservers program.
From turning calamansi into jams and jellies to pickling okra, long beans, and wing beans to high-pressure canning of poultry, game, and seafood, food can be preserved by home gardeners, farmers or small-business entrepreneurs.
Earning the trainer-level certification were Barber, UOG extension associate Rynette Perez, extension agent Mark Acosta, and research associate Chieriel Desamito. Earning certification as Hawaii Master Food Preservers were UOG extension associate Phoebe Wall and Paul Kerner, a culinary professor at Guam Community College.
“During the pandemic, we experienced a small glimpse of how fragile Guam’s food supply system can be, and more so just how important sustainable food practices are,” Perez said.
The training was funded by the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Smith-Lever capacity grant through UOG Cooperative Extension and Outreach.
If you’re interested in food preservation, contact Barber at (671) 787-7391 or bbarber@triton.uog.edu. The team will also be conducting public workshops. Residents can view upcoming events at www.uog.edu/extension or sign up to receive email notices at url.uog.edu/extensionsubscribe. (UOG)
