GLADBROOK – Summer is coming, and many families are growing home gardens. Preserving your garden’s summer bounty is a great way to enjoy your home-grown produce year-round – as long as you don’t serve food borne illness, like botulism, with your home-preserved foods, say specialists with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach.

“Home food preservation is not difficult, but it does require following specific directions exactly,” said Holly Van Heel, human sciences specialist in nutrition and wellness. “Ignoring recommended procedures can result in home-canned products that will make you, your family, and friends very ill.”

To help Iowans safely preserve foods, ISU Extension and Outreach Tama County is hosting Preserve the Taste of Summer (PTTS) courses through the summer. The PTTS 101 course is a general overview that highlights the key information Iowans need to know to get started preserving food at home. It will be held on June 21 at 6:30PM in the Extension Office at 203 W. High St. in Toledo. Call the office at 641-484-2703 to register. There is no cost to attend.

The PTTS Pressure Canning and Freezing hands-on workshop will provide in-depth information on safely preserving garden produce using these methods. This three to four-hour workshop will be held on August 2 at the Gladbrook Methodist Church and is free to registrants who select the scholarship option when registering. Scholarships are possible through a grant from Mrs. Wage’s. Participants in this workshop will work together as a group to can green beans using a pressure canner. If you have never used a pressure canner or are uncomfortable using one, this is an opportunity to learn while being supervised by an expert. To register, go to www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/preserve-taste-summer.

For more information, contact Cheryl Bruene at cbruene@iastate.edu or 641-484-2703.