GLADBROOK – Summer is in full swing, 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 foodborne 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 Jam-Making and Dehydrating 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 27 at the Gladbrook Methodist Church. Participants in this workshop will work together as a group to make strawberry jam. If you have never made jam or are uncomfortable trying it alone, this is an opportunity to learn while being supervised by an expert. Each participant will receive a jar of the jam made during the workshop.

To register, go to https://go.iastate.edu/VWOFDT. This course is being offered at the discounted price of $20, thanks to a sponsorship from Tama County Extension for the remainder of the cost.

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