Learn How to Pickle at Yellowstone County Extension Office Class 7/26

When I was a kid, our creepy, old, dark basement in the farmhouse I grew up in had a dirt-floored room in the back corner. There were no windows and it always felt cool; the temps hovered around 50-ish degrees year round. Along the walls were shelves to the ceiling, stacked with all the produce my mom had canned throughout the summer. It looked quite similar to the photo above.

I come from a long line of canners.

My grandmother probably canned thousands of jars in her lifetime, my mom is a canner, and all of my aunts have similar shelves lines with dozens (or even hundreds) of jars of home-canned goods. Huge backyard gardens deliver way more food than you can possibly eat fresh. Why not can it? Even better... how about you pickle it?

Canning isn't a lost art. Not yet, anyway.

It's not extremely difficult. Although your first time with a pressure cooker can be somewhat intimidating. Cleanliness is paramount and long-term food storage safety guidelines are important. That said, we're getting close to Montana's harvest season with many of our vegetable gardens. Soon, you may have more fresh produce than you know what to do with. Freezing is one option, but canning is one of the best ways to save food long-term.

Take the pickling class on July 26th in Billings.

Yeah, you can probably watch a YouTube video, but sometimes taking a class is fun. You get real social interaction. Perhaps you'll make new friends. And it's nice to be able to have a Q&A session with an in-person expert.

The Yellowstone County Extension Office is hosting a Learn How to Pickle Class on June 26th at the Yellowstone County Courthouse. They wrote,

Join MSU Extension Yellowstone County for a food preservation class on pickling basics on July 26^th, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, at the Yellowstone County Courthouse. Participants will learn about pickling and practice making pickled dilled beans.  Pre-registration and $20 fee must be received by July 21 to reserve a spot.

You can register HERE.