Free Canning Workshops

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Hosts Free “Canning Green Beans with Barb Troyer”

On Saturday, July 25, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church is hosting its second of four monthly canning workshops, June-September. “Canning Green Beans with Barb Troyer” will be held 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM in the church’s commercial kitchen at 6 South Second Street in Oakland, Maryland. Participants in the first workshop were given a new 38th edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, with over 500 recipes. For new participants who did not attend the first workshop, copies of either the 37th or 38th editions of this valuable book will be given.

On July 25, Barb Troyer, mother of Audrey Kennedy, who is the owner of local First Choice Physical Therapy, will demonstrate traditional methods for canning green beans with two kinds of pressure canners: pressure gauge and weighted top. Please call the office of St. Mark’s at 301-334-2668 to sign up for the July 25 event and/or these additional free workshops:

Saturday, August 15, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: “Hot Water Canning of Favorite Tomato Recipes,” with Judy Simson

Saturday, September 26, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: “Preserving Apples with Recipes for Hot Water Canning, Freezing, and Dehydrating,” with Mary Reisinger

The local University of MD Extension Office can test these brands of pressure gauges: Presto, National, Magic Seal, Maid of Honor, and Pressure Tru. Their office is located across from Fitzwater Furniture at 1916 Maryland Highway, Suite A, in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland.

The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, canning supplies, and local produce used in the series of canning workshops are provided through Thrivent Action Team Grants and private donations. This free series can help participants preserve traditional Appalachian canning methods, to share them with family and friends, and to promote well-being in the local community.