When it’s summer in the Badger State, it’s time for a jarring experience. No, we don’t mean a gut-twisting ride on the county fair Tilt-A-Whirl or a harrowing glance at your air conditioning-engorged electric bill. We mean putting honest-to-goodness home-grown fruits and veggies into honest-to-goodness Mason jars, just like Grandma used to. We’re talking about jellies and jams, about homemade salsa and sweet pickles. Our forebears were skilled in home food preservation out of necessity; today, the growing emphasis on locally sourced food and improved nutrition has stoked a revival in an almost-lost art that once was commonplace in kitchens across the Badger State. If you’d like to try preserving food at home but your only experience is unscrewing lids, don’t fear: The Eau Claire County Extension Office is offering a series of summer classes to teach the basics. Melding old-fashioned techniques with new-fashioned research, the interactive webinars will allow participants to listen to and ask questions of food preservation experts. The emphasis will be on preserving food the right way so this summer’s bounty isn’t followed by next winter’s botulism. “Food safety is, and should be, a primary concern when preserving food at home, from freezing peas to drying of apples,” says Erin LaFaive, the county’s horticulture educator. “The extension service sets itself apart in providing research-based information.” The classes will be held over the noon hour on Mondays throughout the summer at the extension office in Altoona. Topics include canning vegetables safely (July 1); canning tomatoes and tomato products (July 15); making pickles (Aug. 5); drying foods at home (Aug. 19); and successfully storing garden produce (Aug. 26). Space is limited to 20 students per session, so register today before your opportunity withers on the vine.

UW Extension food preservation classes • 12-1pm, Mondays, July 1 and 15; Aug. 5, 19, and 26 • 227 First St. West, Altoona • $5 per session, $25 for all sessions • limit of 20 students per session •eauclaire.uwex.edu • call 715-839-4712 to register