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UC Master Food Preserver Program

UC Master Food Preservers: Resources & Recipes Used for Outreach

UC Master Food Preserver Teaching Resources & Recipes

0.1 UC Master Food Preserver Volunteers use researched-based resources when teaching their food safety and food preservation educational events. 

  • This page lists the topics, methods, and primary sources for the content they use in their educational outreach events to provide the home food preserver the least amount of risk associated with the final product.
  • Food preservation, short-term and long-term, is focused on either destroying food spoilage microorganisms or preventing them from growing.
  • If we do not have independently tested results for a process or recipe, we don't teach it in our class. This does not necessarily mean the process or recipe is unsafe, just that we don't teach it. There are some food preservation methods we do not recommend, which are listed below. 

0.2 Please note the general public is not limited to the resources listed here. 

  • UC Master Food Preserver Volunteers do not endorse companies or products, therefore our list of methods and recipes are limited to research-based government and university publications.
  • Most Ball recipes have been grandfathered into our list of researched-based recipes because they are a research-based company.
  • We teach how to identify reputable or credible food preservation recipes and processes; those that follow the food safety and process steps recommended by the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP).

0.3 The UC Master Food Preserver Program mission statement includes a section on providing engaging ways for Californians to explore healthy food. 

  • One of the ways we implement this part of the mission statement is to share ideas on how to use preserved food in meals.
  • Sharing how to use preserved food in meals can also help us incorporate another part of our mission statement: to use culturally appropriate food. Preserved foods provide the basis of meals from the cultural heritage of our volunteers and the people in our communities. 

On this page:

  1. Food Preservation Methods UC Master Food Preservers Teach
  2. Canning tools not taught in UC Master Food Preserver Classes
  3. Canning methods not recommended
  4. Recipes/Topics we don't teach
  5. Preservation Methods & Food Safety Resources

Searching the internet to decide if a recipe or process is something we teach at UC Master Food Preserver educational events? 

  • You're at the starting point; this page.
  • Looking for a specific recipe? Check out the UC Master Food Preserver Internal Recipe Resource List (updated 2/21/2025) for suggestions on sites.
  • Look at the UC Master Food Preserver Publication library.
  • Search research-based sites for recent publications or articles. When looking for researched-based information online, use the following search technique to display sites with an extension of .edu first in the search results:  your search topic site:.edu.
  • Make sure canning and fermentation recipes found on .edu sites are from current peer-reviewed publications or articles published by specialists, and not general school organizations. They should have a source, date, and a connection to the research-based university.
 
Food Preservation Methods UC Master Food Preservers Teach
  • 1.1 Cold Storage
    • Cold storage includes both refrigeration and freezing.
    • Food spoilage micro-organisms do not grow at freezing temperatures, providing long-term storage options when using proper containers and packing techniques.
    • Refrigerated foods have a shorter safety span.
    • Infused oils are primarily stored in the refrigerator for two to three days. If they are properly acidified, they can be shelf stable.
  • 1.2 Dehydration
    • Food spoilage micro-organisms need moisture to grow. Removing the majority of the moisture and storing in an air-tight container prohibits spoilage organism growth.
    • Jerky must include a pre- or post-heating step.
  • 1.3 Freeze Drying
    • Freeze drying removes moisture from frozen foods by changing moisture to a vapor, preventing spoilage organisms from growing when properly stored.
  • 1.4 Cupboard storage
    • Dry and canned goods can be stored in a cupboard in airtight, pest-proof containers.
    • The Storing Food for Safety and Quality publication provides tips on storing food in the cupboard, refrigerator, freezer, on the counter, and explains packaged food dates.
  • 1.5 High Acid Canning
    • Processing jars in a stove top boiling water canner, and electric boiling water canner, or a dome-style atmospheric steam canner increases the temperature inside the jars, destroying micro-organisms that can survive a boiling temperature.
    • Boiling water and steam canners are only recommended for high-acid foods, such as fruits, pickled products, fruit spreads, and other high-acid condiments.
    • Low-temperature pasteurization is only used with cucumbers only in tested recipes that offer it as a canning option.
    • We list altitude adjustments in all high acid canning recipes used in our handouts.
    • We teach high acid canning recipes from our extension, government, Ball, and pectin manufacturer recipes. Note that recipes in the Pomona's Pectin book and their website are submitted by the general public and are not independently tested. All fruit recipes are ok to use, but be cautious of recipes that use low-acid products that differ from other pectin manufacturer or Ball low/no-sugar recipes.
  • 1.6 Low Acid Canning
    • Processing vegetables, meats and other low-acid foods must be done in a stovetop pressure canner to ensure the temperature reaches and maintains 240 degrees F for the entire processing time to destroy any spore-protected bacteria, such as Clostridium botulinum.
    • We list altitude adjustments in all pressure canning recipes used in our handouts.
    • We teach pressure canning recipes from our extension, government, and Ball recipes.
  • 1.7 Pickling
    • Refrigerator pickles have a low-risk and any reputable recipe can be taught, using basic food safety practices.
    • Quick-pack pickles are canned products and we teach recipes from our extension, government, and Ball recipes.
    • Flavored vinegars generally fall into the pickling category since the preserving agent is vinegar.
  • 1.8 Fermentation
    • Only the following vegetables are taught using fermentation due to the lack of independently tested recipes: cabbage, collards, and cucumbers. Fermenting other vegetables are not taught; but the public is encouraged to find recipes from credible sources and to practice safe food handling techniques.
    • Kimchee and Kombucha using Extension recipes.

      • Note: Ball has several recipes for fermented and kimchee products in their 2016 book and on their website that we do not teach because the recipes have not been independently tested.  

        2016 Ball Book Cover
  • Olives, which can be processed by fermentation, brine, lye, or salt.
  • Preserved lemons are fresh lemons preserved using a combination of salt and fermentation, with the final product stored in the refrigerator. Because of the extremely high acidity, we have flexibility with preserved lemon recipes.
  • Sourdough and yeast breads, using Extension recipes.
  • Yogurt and fresh soft cheeses using Extension recipes. Cheese recipes include mozzarella, ricotta, queso blanco, queso fresco, cream cheese, feta-style fresh cheese, Neufchâtel
  • Milk-based Kefir using Colorado State University Extension recipe.
  • 1.9 Salt Cure
    • Olives are the only product preserved completely with a salt cure that we teach.
 
2.0 Canning tools not taught in UC Master Food Preserver Classes

The following canning tools are not taught at UC Master Food Preserver events because we are waiting for independent testing to confirm

  • 2.1 Combination style boiling water/atmospheric steam canners were not included in the 2015 steam canner research. Users of these types of steam canners will need to refer to the manufacturer's instruction manual if using. They can be used in classes as a boiling water canner but not as a steam canner.
  • 2.2 Presto Digital Pressure Canner: Independent testing at a university is being scheduled to confirm Presto's results. Users of the Presto Digital Pressure Canner must use the recipes included with the product.
  • 2.3 Canning in an electric multi-cooker: even if your electric pressure cooker has a canning function button, it is not recommended to use it for pressure canning.
  • 2.4 Pressure canning in small pressure cookers: those that cannot hold at least 4 quart jars sitting on a rack with the canner lid closed. All pressure canners can be used as pressure cookers, but not all pressure cookers can be used as pressure canners.
 
Canning methods not recommended
  • 3.1 Dry Canning: canning without liquid does not provide thorough heat penetration to destroy potentially hazardous bacteria that may be on the vegetables.
  • 3.2 Open Kettle Canning: filling jars with hot product and inverting to force the air out to create a vacuum seal does not guarantee destruction of all foodborne spoilage organisms.
  • 3.3 Sealing jars with paraffin wax: in addition to not heating the jars during a processing step to destroy micro-organisms that can survive a boiling temperature, the wax can shrink and expand with temperature changes, exposing the product to the environment and the potential for mold under the wax.
  • 3.4 "Canning" bread in jars: baking bread or cake in a canning jar and then putting a lid on it and treating it as a shelf-stable product is not safe because the product is a low-acid food and can can cause foodborne illness when consumed.
 
Recipes/Topics we don't teach
  • 4.1 Preserving in alcohol (extracts, lemoncello) - see final section of linked article
  • 4.2 Water-based kefir
  • 4.3 Dry salt cured veggies (only olives at this time)
  • 4.4 Any recipe holding meat in the Danger Zone for fermenting, curing, or storing, including mold-ripened sausages
  • 4.5 Raw milk fermentation
  • 4.6 Pickled garlic: Ball removed their pickled garlic recipe from their 2020 publication because they did not have a tested recipe that adhered to current USDA Guidelines for safely preserving pickled garlic. You may find older recipes online on .edu sites, but we don't teach canned pickled garlic.
  • 4.7 Glassing eggs
  • 4.8 Dried tomatoes in oil
  • 4.9 Medicinal: we are not doctors and cannot give medical advice.
  • 4.10 Health benefits not documented in our materials: we cannot make medical or health claims; we focus on the food, food safety, and food preservation process.
  • 4.11 Cannabis and cannabis products: while legal in California, we are federally funded and cannabis is not legal at the federal government level.
 
Preservation Methods & Food Safety Resources