Consumers get food in many ways. They can purchase their food from a convenience store, grocery store, or supermarket, grow or raise their own food, or receive food through a food pantry or other hunger relief program when needed. Often, an individual consumer will have access to more food than they can eat in a day and so it will need to be stored until it is used. This publication will address how you can safely store your food for optimal quality until you are ready to use and consume it.

El proceso para envasar alimentos en casa o conservas caseras, depende de la acidez del alimento, lo cual se determina por su pH. Los alimentos de baja acidez tienen un pH más grande que 4.6, y los alimentos de alta acidez tienen un pH menos que 4.6. En general, los vegetales (verduras o hortalizas) y carnes son alimentos de baja acidez, y las frutas son alimentos alta acidez. Los alimentos de alta acidez pueden procesarse de manera segura por agua hirviendo, pero los alimentos de baja acidez se deben procesar en una olla a presión para conservas.

When you are volunteering as a Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Food Volunteer or as a volunteer for other Family and Consumer Sciences programs, you may have the opportunity to share what you learn with others by giving a foods demonstration. Talking in front of a group of friends and other volunteers can be a little scary at first, but with planning and practice, you will be able to give a foods demonstration with ease.

A good demonstration can motivate others to try new fruits and vegetables, eat more servings of them, and prepare them more nutritionally. Before you present a farmers market demonstration, check with the local market manager and/or health department for current regulations. Next, pull out the old razzle-dazzle and leave your audience so star struck, they will come back to the farmers market for more! This demonstration activity can be used by adults and older youth.

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The majority of the milk and dairy products sold in the United States are pasteurized, which means they go through a heat process that kills harmful bacteria (e.g., Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, etc.) that can be found in unpasteurized (raw) milk. Pasteurization not only improves the safety of the milk but also lengthens its shelf life.