The Produce Lady offers live online canning demos
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Dr. Ben Chapman, a food safety specialist with N.C. Cooperative Extension, will join Brenda Sutton, The Produce Lady, in two live, one-hour demonstrations on proper canning techniques.
Green beans will be the featured produce item on June 15 at 1:30 p.m. while June 28 will be reserved for peaches, also at 1:30 p.m. Viewers can tune in by logging on to www.ustream.tv/channel/the-produce-lady or access the live feed from The Produce Lady Facebook page. Viewers will have an opportunity to interact with the experts by using an online chat box to ask any questions about food preservation and safety.
The Produce Lady program, supported with a grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, teaches farmers and consumers the wonders of locally grown fruits and vegetables. The program demonstrates how to prepare fresh produce as tasty meals and snacks and advises how to preserve them to use throughout the year.
Fresh North Carolina green beans and peaches are available widely across the state from June to September, and can be purchased at local farmers markets. The Produce Lady live video stream will feature the pressure canner method for preserving green beans so that consumers can enjoy nutritious, local green beans throughout the year. The peach demonstration will include how to freeze peaches and how to make peach jam. For information on how to use canned green beans, peach preserves and other fresh or preserved produce, check out the recipes section of The Produce Lady website at www.theproducelady.org.
The Produce Lady program is co-directed by Leah Chester-Davis with the N.C. State University Plants for Human Health Institute, and Brenda Sutton, director, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County. Program efforts include farmers market appearances, healthy recipes, a video series for farmers and consumers, and other educational resources, which can be found at www.theproducelady.org. Watch for video segments on the Almanac Gardener show on UNC-TV networks statewide. The Produce Lady is sponsored in part by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
# # #
Media Contact: Leah Chester-Davis, coordinator of communications and outreach, Plants for Human Health Institute, 704-250-5406 or leah_chester-davis@ncsu.edu
