Master Food Preserver Program - San Mateo/San Francisco Counties

Who We Are
We are the Master Food Preservers of San Mateo County, a trained group of volunteer educators certified by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE).

What We Do
We offer free education and research-based information on safe food preservation at public events such as Maker's Faire, the County Fair, public libraries and at farmers' markets. Some of our education topics include: canning basics, fruit spreads, fermenting and pickling, and freezing and dehydrating. All our classes emphasize proven safe practices, tested recipes, and UC recommended resources to help families serve safe, wholesome food without danger of foodborne illness or deterioration.

Who We Help
In short, we help everyone. Specifically, we provide education to the communities of San Mateo and San Francisco counties to ensure their food preservation practices result in safe and shelf-stable food products that they can share with their family and friends. 

Why We Do What We Do
We are fortunate to live in a place with an abundance of fresh, local food. Whether we're shopping at a farmers' market or harvesting from our bountiful backyard gardens, we are able to access wholesome food at its peak flavor. We are also fortunate to live in a time when people are more conscious about preserving this abundance. Unfortunately, some of these methods are resulting in unsafe and dangerous food products due to improper preservation methods and recipes. It is our mission to educate all food preservers in our counties with proper and safe food preservation processes, recipes and storage methods.

Our Greater Goals

* We strive to support accessible and healthy food for all. Some people in our communities are at nutritional risk due to limited resources or because of poor food choices. It is our desire to see a healthier, just and accessible food system that serves all people. 

* We strive to be the only trusted source of information for food preservation. In a world where information is easily published and accessible (food blogs, YouTube videos, books, hands-on classes, etc), it is difficult to know what will result in a preserved product that will be safe to eat. Unfortunately, some of the information online and in other sources result in dangerous food products. Our methods and recipes are rigorously tested and proven safe.

Help Us
With your donation, you will be helping our volunteers educate our communities so everyone can take advantage of our abundance of local food and create a pantry of safe and nutritious choices when food is scarce, fresh fruits and vegetables are out of season, or healthy choices are limited.