By Samantha Bolden
The Selma Times-Journal

The Dallas County Extension Office will host a workshop to teach safe canning and preservation habits.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will hold the workshop on July 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Westwood Baptist Church, located at 4085 U.S. Highway 80.

The event is an annual home canning workshop and will touch on topics such as food safety in canning high-acid and low-acid foods and how to properly can fruits, vegetables, and pickles. There will also be some information available on pickling, freezing and drying foods.

There is a $5 registration fee and the deadline for registration is July 18. Participants are to pay the fee the day of the workshop. Checks or money orders are preferred.

Attendees will receive a free sample of one of the preserved products.

County Extension Coordinator Callie Nelson said that canning has become extremely popular over the years and she expects a large turnout judging from previous workshops.

“We’ve had at least 15 to 25 people to come out to the workshop,” Nelson said. “For some people, it may be their first time and some people do it as a way to remember their grandmother or someone in their family who did canning. This is something that they can learn, so they can pass their skill and knowledge onto their children.”

Nelson said it’s much cheaper to produce your own products and that many are taking advantage of it.

“It can actually stretch the family’s budget if you take the time to purchase a grow product you produce yourself and once you process it, you don’t have to worry about going to the store to buy it,” Nelson said. “It excites me to know that we’re passing on a time honored tradition.”

For more information or to register, call Nelson at (334) 875-3200.