ORONO, Maine — With fall comes the arrival of local cranberries that can be added to many seasonal fare — from breads, salads, relishes, salsas and chutneys, to soups, grain-based entrees and desserts. As cranberries become available, it’s also a good idea to buy extra and freeze for use later on.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension publishes information to help you find, grow, use, preserve and store in-season fruits and vegetables in Maine. Visit extension.umaine.edu to order or download bulletins to fit the season, including November favorites such as Canning and Freezing Quick Guides, Let’s Preserve: Apples, Vegetables and Fruits for Health: Cranberries, Winter Squash and Pumpkins and Safe Home Cider Making.
Before preserving food, UMaine Extension educator Kathy Savoie recommends getting up-to-date information on the best methods, canners, jars and seals to use to ensure a safe result. Recommendations are available from local UMaine Extension offices and online at extension.umaine.edu/food-health, including upcoming food preservation workshops and how-to videos. For more information, call 207.581.3188; 800.287.0274 (in Maine).
University of Maine Cooperative Extension:
As a trusted resource for more than 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.
About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant and sea grant university, with research and community engagement classifications awarded by the Carnegie Foundation. UMaine is among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast and attracts students from Maine and 49 other states, and 63 countries. It currently enrolls 11,219 total undergraduate and graduate students who can directly participate in groundbreaking research working with world-class scholars. The University of Maine offers 35 doctoral degrees, 85 master’s degrees, and more than 90 undergraduate majors and academic programs; and one of the oldest and most prestigious honors programs in the U.S. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide aimed at conserving energy, recycling and adhering to green building standards. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.
—University of Maine Cooperative Extension
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