Food Prep, Preservation, and Safety

Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service

Upcoming Events

Hot Sauces Workshop - In Person

Learn to master the basics of lactic-acid fermentation. Participants will learn how to safely ferment peppers in a salt solution to create flavored and aged hot sauces that can be bottled and shared with family and friends. A hands-on lab will allow participants to create their very own hot sauce or paste to take home and ferment.

  • Date/Time: July 25, 9 AM - 12 PM
  • Location: 1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107
  • Lab Fee: $20
  • To register, click Register for Hot Sauce Workshop. If you are unable to register online, Please call (505) 243-1386 to register.
Preserving Summer: Apples

This event will explain the scientific reasoning behind today's recommended methods for home food preservation while dispelling food preservation myths and unsafe practices of the past. Amber will demonstrate a water bath canning recipe featuring apples and talk about other safe ways to preserve apples at home and avoid waste. This workshop will feature water bath canning, dehydrating, freeze-drying, and fermentation with specifically around apples. There will be a sensory portion of this workshop where participants will get to taste preserved apple treats. This is a free event.

  • Date/Time: Saturday, August 3, 10:30 AM
  • Location: South Broadway Library, 1025 Broadway Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87102
Miso & Mustard Workshop - In Person

This workshop will cover the simple steps of making homemade mustard, from sourcing ingredients, to processing, and storing your finished product. This workshop will also cover how to make miso paste from scratch by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji. Participants will have the opportunity to make miso and mustard in a hands-on lab and take home their creations.

  • Date/Time: August 8, 9 AM - 12 PM
  • Location: 1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107
  • Lab Fee: $20
  • To register, click Register for Miso & Mustard Workshop. If you are unable to register online, Please call (505) 243-1386 to register.
Fermenting Flourishes: Preserved Lemons, Honey Fermented Garlic & Black Garlic - In Person

Ingredients like preserved lemons, honey fermented garlic, and black garlic are powerful ways to level-up your home kitchen. Participants will learn how to make each of these in a hands-on lab and get to take home each at the end of class. This workshop will provide recipes and ways to utilize these ingredients in everyday cooking to add a punch of flavor and umami to otherwise ordinary dishes.

  • Date/Time: August 22, 9 AM - 12 PM
  • Location: 1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107
  • Lab Fee: $20
  • To register, click Register for Fermenting Flourishes. If you are unable to register online, Please call (505) 243-1386 to register.
Intermediate Kombucha: So You've Made Kombucha, Now What? - In Person

Dive into complex flavoring additions and how to make syrups for a second ferment, learn how to make kombucha syrup and what to do with it, how to build a SCOBY hotel, and why a continuous brew option may be right for you. A hands-on lab will allow participants to make flavored syrup to bottle and take home.

  • Date/Time: September 26, 9 AM - 12 PM
  • Location: 1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107
  • Lab Fee: $20
  • To register, click Register for Intermediate Kombucha. If you are unable to register online, Please call (505) 243-1386 to register.
Preserving Prickly Pear: Red Chile Prickly Pear Jam & Pickled Nopales

An introductory class and demonstration highlighting the water bath canning process. This class will provide an overview of several different methods of home food preservation specifically focused on Prickly Pear cactus!  Participants will have the opportunity to taste Prickly Pear Jam and Pickled Nopales. Participants will receive USDA approved publications on preservation methods and recipes to take home.

Beginner Sausage Making Workshop - In Person
  • Date/Time: October 10, 9 AM - 12 PM
  • Location: 1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107
  • Lab Fee: $30
  • To register, click Register for Sausage Workshop. If you are unable to register online, Please call (505) 243-1386 to register.
Cold Smoking & Curing Meat: Learning to Make Your Own Charcuterie - In Person

This beginner's workshop will cover how cold smoking, fermentation, and curing work across the spectrum and how these processes layer and combine to create charcuterie. Participants will learn about meat selection, cures, salts, and nitrates, why climate control is important, an introduction to cold-smoking, and fermenting sausages. Participants will get the opportunity to create a charcuterie board in a hands-on lab and taste their creations.

  • Date/Time: October 24, 9 AM - 12 PM
  • Location: 1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107
  • Lab Fee: $30
  • To register, click Register for Curing Meat. If you are unable to register online, Please call (505) 243-1386 to register.
Events at the Agri-Nature Center of Los Ranchos - In Person

Learn about a wide variety of topics in horticulture and agriculture from experts in these fields. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Food Preservation and Canning

Resources for New Mexico and high elevation canning. Please contact Amber Lehmer at ambenson@nmsu.edu or phone 505-243-1386 for specific food preservation questions

Holiday Cooking Tips

Announcements

NC State Extension Flyer titled COVID-19 and Food Safety Frequently Asked Questions Is Coronavirus a concern with Takeout?

Food Safety

Games for Kids!

  • Theme Park Kitchen: Supports food safety learning for middle school youth.
  • Science Pirates: (no longer available) builds better understanding of science processes and food safety.

Quick Links

  • KRQE's "New Mexico Living" Episodes - External Site Video
    NMSU Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension staff share health and nutrition tips on monthly episodes of KRQE's "New Mexico Living." Here are a few favorites:
  • The Mind Diet - Foods to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease - Video
    BernCo CES' Dianne Christensen discusses the The MIND Diet, developed to prevent Alzheimer's disease. It emphasizes plant-based food choices and limiting animal proteins and saturated fats. Click here for a recap and video of KRQE's New Mexico Living episode.
    (Note: External link via KRQE.com. The page includes a recipe for the MIND Diet Spring Salad).
    For more information, contact Dianne Christensen via email, call 505-243-1386, or email: diannec@nmsu.edu.

mind diet

Recipes Booklets

  • New! - Hearty New Mexican Soups and Stews - Recipe Booklet
    Perfect for winter meals, try these favorites recipes that are sure to warm you up. Previously available for Cindy Schlenker-Davies' winter cooking classes; now in PDF format (with clickable links in the table of contents).

Hearty New Mexico Soups and Stews cover art depicting a steaming bowl of stew surrounded by carrot, a mushroom, and a spoon

Topical Resources

Videos and Webinars

Games for Kids!

Contact Us

NMSU-Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service
1510 Menaul Blvd Ext NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
Phone: 505-243-1386 844-409-0562 (Toll Free)
Fax: 505-243-1545
Email: bernalillo@nmsu.edu
URL: https://bernalilloextension.nmsu.edu

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