Preserving the Harvest: Late Summer Canning

1901 Vine Street,Philadelphia PA 19103

29 September, 2021

Description

Don't let those late summer fruits and veggies go to waste! Join us on the library's beautiful Skyline Terrace and learn the basics of home preservation and canning! In this class, we will make fig jam using traditional methods and green tomato salsa verde with those green tomatoes that refuse to ripen at the end of summer. We will learn the basics of water bath canning, how to choose the best fruits and vegetables for preserving, how to avoid common pitfalls, and what essential equipment is required. You will leave with the experience you need to tackle canning confidently at home. Plus, you will get to take home a small jar of one of our creations to inspire your further pursuits! April McGreger founded and operated the award-winning pickling and preserving company, Farmer’s Daughter, in North Carolina for 11 years before recently moving to Philadelphia. She is the author of just released The Complete Guide to Canning & Preserving from Centennial Media. Tickets include an option to purchase her latest guide! Pre-registration is required. All proceeds from ticket sales go towards supporting the Culinary Literacy's Center programs for youth, neighborhood engagement, and English language learning. To learn more, please visit freelibrary.org/cook! Safety is our top priority. According to current guidance from the city of Philadelphia, it is required that all participants, regardless of vaccination status, mask for this event, which will take place outdoors but will move inside in the event of inclement weather. Those who are not fully vaccinated should take additional precautions. Limited tickets are available to ensure safe, physical distancing. For more information about our Covid safety precautions, please email [email protected]. Limited free tickets available for SNAP eligible families and for anyone who cannot afford the fee right now but would still like to participate. Please email [email protected] for more information. April McGreger is a writer, chef, culinary historian, and the founder of Farmer’s Daughter, an award-winning pickling and preserving company, that she she operated in North Carolina for 11 years. She first learned the art of preserving at the elbow of her mother and grandmother in a small Mississippi farming town. Her wanderlust led her to a master’s thesis on a volcano in Italy before the call of kitchen could no longer be ignored. She worked her way into a pastry chef position at the nationally acclaimed Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC. There she honed her skills and her palate while discovering her passion for working with seasonal local fruits. She spent years researching vernacular preserving traditions around the world before founding Farmer’s Daughter in 2007. Her stories and recipes have been published in many publications, including The New York Times, Bon Appetit, The Local Palate, Martha Stewart Living, and many more. She has written three cookbooks, including The Complete Guide Guide to Canning & Preserving that was published as a special edition magazine by Centennial Media this summer but will be out in book form in the spring of 2022. @preservingthesouth www.farmersdaughterbrand.com Every bite of food we eat tells a story. Here’s ours: The Free Library is advancing literacy in Philadelphia in a unique and innovative way—with a fork and a spoon. Cooking and eating are educational acts and provide opportunities to learn math, science, languages, history and so much more. Using cooking as the vehicle for learning, the Culinary Literacy Center advances literacy through food and cooking around a communal table. Opened in 2014, the Culinary Literacy Center is the first space of its kind in a public library and serves as a model for libraries worldwide. The Culinary Literacy Center is based in our kitchen classroom at Parkway Central, but we offer programming at nearly all of our neighborhood libraries. Culinary Literacy Center programs teach healthy cooking, build community, and promote civic dialogue. Pull up a seat at our table and see what’s cooking at the Free Library of Philadelphia!