Many people are busy canning this time of year or are getting ready to. Is your canner ready to be used? Dial gauges on pressure canners should be tested every year to ensure that the dials are accurate. Weighted gauges on canners do not need to be tested because they do not go out of calibration. Most canner lids can be tested, but the type of testing unit available at the Monroe County Extension office is used with a limited selection of dial gauges, primarily Presto brand gauges. If you want to get your canner lid tested, call the office at 608-269-8722 and schedule a time to drop the canner lid off at the back entrance of the Extension office, which is located at 206 S K St. in Sparta. Our regular office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Your canner lid will be tested within a few days and then you will be contacted when it’s ready to be picked up.

The UW-Madison Division of Extension website “Safe and Healthy Food for Your Family” created by state food safety specialist Barbara Ingham has a variety of helpful resources pertaining to canning such as the basics of canning, canning fruits, canning vegetables, and recipes that can be utilized. The site contains information on other types of food preservation as well such as freezing and fermenting. Also be sure to check out Barbara Ingham’s blog posts which offer the most current food safety and preservation news. For more information: https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/safefood/safepreserving/

UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Learning Store has food preservation and safety publications such as canning vegetables safely, canning fruits safely, and canning meat safely that you may view on the website. The publications are also available for purchase if you are interested. For more information: https://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/collections/food-preservation-and-safety