Kirsten Hansen, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer
County of residence: Out of State
My name is Kirsten Hansen. I joined the inaugural class of the University of California Master Food Preserver (UC MFP) Online Delivery program in December 2023, graduated in the summer of 2024, and have been volunteering since then. I wanted to participate in a UC MFP program for a long time, but never lived in a county that offered it. So when I learned about the Master Food Preserver Online program, I jumped at the opportunity!
I’ve been water bath canning since I was very young. My parents had a large garden, and we canned lots of tomato sauce every year, plus some jam. We also froze a lot of produce. Once I got a little older, I joined 4-H and began making more jams and pickles to show in our annual 4-H fair. I still can a lot of tomatoes; I hauled home 20 pounds of tomatoes from the farmers market on my bicycle last summer and processed 40 pounds in a weekend! I kept canning while living in numerous suboptimal rental apartments, and now have an atmospheric steam canner and dehydrator, in addition to my hot water canning set up. I hope to add a pressure canner and chest freezer once I have a little more space!
and limited storage space. I do my boiling water canning in a large stock pot and most of my canning equipment fits in a 1’x1’ cube organizer. I’m passionate about demonstrating that you don’t need a lot of money, space, or special equipment to preserve food safely and deliciously.
The most valuable thing I’ve learned during my time as a UC Master Food Preserver is the why of food preservation. It’s reassuring to understand the mechanics of foodborne illnesses so that I can undertake the proper safety methods when preserving, including using research-based best practices and recipes from reputable sources. I find the science behind food preservation fascinating and it’s satisfying to have answers to why things sometimes go wrong, like jam failing to gel. I also have a lot more confidence in not just my own food preservation but being able to teach others.
Food preservation really is for everyone, and the UC MFP Online Delivery program is available to help the public preserve food safely now and relish it later.