L.A. County Master Food Preserver Program To Shut Down

The L.A. County Master Food Preserver Program, part of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is suspended indefinitely effective June 30th, according to an anonymous source.

Graduates of the program, which taught "canning, pressure canning, freezing, drying and fermenting," will not be able to teach or volunteer as Master Food Preservers until further notice.

Graduates had all completed a 12-week training course. To keep in good standing, 30 volunteer hours and 15 continuing education hours must be recorded every year. The last L.A. County certification session ended in the fall.

This county's program had been the most robust in the state, in terms of volunteers and hours worked. Its first session was held in spring 2011; At the time only three counties had a Master Food Preserver program. Another eight or nine have started since.

This sudden end to the cancellation seems to be based on the departure of Drusilla Rosales, county advisor for the program.