Food Safety consulting for local foods processors, process design and regulatory compliance. We are an organization whose mission it is also to assist the individual in understanding the food system and the relationship their food choices have to their health and grocery budget. Citizens are encouraged to develop an understanding the system from their own vantage point and to consider the role the
ir consumer choice has in shaping it. This work is achieved through their participation in hands-on workshops, and in discussions that include the origins of food and to how it can be used in recipes, menus and in yearlong eating patterns. Food labels and the relative nutritional or caloric densities of samples from the store are used for comparison. New skills are practiced in choosing nutritional programs, planning a pantry, finding seasonal produce for fresh preparation, or how it can be processed and set aside for the season. Examples are shown of how food raised in gardens or purchased from local sources provide clear alternatives to conventional grocery shopping or restaurant eating, with an emphasis the on comparative food quality, food safety and economy. The many issues related to our food purchases are discussed while the workshop participants are learning to process their own food and at the same time engaging their senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and sound. The importance of the Community Food System is introduced in strengthening local resilience, self reliance and sustainability. Particular emphasis is given to skills that support the family, as well as neighborhood and community participation, in the cooperative production and processing of food. The Preserving Community workshops are held in local commercial kitchens, using portable equipment, so as to strengthen and develop community relationships. A long term goal is to open a cooperative food processing center with a demonstration kitchen, and facilities for processing and storing local, fresh, seasonal and sustainable food.of the most local elements of the food system. We co-pack commercially produced, shelf-stable food items for local farms.
