As gardening season arrives in full force, it’s also time to think about the next step after harvesting all of that wonderful produce – preserving it.

Air is the enemy of keeping our food fresh, Wendy Rice explained at a session at Pine River Public Library on June 2. Rice is a family and consumer science educator for Colorado State University’s Extension Program.

Air oxidizes food, causing it to decompose. Vacuum packers, dehydrators and canners are ways to remove the air and extend the life of the food.

Rice displayed four vacuum packers at the library, ranging from a basic $50 Seal a Meal brand to a more upscale version from Foodsaver costing $160. One of the packers had a camouflage cover, which evoked oohs and aahs from the male and female hunters attending the session.

“I am in the country here, aren’t I?!” joked Rice.

Rice then showed the participants a neat trick – a lot of prepared foods, such as potato chips, can be re-sealed in their own bags.

There are also other household uses for vacuum packers – preserving special pictures or documents, seeds, silver jewelry – it prevents tarnishing, nuts, clay or Playdough, ammunition, and screws and bolts that can rust.

Before packing vegetables, Rice recommends blanching them. Boil vegetables for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water, and dry thoroughly.

Freeze berries and vegetables in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then put them in bags and use the vacuum sealer, she recommended. That prevents items from getting all mushed up into a big chunk.

A feature she likes on vacuum packers is a “wet” or “dry” option. Wet can be used for packing meats and sauces, and it prevents the machine from sucking the liquid out of the bag. The dry option sucks out more air from a bag of chips or whole fruits.

Rice also displayed new electric jam makers and water baths. For jam, users put in fruit, sugar and pectin, then a paddle turns at the bottom, keeping the jam from sticking as it cooks. While the batches are somewhat small, Rice said she likes the jam maker for cooking with young people because they don’t get burned by the occasional bubble of hot jelly. It also saves the cook from having to stand at the stove and stir the fruit during the cooking time. The jam maker can be purchased for about $100.

The water bath looked pretty spiffy, too. Rice said she put in her batch of jam, entered the amount of jars she had prepared, and the water bath did the rest. There are also new electronic pressure canners, which can be used for canning meat, seafood and vegetables. They are not recommended for altitudes above 2,000 feet, so Rice said don’t even try one at our elevation.

Dehydrators are another way to preserve food. She showed a top-of-the-line model that had a lot of capacity to dry out fruits or vegetables, but it didn’t dehydrate food as quickly as a more basic model she bought.

She recommended buyers research their purchases. She found prices on appliances varied widely online for the same model.

For more ideas and recipes, Rice recommends the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which is run by the University of Georgia Extension. Their website is http://nchfp.uga.edu/

Rice is teaching a series of classes this summer on canning and deyhydrating food. A schedule is available by calling 382-6465. Classes will be held at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.