Posted by: Lea_Marie_C_Paar on 05/26/2014 03:42 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 05/26/2014 10:37 PM
Expires: 01/01/2019 12:00 AM
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UC Cooperative Extension Hosts Cottage Food Operations Workshop
Jackson, Ca...University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) will present a hands-on workshop series at six locations across Northern California designed especially for farmers interested in making value-added products in their home kitchens. Workshops will teach participants about the new California Homemade Food Act (AB1616) which allows individuals to prepare and package certain non-potentially hazardous foods in private-home kitchens referred to as “Cottage Food Operations” (CFOs)...
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) will present a hands-on workshop series at six locations across Northern California designed especially for farmers interested in making value-added products in their home kitchens. Workshops will teach participants about the new California Homemade Food Act (AB1616) which allows individuals to prepare and package certain non-potentially hazardous foods in private-home kitchens referred to as “Cottage Food Operations” (CFOs).
Dr. Shermain Hardesty of the University of California Davis explains, “Most farmers don’t know that if they become a Cottage Food Operator, they can legally sell products made with their very own produce in their home kitchens, including fruit jams, jellies, pies, and dried fruit. This is an exciting opportunity because farmers can now make delicious products with the season’s abundance, diversify their operations, and generate new income.” The workshops are also open to others interested in learning how to produce and sell Cottage Foods.
Workshops, which are partially funded by a California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant, are open to everyone and designed especially for fruit, vegetable, nut, herb, and honey producers who are interested in becoming—or are already certified—Cottage Food Operators.
The workshop series will cover: Cottage Food Law; food science and sanitation; business operations for CFOs; packaging, storage, and marketing of CFO products; and hands-on demonstrations and tastings with jams, jellies, honey, nuts, dried fruit, and baked goods. Because processed meat, dairy, fermented foods, and juices are not legally acceptable cottage foods, they will not be covered in this workshops.
Workshop registration can be found at http://ucanr.edu/cfoworkshops. The two-part workshop series costs $25 with advance registration online and $40 at the door, space permitting.
Workshops take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with lunch provided at six Northern California locations including:
• Fairfield at Cooperative Extension Solano County on May 13 and May 20, 2014
• Ukiah at the Cooperative Extension Mendocino County on May 15 and May 22, 2014
• Eureka at the Agriculture Center (Humboldt Hill Exit off of highway 101) on May 28 and June 11, 2014
• Redding at Shasta College (Building #800, Room #822) on May 29 and June 10, 2014
• Jackson at Cooperative Extension Amador County on June 12 and June 16, 2014
• Sacramento at Cooperative Extension Sacramento County on July 1 and July 9, 2014.
For more information and to register, visit the registration webpage at http://ucanr.edu/cfoworkshops or contact Dr. Shermain Hardesty, Extension Economist with UC Davis and the UCCE Small Farm Program at shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-0467.
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