Sara Williamson, graduate of the New Mexico State University Master Food Preserver certification program, utilizes equipment from the NMSU Food Preservation Lending Library to preserve lactic-acid pickles. (Courtesy Photo)
Source: NMSU News Release
DATE: Aug. 20, 2024
WRITER: Taeya Padilla, 575-646-3221, taeyap@nmsu.edu
A group of New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service agents saw a growing interest in home food preservation and responded by creating a home food preservation lending library.
NMSU’s Bernalillo County Extension Family and Consumer Science Agents Dianne Christensen and Amber Benson, along with Cindy Schlenker-Davies, former Bernalillo County Extension program director, established the first Food Preservation Lending Library in New Mexico.
“This library is a way of sharing our passion for food preservation and providing a low-commitment way for New Mexicans to access the necessary equipment along with guidance on how to use it,” Benson said.
The library contains a dehydrator, food processor, pressure canner, boiling water bath canner and fermentation equipment that are available for community members to check out. Additional resources include equipment guides, information on safe practices for preserving and processing food, recipes and answers to frequently asked questions. Equipment is available to check out by anyone 18 years or older beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3 at the Bernalillo County Extension office in Albuquerque. Loans are available for a duration of 14 to 21 days.
Benson has been working with NMSU graduates from the Master Food Preserver certification program to evaluate the library during the last year and has seen positive results.
“Having the ability to check out equipment from the NMSU food preservation program has been so rewarding,” said Jennifer Ball, recent graduate of the 2024 Master Food Preserver cohort. “Not only do I get to learn from the comfort of my own home, I get the added benefit of saving money and knowing how to use the equipment before I invest in it. I’m grateful for the resources and support I receive from Amber and NMSU.”
The library loosely models the Oregon State University food equipment library partnership with The Library of Things, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Bayfield County Food Preservation and Equipment Lending Library and the Field to Fork Community Tool Lending Library through Food Connects in Vermont.
To learn more about these programs and the Food Preservation Lending Library, visit the Bernalillo County Extension website or email Benson at ambenson@nmsu.edu to learn more about borrowing food preservation equipment.
