Food Safety and Food Preservation

Welcome to a site that will assist you in determing whether the food in your household is safe to consume or should be discarded. This is also a good place for information on custom preserving foods for your household. This site is written by two Ph.D.s who specialize in food safety and food preservation issues. Science-based information is available to you here anytime you need it.

Suggestions for this Site?

If you have a foodsafety concern that is not addressed with this menu, e-mail your question to Dr. Shirley VanGarde. Regretably time does not allow for individual replies to everyone but frequently asked questions will appear with answers on this site. This is not a recipe locating service, but the safety of a recipe you already have can be evaluated. Write your topic in the subject line please because I get so much spam it might otherwise accidently get deleted.

Desktop reference: Food Preservation and Safety

If you are interested in the reasons behind food safety recommendations and want to understand the whys of preservation recipe dogmas, there is now a text for you.
Food Preservation and Safety by Shirley VanGarde and Margy Woodburn, Iowa State University Press, ISBN 0-8138-2133-9 answers both the "how-to" and why "why" questions of preserving and storing food. Dr.s VanGarde and Woodburn are experts in home food preservation and food science research. Their information is current, comprehensive, and applicable. Canning, Drying, Pickling, Fermenting, Smoking, Freezing, Refrigeration, and Sugaring are covered. This book is a valuable reference for decision making at both the household and commercial level. Check it out from your local public library.