Our Program
8-day Course Outline
The Hawaii Master Food Preservers program (MFP) consists of 8 full days of instruction, discussion and hands on production of safe preservation of locally grown produce, fruit, fish meats.
The only prerequisite is to have a food handlers safety certification from the Hawaii Dept. of Health, Hifoodhandlers.com or ServeSafe.
Day One:
Food Safety and Knife Skills
- Prevention of foodborne illness
- Covid-19 requirements
- Sanitization, Sterilization
Day Two:
Jam, Jelly, & Preserves
- Fruit quality control
- Safe pH levels
- Brix (Bx) levels
- Canning processes (freezer jams, water bath)
Day Three:
Canning Low Acid Foods
- Identify Acid foods – pH level
• Specific instructions on fruit exceptions
• How and when to add acid
• Types of acid which are food grade
Day Four:
High Pressure Canning
- Determining canning method for food safety
- Basic Steps for Water Bath Canning
• Equipment required and proper sterilization
• Detailed instructions to prevent leakage, contamination and other measures - Basic Steps for Pressure Canning
• Equipment required and proper sterilization
• What is low-acid and why Pressure canning is critical
• How to handle pre-preparation:
– Vegetables
– Meat, Poultry and Game
– Seafood
Day Five:
Pickling & Fermentation
- Quickles vs. Pickles vs. Fermentation
- Good microbes / Bad microbes
- Safe pH levels
- Techniques & ingredients for pickling
- Techniques on making fermented foods
Day Six:
Dehydration & Freezing
- Methods of dehydration
- Pretreatment of products
- Temperature control, measuring moisture content
- Storage and packaging of dried goods
- Factors affecting food safety
- Pretreatment of fruits and vegetables
- Safety measures for thawing foods and/or refreezing
Day Seven:
Oral Examinations
- Present a product by instructing the class on the step-by-step process from harvesting / purchasing to marketing.
- The rationale must also be explained in each step, i.e. why are inner lids of canning jars NOT reused.
- Must include:
– Food Safety procedures in preparation
– pH testing (and water level if applicable)
– Sanitizing of equipment
– Temperature settings, pressure settings
– Cost calculation and analysis
– Marketing costs and strategy
Day Eight:
Final Examination
- Approximately 4 hours
- 61 questions –116 answers
- Open book(s) permitted
- Certificate ceremony
- Product sampling – pot luck
Class Structure
Each class is limited to 12 students. Some of the hands on classes are individual while others are broken into groups of 3 or 4 working together to develop the groups chosen product.
Tests & Exams
All quizzes and exams are open book. The classes are designed so that participants can achieve their certification and become Master Food Preservers.
Certification
To receive certification as a master food preserver, participants must attend all classes, complete quizzes, homework and pass the final exam.