Hart Dairy won the grand prize at the 2022 Flavor of Georgia food contest for their Pasture Raised & Grass Fed 365 Days Per Year Chocolate Whole Milk. Hart Dairy is an ethically driven dairy company based in Waynesboro, Georgia, led by Tim Connell and Richard Watson. Their cows are pasture raised, never confined and grass fed 365 days a year.

A team of University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents, led by a faculty member in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, will address consumer questions on food safety and preservation while overseeing the National Center for Home Food Preservation on an interim basis.

It’s the height of tomato season in Georgia and the harvest is abundant. Tomatoes can be preserved by canning, drying, freezing or pickling. They can also be used in creating fruit spreads like jams, jellies and marmalades.

The first Georgia peach crop of the year is arriving at roadside fruit stands, farm markets and grocery stores. Preserving peaches by canning, freezing or drying is the best way to extend the use of this popular fruit long after the harvest is over.

At one time, an almost unlimited number of wild blackberries and dewberries – the blackberry’s trailing cousin – grew along fencerows and in abandoned fields. Many of these sites have been destroyed or now have “No Trespassing” signs posted on them, but each spring I still see couples on roadsides picking berries.

If you are thinking about following in your grandmother’s footsteps to preserve food this summer, start preparing now by gathering your equipment and supplies. The proper tools should be kept in good condition to ensure safe, high quality, home-canned food.

Time is running short for food entrepreneurs who want to participate in the state’s premier annual food competition: UGA’s Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest. The deadline for registering for the 10th annual contest is Friday, Feb. 5.

Whether it’s a specialty sweet treat, small-batch pork sausage or pimento cheese made from Grandma’s secret recipe, the University of Georgia’s Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest shines the spotlight on the state’s craft foods. Registration for the 2016 Flavor of Georgia contest, which is conducted each year by the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, is now open.

Many people are turning toward home canning as a way to show their loved ones how much they care during the holidays. While gifts from one’s own kitchen can mean a lot, it’s essential that the canner use the proper techniques so that everyone has a safe and healthy holiday season.