Food preservation equipment will soon be available to rent for free in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A new service will soon be available to Albuquerque-area residents who are interested in preserving food. Starting Sept. 3, the Bernalillo County Extension Office will allow community members to check out a food processor, dehydrator, pressure canner, boiling water bath canner, and fermentation equipment for free.
“An increasing level of people are wanting to learn about home food preservation, and sometimes there can be a cost barrier associated with purchasing the equipment. So we wanted to really not only have our classes where we teach food preservation but also have the materials available for people to check out free of charge,” said Amber Benson, Family and Consumer Science Agent with New Mexico State University.
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Benson worked with fellow Agent Dianne Christensen, and former Bernalillo County Extension Program Director Cindy Schlenker-Davies, to open the first Food Preservation Lending Library in New Mexico.
The group was able to purchase the equipment through a community partnership between New Mexico State University and New Mexico Health.
Albuquerque community members interested in checking out equipment will first have to go through a 30-minute consultation. “I’ve actually created a friendly how-to user guide. I’ll go over the manual and safe recipes for each of the pieces of equipment,” said Benson.
Renters will also have to provide their name, address, phone number, and email address to check out the equipment for up to 14 to 21 days.
In addition, to the equipment rental program, the Bernalillo County Extension Office also hosts food preservation workshops and a master food preserver training program. “So this is a great opportunity if they want to take a class and get some of that hands-on experience and then check out some of the equipment to use the methods and the recipes that we’ve taught in class,” Benson explained.
To learn more about these programs and the Food Preservation Lending Library, visit the Bernalillo County Extension website or email Benson at [email protected].
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