The Oregon State University Extension Service has released four new Oregon Farm Direct Marketing Law (OFDML) video workshops to the public. Each video was shot in a demonstration kitchen in Oregon City and introduced weekly throughout the month of February. The videos explain the law and demonstrate different food preservation techniques. 

OFDML allows small farmers to produce and sell certain low-risk products — without a license and in their home kitchen — from the produce that they grow. "Allowable" products include canned fruit, jams, jellies and preserves, pickled vegetables, chutneys, relishes, salsa, dried fruit, dried herbs, herbal teas, hot sauces, sauerkraut and kimchi.  

These demonstration videos provide an alternative educational format to a traditional classroom setting and expand the extension service's reach to people who live in rural areas or have limited schedules for attending workshops in person.  Viewers can watch the videos as many times as desired. Slide prompts allow viewers to forward to areas of interest and hit "pause" as they work their way through the food preservation steps and law guidelines.

Get canning

Recognizing that improper food preservation methods can lead to food safety risks to the public, the OSU Extension Service Family and Community Health program in Clackamas County created a series of four 10-minute video workshops to explain the OFDML and help small farmers implement research-based food preservation techniques for: 

Water-bath canning: fruit syrup https://beav.es/4Zc 

Acidified foods: pickled hot peppers https://beav.es/4Zp 

Fermented foods: escabeche: https://beav.es/4ZG 

Dehydrated foods: dried apples and apple fruit leather: https://beav.es/4ZN