WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Fayette County Public Health held its free pressure canner testing event as planned Wednesday, and the agency says residents who missed it will get another chance next week at the Fayette County Family YMCA.
UPDATE (Aug. 12, 8:21 p.m.): This story has been updated with additional information from Fayette County Public Health.
Sarah Sowell, an educator with Ohio State University Extension in Fayette County, tested residents’ pressure canners Wednesday at Fayette County Public Health, 317 S. Fayette St., checking dial gauge accuracy, lid gaskets, vents, safety plugs and overall condition, the health department said in a Facebook post.
Residents who could not make Wednesday’s session will have another opportunity Tuesday, Aug. 18, when Sowell holds a second testing event at the Fayette County Family YMCA, the health department said.
Accurate pressure readings are central to safe home canning. A gauge that reads inaccurately can leave low-acid foods such as vegetables, meats and soups under-processed, creating conditions in which the bacterium that causes botulism, a rare but potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can survive. A properly functioning pressure canner reaches temperatures higher than boiling water alone can produce, which is necessary to destroy the bacterium’s heat-resistant spores.
Fayette County Public Health held an earlier testing session in July and organized Wednesday’s event and the Aug. 18 follow-up ahead of the peak home-canning season.
Residents with questions can contact Sarah Sowell at 740-335-1150. The events are sponsored by Fayette County Public Health in partnership with Ohio State University Extension.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Fayette County Public Health.
