Experts from the West Virginia University Extension Service, West Virginia Department of Agriculture, WV Bureau for Public Health, and Penn State Extension are offering a one-day, hands-on workshop for those interested in how to produce and market dried fruit products.

The workshop takes place Wednesday, May 27 from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Marshall County Activities Authority Service Barn on Barn Drive in Moundsville.

“Producers can make their enterprises more profitable by drying fruit and marketing it beyond the regular growing season,” said WVU Extension Marshall County Families and Health Agent Cheryl Kaczor. “This training can also help anyone who wants to learn about how to safely and properly prepare dried fruit for home use.”

Pre-registration is required and is due by Wednesday, May 20. The cost is $15 and includes all necessary materials and lunch. Scholarships are available. For registration information, contact Cheryl Kaczor at 304-843-1170, or Cheryl.Kaczor@mail.wvu.edu.

The workshop is taught by experienced food processing experts, and will address what products are viable for drying, the processes involved, ingredients, product safety, proper storage and handling, shared facilities and marketing.

Instructors include food preservation, marketing, business, and food safety experts from WVU Extension Service, W.Va. Bureau for Public Health, W.Va. Department of Agriculture, and Penn State Extension. A representative of the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health will explain what inspectors look for when inspecting commercial kitchens, regulations when producing for market, and the need for safe food handling practices in a business.

The program is sponsored by the WVU Extension Service with funding from National Science Foundation, Branch Banking and Trust company, National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE IT Program under Award HRD-1007978, and WVU Public Service Grant Award P-14-006.

For more information on food safety and preservation, visit fh.ext.wvu.edu/food_safety, or contact your local county office of the WVU Extension Service.

-WVU-

mlb/5/13/15

CONTACT: Cassie Waugh, WVU Extension Service
304.293.8735, Cassie.Waugh@mail.wvu.edu

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