Canning classes

Of all the things I make in my kitchen, canning my own tomato sauce is one of the most fun. It's just so cool to have control over what goes in it, to watch how it comes together and to end up with a whole bunch of delicious sauce that's all my own.

You can learn to do it, too. The Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Service, 5339 C. R. 579, Seffner, will be hosting the following home-canning classes:

Canning Tomatoes and Pickles at Home from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 17, or 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Oct. 20

Canning Vegetables at Home, 12 to 3 p.m., Oct. 19, or 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Oct. 20

These classes will demonstrate canning procedures and the use of equipment, and answer all your canning questions. A $5 donation is requested.

To register, go to www.hillsboroughnutrition.ifas.ufl.edu/ or call (813) 744-5519.

Check out this great video on pressure canning by Mary Keith, who teaches the canning classes at the Hillsborough Extension Office: