Course CodeASS101Fee CodeS2Duration (approx)100 hoursQualificationTo obtain formal documentation the optional exam(s) must be completed which will incur an additional fee of £30. Alternatively, a letter of completion may be requested. Kitchen Garden Course Learn about making your own food: Learn to grow food Learn to harvest food Learn to preserve, store and use what you grow Perhaps you have dreamt of starting a small home based business, selling through markets or local retail outlets. Maybe you just want to become more self sufficient with food at home. Take this course to become more self sufficient; or as a foundation for working with food; either growing, processing or marketing food products. Lesson Structure There are 10 lessons in this course: Diet & Nutrition Establishing A Kitchen Garden Vegetables Fruit Bottling Freezing & Drying Producing Milk & Eggs Growing & Cooking Herbs Egg & Cheese Cookery Grain Aims Explain the importance of good diet and nutrition to good health Discuss the potential for increasing self sufficiency by growing your own food in a kitchen garden. Describe the potential and appropriate procedures for vegetable growing in your area. Describe the potential for fruit growing and appropriate fruit growing procedures for your locality. Describe the process of practices like bottling to extend the shelf life of produce. Explain the process of practices like freezing and drying to extend the shelf life of produce. Describe the principles of animal production and processing animal products, where someone is seeking to improve dietary self sufficiency. Describe growing and cooking with herbs, where someone is seeking to improve dietary self sufficiency. Describe the use of eggs and cheese where someone is seeking to improve dietary self sufficiency. Describe the use of grains in a situation where someone is seeking to improve dietary self sufficiency. Preserving Food With Acids (eg. Pickles) Acids also have a long history in food preservation primarily in the preservation of pickled and fermented foods. Acids can be present in preserved foods either because they have been added to foods or as a product of microbial fermentation within foods. Common ‘natural’ acids used in food preservation include vinegar and lemon juice. Vinegar is widely used in pickling fish and vegetables and lemon juice is used in the preservation of a variety of fruits and vegetables e.g. to produce jams and jellies. Action The preservative action of acids on foods is due to the pH of acid. pH is a measure of the intensity of an acid shown on a scale between 0-14, where a pH value of 1 is an almost pure acid and a pH value of 14 is an almost pure alkali. pH helps to control the growth of microorganisms by directly inhibiting microbial growth or by reducing the heat resistance of microorganisms. Some foods are naturally acidic such as citrus fruits and strawberries. This is why these fruits are naturally resistant to the growth of bacteria which grow and reproduce better at a neutral pH. Meanwhile foods that have a higher pH may be protected from microorganisms by adding an acid to the food to make the food more acidic. Considerations when using acids in home food preservation The effectiveness of acids in preventing the growth of microorganisms is dependent on their ability to reduce the pH of the water in foods. Different acids have different pH values so it is vital to choose the best acid for the food you are preserving. Also, should you wish to substitute one acid for another in a chosen recipe you must be aware of how this may affect the pH of the preserved food and thus it’s ability to protect a food from microbes. It is also vital to use the correct concentration of an acid in foods and the acid used must be evenly spread through the food. Using too little of your chosen acid or not mixing the acid uniformly through a food could cause foods to have a higher pH value making them more susceptible to microorganisms and diseases such as Botulism. Food preservation with acids has an effect on the way foods taste and this makes it unsuitable for many staple foods. YOU CAN DO A LOT - even on the smallest property; when you know how! HOW WILL THIS COURSE BENEFIT YOU? Make your own cheese Learn to grow, harvest, preserve and store food Learn production of milk and eggs Home study, self paced course Save your self time and money