Preserve the Season Online Course - Summer

Summer 2026

July 2, July 16, August 6, August 13, September 3

10 am Pacific Time - All Zoom Workshops Are Recorded

Join James Beard award-winning cookbook author Sarah Owens as she guides you through a season of preserving using hot water canning, lacto-fermentation, koji, and dehydration. Each week you will receive 5 never-before published recipes using seasonal produce, so if you've taken a preserving course with Sarah before, you're in for a treat! Each corresponding workshop will focus on these new recipes and their possible variations, with demonstrations and discussion revolving around technique and safety. Course content will be inspired by Sarah's global travels and various cultural traditions as well as innovations. 

Because produce no longer has predictable harvest times, this course will focus on various preserving techniques using the abundance of what is in season. Recipes will be sent 3 to 5 days in advance of each workshop, influenced by the Northern California climate. This typically means using produce 2-4 weeks in advance of other parts of the country, however this year may be as much as 6 weeks in advance due to warmer-than-normal temperatures. This is generally to the advantage of most students for planning purposes but is something to be aware of if you are hoping to follow along in class. Please add info@ritualfinefoods.com and sarahowens@ritualfinefoods.com to your contacts list to avoid communication being sent to spam. 

Techniques that will be covered:

Jams, Sweet Preserves, and Sweet & Savory Chutneys

You will learn the basics of hot water canning, including how to safely and easily store delicious sweet preserves for long term, shelf stable storage. Although the year is off to a warmer-than-normal start, this is likely a celebration of stone fruits and berries, including peaches, cherries, nectarines, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. If figs are in abundance, these will also be a focus. 

Vegetable Ferments

You will learn basic fermentation techniques, including brining, making flavorful and creative krauts, and fermented relishes. We will also experiment with adding fruits to savory fermented relishes to add sourness and complexity. 

Koji Ferments

Koji is one of the most versatile techniques for fermentation and preservation and in this workshop, we will explore the ways it can be used to make miso, flavor pastes, and other condiments. You will also learn to culture grains using a proofing box at home.

Dehydrated and Fermented Fruits, Herbs, and Vegetables

The sun is one of the most powerful techniques for preserving, and we will explore ways to ferment and/or dehydrate fruits, herbs, and vegetables to make our own seasoning blends. 

Hot Sauces, Tomato Sauces, and Savory Canning

Late summer is the best time to preserve peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes when they've had plenty of time to develop sugars and flavor compounds from the heat. Learn to put up basic sauces for building dishes later in winter as well as more creative, unique preserves.