Pandemic-era gardening boom sparks lasting success for UI Extension virtual food safety webinars

University of Idaho Extension’s popular Virtual Food Safety program was born of necessity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when interest in gardening exploded among homebound families.

Participants in a Treasure Valley online gardening class, led by former UI Extension educator Nic Usabel, Canyon County, were asking a common question: How do we safely preserve the food that we raise?

To address the need, Usabel recruited Extension educator Surine Greenway, Owyhee County, to partner on a virtual workshop in January 2021, called Plan the Garden, Preserve the Harvest. Their initial workshop was so popular, Greenway recruited Extension educator Amy Robertson, Boundary County, to help facilitate additional webinars on dehydration and boiling-water canning.

Greenway and Robertson continued organizing new webinars each month, drawing between 100 and 300 participants for their first few sessions and resulting in 12 monthly programs they repeat annually. In mid-January 2026, Virtual Food Safety began its sixth season.

“It was a little bit of a snowball effect,” Greenway said. “It was relevant, it was timely and it was in a format where people could access these presentations online without limitations.”

Webinars are scheduled during lunch break to accommodate working people, spanning between an hour and 90-minutes, and they include a demonstration and a lecture. Interest in the program is down from pandemic levels but remains steady. People join from every corner of the state, as well as from a few other states and Canada. Webinars are recorded for those who can’t attend in person.

People may register to receive a link to the free webinars at any point before they start, and reminders are emailed to those who register well in advance.

The most popular topics are freeze drying and fermentation, which is taught by Shawna Hobson, Extension office manager in Nez Perce County and a graduate of Extension’s Master Food Safety Advisor Program. Extension educator Jennifer Jensen, Bonner County, hosts a separate Plan the Garden, Preserve the Harvest webinar specific to northern Idaho’s growing conditions.

Other topics covered by Robertson and Greenway include pressure canning, making jerky, harvesting and storing garden vegetables, air frying, freezing, holiday food hacks and safe gifts from the kitchen.

The webinars emphasize the importance of following a proven recipe from a trusted source, such as Extension, when preserving food — especially when canning. Local Extension offices are also a great resource for anyone with a food safety question. Food that isn’t properly canned may become contaminated with a bacterium that causes a serious illness known as botulism.

“There are many people who have been home canners. They learned from a grandma, an aunt or online. They’re coming to our class, and they’re recognizing that making sure they use a valid recipe can play a significant role for their safety,” Greenway said.

The Virtual Food Safety program has proven to be an excellent tool for raising awareness about other Extension offerings and recruiting new participants.

Robertson and Greenway find many Virtual Food Safety participants return almost every month.

The educators conduct a poll prior to each session inquiring about participants’ past engagement in Extension activities.

“One of the questions we ask is, ‘Have you ever attended an Extension program before?’ and with most classes, especially at the beginning of the year, we’re seeing 30-50% saying this is the first time they’ve ever attended an Extension program,” Robertson said. “At the end we ask them if they plan to attend Extension programs again, and most of the time it’s yes.”

The educators also urge webinar participants to enroll in county Extension newsletters and plug in-person programs they offer on food safety and other topics.