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Cooperative Extension agent warns about food-safety risks, offers tips for preserving herbs
Summary
Janice Roberts of Moore County Cooperative Extension reviewed produce-safety basics (safe water, contamination vectors), cited national foodborne-illness figures and gave practical herb-preservation and food-safety advice, including a botulism warning for garlic‑in‑oil stored at room temperature.
Janice Roberts, Family & Consumer Science Agent with Moore County Cooperative Extension, tied backyard gardening to food safety and preserving culinary herbs in a senior-center Lunch & Learn session.
She highlighted the scale of the public-health problem: "48 million cases of food born illness a year about 127,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths," numbers she used to frame why proper handling matters for home gardeners and small-scale producers.
Roberts reviewed common contamination paths for produce: human handling (improper handwashing), contaminated irrigation water, and animal feces (cows, deer) depositing pathogens such as E. coli on leafy greens. She advised using tested water sources, keeping tools and packaging clean, excluding animals from garden beds, and following composting rules so amendments are safely processed before being applied to produce intended to be eaten raw.
Turning to preservation, Roberts described several safe ways to preserve herbs: air-drying for robust herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme), electric dehydrators or oven-light methods for others, and freezing herbs in oil or water in ice-cube trays for convenience. She gave step-by-step tips—harvest herbs in the morning after dew dries, avoid bruised leaves, and store airtight in a cool, dark place for best potency.
On a safety note she warned against improper garlic‑in‑oil mixtures: "if it's stored at room temperature there's a risk for botulism," and said garlic‑oil mixes should be refrigerated and used within four days or frozen for longer storage. She also advised sterilizing jars for flavored vinegars and using proper freezing timelines (3–6 months) to preserve quality.
Roberts closed by encouraging attendees to contact Cooperative Extension for help, noting staff capacity will be reduced in summer because of vacancies and leave; she asked patience while services continue on a skeleton crew and reiterated printed handouts and local resources.
The Cooperative Extension presentation linked gardening practices to food safety, preservation techniques and community resources available to Moore County residents.
