Home cooks learn how to market treats at Modesto-area event

People hoping to launch home-based food businesses tried their hand Tuesday at making strawberry jam.

The recipe at this Modesto-area gathering called for 34 ounces of mashed fruit, 40 ounces of sugar and 4 1/2 tablespoons of pectin, which thickens the jam. Oh, and 20 seconds of hand washing before touching the ingredients, so as not to sicken the customers.

Sanitation was among the key topics at a workshop on “cottage foods,” as they are known, sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension. Attendees also learned about training, labeling, volume limits and other requirements laid out in a 2012 state law.

“You really want to lather and scrub your hands, because you really want to get any germs and bacteria off your hands,” said Sylvia Mireles, an environmental health specialist for Stanislaus County, who helps issue cottage food permits.

About 30 people turned out at the county agricultural center off Crows Landing Road to hear about how they might market their baked goods, nuts, honey, dried fruit, vinegar and other products. Those with a high risk of spoiling – including meat, dairy and low-acid fruits and vegetables – are not allowed.

The law gave legal standing to these ventures while assuring that they operate safely and do not disturb neighbors.

Owners must get training in food safety and list all of the ingredients, including allergens, on the labels. They can employ only one person who lives outside the house. They can sell up to $50,000 worth of food each year and must move to a commercial kitchen if they get bigger.

Mireles and Terri Spezzano, a nutrition adviser and county director for the extension, had other tips on food safety: Tie back your hair or wear a hairnet. Store your family’s meat in the bottom of the refrigerator to prevent dripping onto the items for sale. Keep pets and small children out of the kitchen when preparing these products.

Another speaker, Eric Firpo, started a cottage food business with some of the fruit he grows on a small spread in Stockton.

“When I make strawberry jam, it’s hard to keep in stock,” said Firpo, manager of Boggs Tract Community Farm, which also produces vegetables and eggs. He said it helps to already have a base of customers who pay in advance for weekly deliveries of whatever is in season.

Elizabeth McDonald of Manteca, retired from a career at auto dealerships, came to the workshop with the hope of starting her own home business. She makes an apricot-pineapple-habañero jam that she thinks farmers market patrons would love.

“For years, we couldn’t do it, so when they passed that law, that was very exciting,” she said.

Spezzano showed the group how to make fruit leather, a nutrient-packed snack. She puréed peaches, bananas and blueberries and poured them into a thin layer on a pan that went into a dehydrator. After about 10 hours at 135 degrees, they are ready to be vacuum-sealed into plastic bags.

The jam demonstration was led by Diane Metz, an extension adviser emeritus in Solano County. She also showed how to make “California treasure cake,” a dense concoction with dates, walnuts and maraschino cherries.

“Fruitcake haters love this because it doesn’t use candied fruit,” she said.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Home cooks learn how to market treats at Modesto-area event."