A Night of Canning at Griffin Hospital’s Teaching Kitchen

I had this really fun experience at a canning workshop hosted in Griffin Hospital’s Teaching Kitchen over at Quarry Walk in Oxford. I had never canned anything before, and I was really curious about it. The whole idea came from Caty Poole, who’s really involved in local community gardens and wanted to show folks how to preserve their own local produce.

Arriving at the Workshop: A Warm and Inviting Scene

I’ll admit I was running a little late thanks to traffic, but when I walked in, I was greeted by a group of about 12 to 15 people who were already busy cutting and chopping squash. There was a kind of camaraderie in the room—people just chatting and working together. I jumped right in with the immersion blender to help with the applesauce bubbling away on the stove. It smelled amazing, like autumn in a pot.

A Quick Shoutout to the Teaching Kitchen

First off, the Teaching Kitchen itself is awesome. It’s on the second floor of the Quarry Walk building, and it’s run by Griffin Hospital. They’ve got this huge gas stove, a couple of ovens, and even cameras so they can stream classes or show you a top-down view of what’s cooking. It’s a beautiful and useful spot for learning and definitely deserves a little highlight.

The Flow of the Evening: Learning, Laughter, and a Shared Meal

As we got the first batches of squash into the water bath and canned the applesauce, we took a little break. Caty Poole, who was leading the workshop, shared some best practices about canning, like making sure your jars are properly sterilized and how to know when you’ve got a good seal. It was kind of like sitting around the kitchen table and getting tips from a friend who really knows her stuff.

And then came one of my favorite parts - we all sat down to enjoy a meal together. Caty had made a delicious squash soup, and Mike from Griffin Hospital had prepared some kind of meat dish that was just perfect. We also had some lesser-known vegetables like organic carrots from Massaro Farm that were part of the meal. It was a lovely little dinner right there in the kitchen, and it felt like a gathering of friends.

Caty Poole: The Quiet Connector in the Valley

Here I need to pause and highlight Caty Poole. I’ve known Caty for a long time, back from her days at Massaro Community Farm. She’s always been someone who looks at the bigger picture. She’s not just focused on one farm or one garden, she’s the person who connects the CSAs, the local farms, the restaurants, the food banks, and the community. She’s making a real impact behind the scenes, even if a lot of people don’t know her name. I look up to her for that, and I think it’s worth mentioning that she’s kind of the glue that holds this whole local food ecosystem together.

Canning The Valley

The whole point of the event was to get people comfortable with canning as a way to make local food last longer. In our area, we know there’s some food insecurity, and this is one way to stretch out the harvest.

Caty and another local farmer, Kim, talked a bit about the different kinds of produce they grow. Things that are hardy, don’t need a ton of resources, and are easy to store. And if you’re ever at a farmers’ market and see something unfamiliar, just ask the farmers what they do with it. They love sharing ideas.

Hands-On Fun and Takeaways

We got back to peeling, chopping, stirring, and blending. I even got to be the star of the immersion blender for the applesauce! By the end of the night, everyone was full and happy. We each left with a couple of jars of canned squash and a big jar of applesauce we’d made ourselves, which should last about a year on a shelf at home. It was a great, down-to-earth way to learn a useful skill and feel more connected to our local food scene.

Caty is planning on doing more canning events, so keep an eye out if you would like to try. Griffin Hospital's teaching kitchen runs other programming from time to time as well.