The Grayson County Extension Office will host a videotaped Homebased Microprocessor Workshop on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., CST, for those interested in becoming certified. Homebased Microprocessors are farmers who grow and harvest produce to use in their value-added products. Homebased Microprocessors are required to grow a predominant ingredient in the products they make. Obtaining this certification will allow producers to sell products such as canned tomatoes and tomato products, pickled fruits and vegetables, salsa, barbecue sauce, pepper or herb jellies, pressure-canned vegetables and low-or no-sugar jams and jellies.

Attending this workshop is the first in a series of steps, which include recipe approval (at a cost of $5 per recipe), verification of an approved water source, and annual certification by the Kentucky Food Safety Branch (with a certification fee of $50 per year).

To qualify, farmers must live and farm in Kentucky. The final product must contain a fruit, vegetable, nut or herb grown by the farmer. Homebased microprocessors cannot have a gross annual income over 60,000 (sixty thousand dollars) from the sale of their products. Homebased Microprocessed products can only be sold from three locations within Kentucky: the processor’s farm, a Kentucky Registered Farmer’s Market, or a Certified Roadside Stand.

To register for the Homebased Microprocessor Workshop or for more information, call Annhall Norris at (859) 257-1812 or visit
https://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/homebased_processing_microprocessing.