Over the two days of classes in Chiloquin and Klamath Falls, the AmeriCorps member worked alongside partners from Oregon State University Extension Offices and her supervisor, a Klamath Tribal member, to provide the skills and resources to promote food preservation. The WEAVE-NW program received a grant from the Oregon Health Authority to support Oregon tribes and their food sovereignty initiatives. After seeing a posting from the Klamath Tribes Cultural Resources department, the Board reached out to offer preservation classes to the community. By re-instilling traditional practices and relationships with native foods through two-hour long hands-on workshops, a spark for food sovereignty was lit. The class utilized local plums to make three plum jams and a quick vegetable pickling demo. Even with 15 participants in each class, everyone was able to take home a jar of each. The spark was evident to Luca after talking with the participating community members who expressed a need for future classes with other food preservation skills. The Board plans to continue the food preservation courses at other Oregon tribes in collaboration with OSU Master Food Preservation Certification courses.

Check out Luca’s blog post!