The Blue Ridge Cannery will begin full-time July 5, on a first come first serve basis.
The plant will open Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week until late September or early October at 8 a.m. Product must be ready for the cookers by noon on those days.
Customers of the plant should bring personal jars with lids and rings. The plant requests that participants bring jars instead of cans.
They also want to encourage customers to do as much prep work as possible before coming to the plant. For example, washing produce, snapping beans, washing jars, frying meat, ect.
All ingredients and recipes for canning produce are the responsibility of each customers. Each customer is responsible for preparing various produce according to individual recipes and getting it in the jar with the guidance from cannery personnel.
Once the product is placed in the jars, it is then the responsibility of the customer to clean their work area and used equipment.
Plant employees request that customers do not bring jars to be processed that are already filled with products that have been previously refrigerated.
Each customer will be assigned a customer number that will be used for the entirety of the canning season.
Children are welcome but must be supervised. Be aware that equipment requires steam to operate and should receive instruction before operating.
A check or cash will be the required payment method for the canning process.
Information about the canning plant will be available by calling 706-632-0208 and listening to the greeting. Plant employees ask that callers do not leave a voicemail on this line.