Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Canning

Facility Kitchens will run ongoing personal production canning sessions for the next few days. The
price is $50.00 per individual or $80.00 for a team moving through a 4.5-hour process. We will work
with berries, pickles, cherries, & other produce. To join in, come to Facility kitchens with your recipe,
produce, all the other ingredients for your recipe, and jars and lids. RSVP is needed for these sessions.
Call or email us to let us know when you want to schedule your 4.5-hour sessions.
RSVP: janet@facilitykitchens.com or call 616.421.4540. Find directions to Facility Kitchens in Lowell at
www.facilitykitchens.com.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Personal Production Canning, July 15

Facility Kitchens will run a personal production canning session Tuesday, July 15, starting at 5:45pm and running until 10:15pm. The price is $50.00 per individual or $80.00 for a team moving through the process. We will work with berries, pickles, and cherries. Can your favorite berry canning recipe or try Razzelberry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, or blueberry lime jelly. To join in, come to Facility kitchens with your produce, all the other ingredients for your recipe, and jars and lids. To RSVP or for more details contact janet@facilitykitchens.com or call 616.421.4540. Reservations are not required; reservations will have first spaces available. Find directions to Facility Kitchens in Lowell at www.facilitykitchens.com.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Personal Production Canning

Facility Kitchens will run a personal production canning session Monday, July 7, starting at 5:45pm
and running until 10:15pm. The price is $50.00 per individual or $80.00 for a team moving through
the process. We will work with berries. Can your favorite berry canning recipe or try Razzelberry
pie filling, blueberry pie filling, or blueberry lime jelly. To join in, come to Facility kitchens with your
produce, all the other ingredients for your recipe, and jars and lids. To RSVP or for more details contact
janet@facilitykitchens.com or call 616.421.4540. Reservations are not required; reservations will have
first spaces available. Find directions to Facility Kitchens in Lowell at www.facilitykitchens.com.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Personal Production Canning

Personal Production Canning
Two dates coming up at Facility Kitchens


June 26th, Thursday evening starting at 5:45pm, running until 10:15pm,
you can do personal production canning with Diane Devereaux of The
Canning Diva. Go to www.canningdiva.com for details, prices, and to
sign up.


June 30th, Monday evening starting at 5:45pm, running until 10:15pm,
for open production canning at Facility Kitchens. The prices are $50.00
per individual or $80.00 for a team moving through the process using
joint produce and pots.To join in, be at Facility Kitchens June 30th
 at 5:45pm with your produce, all ingredients, and jars and lids. You may do the produce you can finish in the four and one half-hour session. Of course strawberries will be the featured produce, maybe some rhubarb, or other berries.
Check out your local producer, find your recipes and make it quicker
and easier in Facility Kitchens. If you want recipe suggestions, call
616.421.4540 or send an email.
No RSVP is required and reservations will have first available spaces.
There are maximum spaces for six individuals or three teams. RSVP
janet@facilitykitchens.com or 616.421.4540.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

West Michigan's Premier Commercial Kitchen

The premier commercial kitchen rental facility in West Michigan is Facility Kitchens. Our kitchens are specifically designed for smaller food businesses that require a larger, commercial kitchen but cannot afford to set up their own. Our kitchens are also perfect for individuals or any size groups who want to experience the pleasure of cooking with commercial-grade appliances in a large, commercial kitchen.

"Enjoy life, it's delicious!"

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Spring 2014 Pow Wow recap

In a specialty food business, you know; if you cannot sell your product, why make it. Your business survives on sales. David Graham’s excellent talk at Facility Kitchens’ spring pow wow cleared up two sales techniques on the path to more sales of your product. Can anyone selling specialty foods deny, that sales aren’t our big challenge? Check out David Graham’s web site, www.pinnacle.sandler.com; his business trains in sales and has a weekly open house for you to talk with him about your sales situation.
Thank you to David Graham, President of Sandler training, for talking to us at Facility Kitchens
about such a big topic, and thank you to all who came for our spring pow wow. We hope you enjoyed it.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Spring 2014 Pow Wow

Our Spring 2014 Pow Wow is right around the corner! 
Food Fun and Free Sales Seminar!! Come hear and see David Graham, President of Sandler Training, Tuesday evening, May 6 at 5:30pm

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Create your Canning Calendar

Create Your Canning Calendar

Photo by The Canning Diva
Photo by The Canning Diva
Home canning and food preservation is a year ‘round adventure!  One of the many joys I receive from teaching classes throughout West Michigan is hearing from students, who after one class are happy to share they have caught “the canning bug”!  It is so fulfilling to witness the excitement each person has when they see the variety of foods they are able to preserve throughout the year!  It is from this excitement I want to share some basics on how to create your own Canning Calendar.
We are all very busy, so planning ahead to maximize our canning efforts is a MUST if we are to achieve a well-stocked pantry each year.  A fun way to maximize such efforts is getting like-minded friends and family together several times a year so you may “put up” as many jars as possible!
Two weeks ago, four of us along with two helpers got together at a local commercial kitchen in Lowell, Facility Kitchens, and home canned 199 jars of delicious goodness!  Each of us had three recipes we wanted to produce within a 6 hour period of time.  My mother helped me produce a quadruple batch of Traditional Apple Pie Filling while a dear friend helped me produce a triple batch of my Strawberry Salsa and Marinade.  Believe it or not, I even managed to fit in pressure canning 20 pounds of carrots to enjoy as a side dish later this winter!  Overall, we preserved double and triple batches of Beef Vegetable Soup, Pickled Garlic Cloves, Chicken Soup, Chicken Broth, and Chicken Pot Pie Filling as well as Pickled Asparagus, Pizza Sauce, Venison, and more!  Best of all, we derived these recipes from our Canning Calendars!
Photo by The Canning Diva
Photo by The Canning Diva
As we approach the 2014 Growing and Canning Season, now is the perfect time to create your Canning Calendar.  Whether you grow it yourself, rely on local farmers or simply head to the grocery store, now is the time to begin forming a list of foods you would like to see gracing your pantry shelves.
Consider these three main factors when creating your 2014 Canning Calendar:
1)     Know Your State!  Michigan grows an abundance of fruits and vegetables May through August however many foods are available clear into the winter months.  After many hours of research I created a Michigan Availability Guide to help us Michiganders gauge what foods will be available each month giving our states climate, soil, and growing habits.  I use this guide to map out a plan-of-action based on particular foods availability.  There are many cost-saving benefits to home canning and preserving foods when it is readily available during peak season.
2)     Grow What You Eat!   You will often hear me say, “If you don’t eat it there is no sense in preserving it!”  Plan your garden space (and buying habits) around your canning endeavors.  For instance, if you enjoy canning a variety of salsas, create a “Salsa Garden” bed to provide you with salsa staples like tomatoes, cilantro and peppers.  If you prefer having an abundance of root crops handy during the winter month, grow a “Root Crop Garden” bed specific to your tastes and preservation methods.
Photo by The Canning Diva
Photo by The Canning Diva
3)     Rotate Your Inventory!  Far too often beginner canners get stuck home canning the same items year-after-year because they are afraid to preserve something they will not use.  To expand your canning endeavors, head down to your pantry with a pen and paper.  Take inventory of the items you eat on a regular basis and be sure to notate which items have been sitting on your shelf the longest!  When doing so, take special note of the aluminum cans lining your shelves…  Compare your inventory list with items grown in your state and/or grown in your very own garden.  You will be surprised at the abundance of aluminum cans you can eliminate from your grocery list because they are now a part of your Canning Calendar!   Also, be mindful of the expired items sitting on your pantry shelf.  They did not get eaten for a reason.  Be sure to keep these items in mind when pursing the internet for new, fun recipes to try!  If you haven’t eaten it, do not home can it!
Information gathered from the above three factors gives you the tools necessary to create your Canning Calendar.  Start mapping out designated canning time conducive to your lifestyle, your eating habits, and your garden harvest plans.  Use your calendar to forecast several months at a time or be adventurous and map out the entire year!
To receive a free down load of my Michigan Availability Guide, fun recipes and tips, visit me online at www.CanningDiva.com today!
From the Garden to the Jar™,
-Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva® 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

New Food Business

One of the hardest things to overcome when starting a food business is taking on the expense of construction a commercial kitchen.  That is why Facility Kitchens has done that for you.  We are a fully licensed, fully equipped commercial kitchen for rent by the hour.  We taken on these high costs so you do not have to.  Our kitchen is available 24/7 for you to produce at your convenience.  Contact us today for pricing and a tour of our amazing kitchen!  501 Ottawa, Lowell MI 49331
616.421.4540  We offer a 50% discount on your kitchen rental bills for the whole first 2 months after you apply for your license!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Recipal





Interested in making your personalized 
nutritional labels in house?
You should check out Recipal.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

West Michigan's Premier Commerical Rental Kitchen

The premier commercial kitchen rental facility in West Michigan is Facility Kitchens. Our kitchens are specifically designed for smaller food businesses that require a larger, commercial kitchen but cannot afford to set up their own. Our kitchens are also perfect for individuals or any size groups who want to experience the pleasure of cooking with commercial-grade appliances in a large, commercial kitchen.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Personal Canning

Personal canning with the Canning Diva produced 57 jars in total. Diane Devereaux did chicken breasts, raw packed in pints, Janet did Mexican soup in pints, and we both did pickled garlic in half-pints. Thanks to Sara of Facility Kitchens for her help!