Hi Everyone,

I'm excited to announce that I have just posted NYC Canning Project as an idea on Ideablob. Not familiar with Ideablob? It's a website that allows its users to vote for and comment on submitted ideas; the best idea at the end of the month gets $10,000!

My idea is simple. As many of you are aware, USDA regulations require low-acid foods (like vegetables) to be canned in a licensed, commercial kitchen. Since most farmers can't afford to buy or rent a kitchen, many just throw away unsold food at farmers markets instead of canning it for winter sales. As a result, few winter farmers markets offer canned vegetables for sale (meaning that the average consumer looses access to local food) and farmers loose out on valuable income.

NYC Canning Project will pilot the idea of purchasing the unsold food from the NYC Greenmarket, canning it according to USDA regs and then selling it during the winer. The goal is not to make money but to increase the NYC community's access to year-round local food.

This is an idea that I have been sitting on for a while and am anxious for feedback and, of course, your votes. It's so easy to register. If this project resonates with you, I would really appreciate it if you took the time to vote for it. I'm also curious if any of you have heard of a project like this before? I've tried researching, but have not found anything similar.

Thanks for your time!