National Preserving Awareness Week 2026

Every summer, National Preserving Awareness Week invites families, gardeners, chefs, and food enthusiasts to rediscover the art of preserving. Held in late July, this week-long celebration encourages individuals to transform seasonal bounty into jams, chutneys, pickles, and more—connecting communities through shared skills, tradition, and tasty creativity.

What is National Preserving Awareness Week?

National Preserving Awareness Week is a global event focused on promoting homemade food preservation. It brings together seasoned preservers and beginners to share recipes, tools, and techniques for turning produce into long-lasting, flavourful staples.

Central to the celebration is the Stay-at‑Home Jam Festival, an old-fashioned fair held online, where families can participate in competitions, creative challenges, and swapping events—blending festival fun with homemade food culture.

When is National Preserving Awareness Week?

In 2026, National Preserving Awareness Week runs from July 27 to August 1. While the schedule may change slightly each year, late July remains the traditional timeframe—a perfect moment to honour summer harvests and prepare for autumn pantry planning.

Why National Preserving Awareness Week Matters

Preserving food at home helps reduce waste, support food security, and reconnect people with seasonal cycles. It’s also a cultural practice—passing down family traditions, nurturing creativity, and building resilience in self-reliant homes.

During this week, participants exchange surplus produce, seeds, and ideas—encouraging community building and sharing resources sustainably and joyfully.

How to Get Involved in National Preserving Awareness Week

• Join the Stay-at‑Home Jam Festival: Participate online with jam-making tutorials, creativity challenges, and wholesome competition for all ages.
• Launch or visit a SwapCrop event: Trade excess fruits or vegetables via community networks—local or online—to reduce waste and share homegrown bounty.
• Host a preserving workshop: Teach friends, family, or school groups how to make chutney, pickles, fruit preserves, or ferments.
• Enter competitions: Share your best preserve, decorated jar, recipe, or poetry inspired by preserving to win home-friendly prizes.
• Share tips and stories: Use social media to highlight easy recipes, preserving success stories, or lessons learned from your own kitchen experiments.

History of National Preserving Awareness Week

Founded by passionate preservers like Rosie Jameson of Rosie’s Preserving School, the event began as a lockdown-inspired online festival. Its original Stay-at‑Home Jam Festival brought together thousands in 2020, celebrating jam-making as both culinary craft and community ritual.

Since then, the week has grown into an annual celebration of preserving skills and shared abundance—bringing real and virtual festivals, swapping platforms, cook-alongs, and competitions to preserving enthusiasts everywhere.

Noteworthy Facts About National Preserving Awareness Week

• The Stay-at‑Home Jam Festival featured over 4,000 preserves entered into its “Jamometer” during lockdown.
• Rosie’s online preserving classes taught jam-making to hundreds, through workshops and tutorials tied to the event.
• SwapCrop events help connect people with spare produce—supporting zero waste and local food resilience.
• Prizes have included preserving kits, large jars, workshop vouchers, and recognition for creative jars or recipes.
• The event brings together cooks, gardeners, bakers, and makers—blending food, craft, creativity, and community.

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#PreservingWeek, #JamFestival, #SwapCrop, #HomePreserves