Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest, my latest book from Sasquatch Books is HERE, there and everywhere!!! And just in time to make the most of summer’s abundant harvest.
Everything old is new again. We are in the midst of a contemporary revival of almost-lost kitchen arts coupled with a newfound respect for food integrity and healthful living. In a welcome departure from our recent history of fast, global, and often anonymous food, America is developing a palate and a passion for fresh, seasonal fare as well as a growing respect for the farmers and artisan craftspeople who work so hard to produce it.
These days, growing concerns about food safety and security routinely generate frightening headlines, and an unstable economy has us all thinking about cost-cutting measures. However, even in the midst of contemporary crises and economic anxiety, for many of us the delicious pleasure of the table are never far from our thoughts and menus. (Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest) is less about surviving calamity or amassing a collection of dusty jars and piles of mystery packages at the back of the freezer than it is about making the most of fresh, seasonal bounty, putting up healthy foods, and producing delicious treats for a well-stocked pantry, meant to be shared with friends and family.
When important principles are followed, traditional preserving methods – freezing, canning, drying, and live storage – do a fine job of keeping provisions. Beyond these basics, vinegar, sugar, alcohol, and other cures are primarily employed for the additional flavor they impart as well as their effectiveness at prolonging the shelf life of various foodstuffs… Before we get into the complexities of water baths, microbes, temperature controls, and enzyme activity, I leave you with these simple instructions: savor the season – harvest, preserve, share – and enjoy. Repeat.
I wrote the introduction to Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest (excerpted above) last August. It’s nothing shy of astonishing to see how the home preservation movement has grown in this past year. In the coming weeks I’ll be participating in Can Across America. You could say – and many have – it’s a CANVOLUTION!
Canning Across America (CAA) is a nationwide, ad hoc collective of cooks, gardeners and food lovers committed to the revival of the lost art of “putting by” food. Our goal is to promote safe food preservation and the joys of community building through food. We believe in celebrating the bounty of local and seasonal produce and taking greater control of our food supply. Together, we can.
It makes perfect sense – with so many of us growing our food and savoring the fruits of our labor it’s only natural that we would want to extend the harvest. It’s been a roller coaster year economically, but with my pantry shelves filled with jars of jam at least I know I’ll start each day rich with delicious fruit on hot buttered toast!
Won’t you join the party? Follow along this harvest season (and beyond!) as I share methods, guidelines, tips, recipes and ideas for how to create delectable, healthful, and innovative preserves to enhance your everyday and holiday table. And as long as we’re passing the pickle plate, sipping the first nips of fruit cordial, and getting sticky with jam, feel free to send me your recipes, harvest traditions and family secrets.
Through an almost magical alchemy, food is not just preserved but transformed and elevated into something altogether different to become the fare of festive celebrations and artisan craftsmanship.
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That’s wonderful, Lorene! Glad it’s out and about. Time for a new book on preserving the harvest.~~Dee
spending a moment before I head out to the garden . . . wanted to tell you Congrats!!!! The gorgeous new book arrived in yesterday’s mail and I’m so excited to try out your recipes. (First on the list: Chunky Peach Jam!). But more than anything, I love reading your prose, Lorene. You write from the heart and soul, and people are going to fall in love with the notion of living the gardener-cook life you describe.
PS, what did I ever do to deserve your incredibly kind acknowledgement, anyway? What a surprise. I’m honored. xoxo deb
You, my dear are a gift to me. I celebrated the chance to say so “out loud!” – L
Oh, it sounds like a wonderful book. I really enjoyed (and still re-read) the encyclopedia of country living. Perfect timing as canning season is in full swing in the hot month of august! congrats
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