Have you ever pried open the lid of a store-bought can of soup, fruit, or vegetables and wished it contained the fresh flavors you wanted?
More importantly, wouldn’t it be nice to know what’s really in your food without needing a dictionary? The Everything® Canning & Preserving Book gives you both of these things, without eating up all your free time. By applying the instructions in this book, anyone can create interesting, unique, preserved edibles at home that are spiced just right and created with loving care.
As you might suspect, this is not your run-of-the-mill recipe collection. From gourmet jam flavors and luscious mustards to mouthwatering marinades and pleasing pickles, you’re going to find refreshingly creative recipes to add to your repertoire. Perhaps they’ll even become new traditions. After entering the world of preserving, families will discover important budgetary advantages and the wonders of a full pantry that appeals to everyone’s taste buds. Children will love helping out, and single readers will find that these methods can help with the not-wanting-to-cook-for-one-person blues. Now singles can preserve perfectly sized portions of a favorite creation and take out a single serving whenever the craving strikes.
It’s true that the arts of canning and preserving fell out of fashion for a while. After all, the supermarket had nearly anything you wanted at a reasonable cost. Today, things are different. What happened to inspire a renaissance? Many things. There’s the move toward getting away from chemically treated food, and organic gardens have sprouted up in many backyards. This book is meant for anyone who wants to know what they put in their mouth is safe. It’s also written for the large number of television viewers who have caught the cooking bug from various shows. Perhaps most important, more families are trying to find ways to protect valued histories, including recipes, and the art of preserving is one way of achieving that goal.
Beyond those three reasons, home preserving saves you money and fits in superbly with healthy living choices. With these methods, you can give your family the food they love, prepared the way you like it and neatly personalized for allergies or dietary restrictions! Better still, the endeavor isn’t a one-shot deal; you end up with several months worth of stock to enjoy. And you won’t be alone in your efforts: Nearly 30 percent of Americans are rediscovering the natural goodness that canning and preserving offer.
If you’re wondering whether you have the time or money for another hobby, don’t worry. Canning and preserving doesn’t require you rework your kitchen to look like a magazine ad, and the cost of the basic components is more than covered by the savings in your grocery budget. It isn’t even necessary to gather all the equipment for all preserving methods immediately. Instead, focus on one method and begin watching for bargains.
The Everything® Canning & Preserving Book offers your kitchen tried-and-true methods for canning, freezing, drying, and pickling so you can pick what you like best. Additionally, throughout this book you’ll find time-saving hints so you can really enjoy your projects. Food should be fun! Preserving is an alchemical art, and playing with your food is encouraged. While there are some guidelines you need to follow, there’s still plenty of room for creativity. With that in mind, this book has one central underlying theme: Food changes life, life changes food, and preserving allows us to remember and celebrate this every day.
Are you ready to give it a try? Let’s get cooking!