Whether you have an overflowing garden or just got overly enthusiastic about the peaches at the farmers’ market, it’s hard this time of year to resist the siren song of putting up some of summer’s bounty for cooler days. These books will give you all the hard-core how-tos and inspiring recipes you need.
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ProductJam Session: A Fruit-Preserving Handbook
Whether you want to get started with preserving or to take your hobby to the next level, this inviting new book by master preserver Joyce Goldstein provides everything you need to know. Her instructions are straightforward, her 80 recipes foolproof. Beyond the essential processes and the ABCs of food safety, Goldstein beckons us to take what we’ve learned from her and have fun by concocting our own recipes that suit our tastes to a tee. -
ProductJerky: The Fatted Calf’s Guide to Preserving & Cooking Dried Meaty Goods
Now that hiking season is upon us, why not try your hand at the centuries-old craft of drying meat? This smokin’ little book by the founders of San Francisco’s Fatted Calf Charcuterie walks you through every step of the jerky-making process. Each of the 40 easy recipes is more mouth-watering than the last, from Bourbon and Molasses Smoked Beef Jerky to Porchetta Cracklin' to Chinese Fluffy Pork. No special equipment is required—you need only your ingredients and your oven. -
ProductPreserving Italy
Author Domenica Marchetti delves deep into the Italian methods for preserving the kinds of ingredients beloved in that country—tomatoes, olives, eggplant, quince, beans, and basil—and how to then use them in scrumptious dishes. Though mostly focused on fruits and vegetables, there are also chapters on curing meats and making fresh cheeses, liqueurs, and confections. -
ProductSaving the Season
Author Kevin West's 2013 book is an instant classic. Ten years ago, frustrated by the information available to home canners, West figured out how to do it on his own and began a blog, also called Saving the Season. In the book, he elucidates the hows and whys of canning, while weaving in family lore and literary excerpts. The 200-plus recipes encompass savory and sweet: Sunshine Pickles, Heirloom Tomato Sauce, Wild Blackberry Molasses, and Thrifty Applesauce are but a small taste of the recipes offered in this thoroughly researched and deeply engaging guide. -
ProductJam It, Pickle It, Cure It
Warning: This charming book may trigger fits of kitchen activity. Solomon imbues the crafting of preserves, pickles, condiments, candies, and cordials with a hip new sensibility. And the captivating photos and creative packaging ideas are sure to inspire you to stock your own larder with homemade butter, mustard, and jam. So good-bye, prefab food; hello, DIY crackers, pasta, hot sauce, bacon, mayo, marshmallows, chocolates, and more. -
ProductWisdom for Home Preservers
In this guide from Fine Cooking publisher Taunton Press, author Robin Ripley offers 500 tips covering most everything you need to know about freezing, pickling, canning, curing, and more, and includes the occasional recipe.
