The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables [Paperback]

Janet Chadwick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2009

A wonderful thing is happening in home kitchens. People are rediscovering the joys of locally produced foods and reducing the amount of the grocery budget that's spent on packaged items, out-of-season produce, and heavily processed foods. But fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables don't stay fresh and delicious forever - they must be eaten now . . . or preserved for later.

For all the vegetable gardeners facing baskets overflowing with bright tomatoes, and for all the dedicated farmers' market fans and CSA members, The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home has the simple solutions that turn overwhelming bounty into neatly canned tomatoes, jars of jams and jellies, and crispy-tart relishes and pickles.

Organized in a friendly, food-by-food format, readers will find freezing, drying, canning, and storing instructions for each vegetable, fruit, and herb. In many cases, several ways to freeze or can a food are described, and there are often other preserving suggestions as well, such as making juice or fruit leather.

Everything is written with busy people in mind: these are the quickest, most efficient methods for preserving summer's bounty. Up-to-date information and clear, step-by-step instructions show even absolute beginners the way to a fully stocked pantry.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Enjoy local produce year-round.

You don't need a lot of time or years of experience to preserve garden-fresh fruits and vegetables. Simple step-by-step instructions give you the confidence and know-how to freeze, dry, can, root cellar, and brine the abundance from your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share or summer garden.

Grate and freeze excess zucchini; it will be perfect in quick breads and muffins all winter long. Pick up a crate of less-than-perfect tomatoes at the farmers' market and preserve them in jars of spicy salsa. Turn the overflow of green beans from your CSA farm share into tasty dilly beans to eat all winter or give as holiday gifts.

These techniques and recipes will have you eating locally all year long.

About the Author

The author of several cooking and gardening books, Janet Chadwick has been growing and preserving food for years. Chadwick says, "There is no way you can 'buy' the feeling of pride you have when you show off the full freezer; the rows of canned vegetables, fruits, pickles, jams, jellies; or the root cellar shelves filled to the ceiling!" She is the author of Storey's The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food. Janet lives in Hinesburg, Vermont, where she has been growing and preserving food for years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; 3 Original edition (May 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603421459
• ISBN-13: 978-1603421454
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will prove to be one of the most valuable additions any homemaker can acquire, July 10, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables (Paperback)

In today's economy, one of family budget items that is getting more and more expensive are the expenditures for food. Therefore, one of the best ways to economize for a family's food budget is something our grandparents and great-grandparents knew well -- the home canning of fruits and vegetables in season for later consumption. For all too many modern homemakers, home canning is a lost art. That's what makes this newly updated, revised, and expanded third edition of Janet Chadwick's classic instructional manual, "The Beginner's Guide To Preserving Food At Home" is such a critically important and highly recommended addition to both family and community library collections. Here are 231-pages packed with solid and 'user friendly' instructions for canning, freezing, drying, brining, root cellaring vegetables, fruits and herbs for home consumption. Comprehensive, up-to-date, informed and informative, "The Beginner's Guide To Preserving Food At Home" will prove to be one of the most valuable additions any homemaker can acquire and one of the most popular acquisitions any librarian can add as a community resource.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home, April 2, 2010

By 

Diane Hoffmaster "Turning the Clock Back" (Lilburn, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables (Paperback)

In the last few years I have become passionate about eating as much local and organic food as possible. I have been lucky enough to find several farmers in my area that are quite skilled at growing veggies, raising cattle, and milking goats. I have only been gardening myself for a few years now and am slowly learning (mostly by trial and error!) what works and what doesn't. It is a good thing I have skilled farmers to rely on because my garden doesn't provide anywhere near enough food to feed my family. Every year I put in another bed of plants and pray they grow! As I become more successful (I hope!) I will need to know what to do with all the fresh foods I produce and this book will be an invaluable resource! The chapter on choosing equipment was quite informative and I must admit, I already own a Cuisinart food processor, dehydrator, and Kitchen aid mixer. Some of the best inventions I have every invested in. The author provides a very detailed list of supplies you will need, even down to the ladles and spatulas. She really DOES want the beginner preserver to succeed!

The chapter on tips, hints, and shortcuts was very informative. Staggered planting is one thing I am trying this year...put in your seeds/plants every few weeks throughout the season so they don't all ripen at the same time. If you have a kitchen full of 40 pounds of green beans you are going to be very grumpy by the time you are finished processing and, as the author stresses, this is supposed to be ENJOYABLE!

The author discusses each of the basic methods of preserving food and has lists of fruits/veggies that will work best for each one. Drying, freezing, canning, and root cellaring (cold storage) are all covered in detail. There are separate chapters for vegetables, fruits, and herbs and each one is filled with information on everything from A (asparagus) to Z (zucchini) and everything in between. If you want to know how to dry cherries or make pickled beets, that information is in there! At the end of the book you will find numerous recipes for making or using preserved produce and several handy reference charts.

The only part of the book that I was NOT a big fan of was the recommendation to use the vacuum packing of plastic sealer bags for storing veggies. It may very well be an excellent preservation technique, however I am not a big fan of plastic. I can honestly say that I loved everything else about this book and when my garden starts producing this spring/summer (keeping fingers crossed!) I will have a great resource for preserving my harvest!

Disclaimer: Storey Publishing provided me with one free copy of this book in order to write my review. I was provided no monetary compensation and all opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Basic Reference for Beginners, August 19, 2009

By 

kitchenmonster "kitchenmonster" (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables (Paperback)

I'm new to gardening and was innundated with produce. I used this step by step reference to supplement my food preparation equipment rather cheaply, and was up and running freezing and canning my excess. Chadwick tells readers the easiest way to preserve various foods, as well as the best way to perserve foods. Your choice. Chadwick includes several easy recipes. Especially tasty is the "Sweet Chunk Pickle" recipe. I must have canned 20 quarts of green beans, following Chadwick's instructions. I freezed broccoli, and green beans in boilable bags, and chopped green peppers for soups and omlettes. This is the only food preservation book I own, and I feel like I've had a first class education in food preservation.