A Guide to Preserving Food for a 12 Months Harvest: Canning, Freezing, Smoking, and Drying; Making Cheese, Cider, Soap and Grinding Grain; Getting the Most from Your Garden (Ortho book series) [Paperback]

Mariel Dewey (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Ortho Books (March 1, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0917102126
• ISBN-13: 978-0917102127
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Brief Guide, August 19, 2005

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to Preserving Food for a 12 Months Harvest: Canning, Freezing, Smoking, and Drying; Making Cheese, Cider, Soap and Grinding Grain; Getting the Most from Your Garden (Ortho book series) (Paperback)

This book is a concise collection of ideas for gardening and preserving food for year-round food self-sufficiency. It includes chapters on garden planning, canning, freezing, drying and smoking, juicing, cheese making, grinding grains, gathering wild fruits, camp foods, decorative drying, and kitchen planning. There are quite a number of interesting and useful recipes, from rose petal syrup to candied cactus to acorn bread. In addition to recipes, the authors provide instructions for canning and for building special equipment like a food dehydrator, or a fruit press. The book is illustrated throughout with color photographs. End material includes a glossary and index.

Although the book includes some tips from a grower in Michigan, much of the material comes from families in California, so there is quite a bit of advice for mild climate Western gardeners, and not much information for gardeners who face extremely cold conditions. The gardening advice seems mostly sound, although it doesn't stick to strictly organic methods, and includes a few recommendations for chemical applications. The food preservation techniques focus on canning, freezing, and drying, and barely mention root cellaring. Nevertheless, if you only have room on your shelf for one slim volume about food preservation, this is a good choice because it includes information on such a wide variety of topics.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a treasure in paperback, June 12, 2010

By 

K. Smith "katie b" (Portland, OR, US) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Guide to Preserving Food for a 12 Months Harvest: Canning, Freezing, Smoking, and Drying; Making Cheese, Cider, Soap and Grinding Grain; Getting the Most from Your Garden (Ortho book series) (Paperback)

I have now owned 2 copies of this book, and recently purchased another copy to gift to my son for his birthday. The book is more than a guide to preserving, etc. It is also a glimpse into the past when times seemed more simple, and people were equipped to survive with what they could grow in their gardens, and make from their crops. Many of the recipes (home made cider, soap, cheese, etc) come with directions on how to build the pieces of equipment to make the product. This book comes with directions to revive many lost arts...it would be a wonderful gift for anyone who is interested in becoming as self-sufficient as one wants to be.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great inspiration on Gardening and what to do with your Harvest after, December 2, 2007

By 

B. Morrow "Maria" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to Preserving Food for a 12 Months Harvest: Canning, Freezing, Smoking, and Drying; Making Cheese, Cider, Soap and Grinding Grain; Getting the Most from Your Garden (Ortho book series) (Paperback)

This book has been a mere insperation for me. Eversince i bought it, I have been making my own Whole Wheat Bread, and have managed to live more suffiencent with the harvest that i bring in from my own Garden. Granted this is more of a what to do afterwards book rather than a gardening book, but it is really helpfull.
Mrs Dewey has a great writing style that is easy and simple to understand. I would absolutley recommend this book to anyone that wants to do more with their garden than just bring in Strawberries in June and Tomatoes in August.