Customer Reviews

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)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I have regularly used my copy of 12 Months Harvest by the Ortho people for years now. My daughter had a huge vegetable and fruit garden this past summer and called me regularly with updates and questions about what to do with a plant that was shading another too much or not flourishing, etc. I kept referring to my copy of 12 Months Harvest to answer her, so I decided a copy for her would be a great present.

Since both she and I can and make jam, the recipes and information about quantities needed, as well as general canning information enhance the use of the book. The authors recommended companion books with expanded coverage for various aspects of gardening including what to do seasonally, getting ready for winter and spring, etc. She could then tailor her gardening library specifically to issues that come up in the future.

I think this book is an excellent overall book to growing and utilizing all the food that you can grow or to which you have access and wish to use.

My dad bought this book new when I was little. I still have it. 3 years ago I purchased a good used copy on Amazon to give as a gift. I only paid about 8 dollars for it. I am just surprised to see how much the cost has gone up for it.
It is an excellent guide.