Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More [Hardcover]

Ashley English (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010 | Series: Homemade Living

Yes, you CAN! More and more people have discovered what grandma always knew: canning and preserving supplies you with wholesome, tasty treats year round. And this Homemade Living guide provides all the practical, hold-your-hand basics along with plenty of step-by-step photos.

 

Learn about the necessary tools of the trade, crucial safety tips, and hot water bath processing and pressure canning. Discover the all-important science of salt and sugar, and how to select the best possible ingredients, favoring seasonal, organic, and local options.  Three topic-specific primers cover pickles, relishes and chutneys; jams, jellies, butters and curds; and whole fruits and veggies—and each offers at least two “Canning Classic” recipes with variation ideas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A comprehensive and indispensible guide for preserving and enjoying the bounty of your local harvest. In it you will find the tools and inspiration needed to can with confidence and ease." – Terry Walters, author of CLEAN FOOD

 

"Accessible, thorough, and visually pleasing, this is a useful primer for beginners and a helpful brief reference for the more experienced. Highly recommended." - Library Journal

 

“Ashley English is the how-to voice of a new DIY movement." - Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne, founders of Homegrown Evolution and authors of The Urban Homestead

 

"An approach to urban homesteading that inspires both action and admiration." – Grace Bonney, founder of Design*Sponge

 

"The Homemade Living series is beautiful, in both aesthetics and intention. A friendly introduction to simpler living that people in barns and brownstones alike can appreciate." – Jenna Woginrich, author of Made from Scratch and blogger for Mother Earth News and The Huffington Post

 

"Beautifully designed and laid out with lush, full-color photographs and illustrations. Ashley knows her stuff and you will too after reading her books." - Mother Nature Network

 

“Perfect for the aspiring urban farmer on your list!...Tons of gorgeous photos, troubleshooting tips, and recipes makes these books a must have addition to any gardener's bookshelf.” -Re-Nest

 

“What I love most about this series is how Ashley presents all of these could-be-complicated subjects in a way that's achievable and encouraging. It all feels totally doable...not to mention fun and fresh in the way she shares it all.” - Amanda Soule, Author of The Creative Family and Handmade Home, Found of the popular blog Soule Mama

"Ashley English is one of the hardest working women in the homemade movement that I know." - Food in Jars

Book Description

Learn about the necessary tools of the trade, crucial safety tips, and hot water bath processing and pressure canning. Discover the all-important science of salt and sugar, and how to select the best possible ingredients, favoring seasonal, organic, and local options.  Three topic-specific primers cover pickles, relishes and chutneys; jams, jellies, butters and curds; and whole fruits and veggies—and each offers at least two “Canning Classic” recipes with variation ideas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600594913
• ISBN-13: 978-1600594915
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Canning & Preserving

More About the Author

Ashley English has earned degrees in both holistic nutrition and sociology. Life has provided her with numerous career paths, including working as a medical assistant and nutritional consultant, manager of a bed and breakfast, wine and beer sales rep, and baker and caterer. Additionally, she has worked over the years with a number of non-profit organizations committed to social and agricultural issues and she is currently a member of Slow Food USA. Ashley, her husband and their young son, along with a menagerie of chickens, dogs, cats, and bees live in Candler, NC, where they are converting their land into a thriving homestead. You can find her detailing those adventures in homesteading on her blog, small measure, http://small-measure.blogspot.com. She also writes a weekly column "Small Measures with Ashley" on the popular design blog, Design Sponge: http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/small-measures.

People everywhere are embracing local, seasonal foods with an interest in knowing how and where it's produced, to become engaged in their community, with a desire for self-sustainability, and to enjoy fresh flavors. In this beautifully photographed series, Ashley English shows how you can participate in the homemade living movement, walking alongside you each step of the way with practical, need-to-know information; personal reflections of her own experiences; profiles of people living this lifestyle; and unique recipes you'll want in your repertoire. Filled with just the right mix of knowledgeable guidance and friendly encouragement, these books provide you with the essential basics to start enriching your own homemade life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for a Beginner, Light on Recipes for the More Advanced Canner, July 12, 2010

By 

Susan R. Morris "Chiot's Run" (Malvern, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully photographed and laid out book about canning and preserving. It's very thorough, the first half of the book contains detailed information about equipment and the process of canning safely. The second half of the book is filled with delicious sounding recipes, some are the typical canning recipes like: strawberry jam, grape jelly, crushed tomatoes or pickles. The seasonal recipe section is much more interesting and contains recipes like: Clementine Cointreau Curd, Curried Winter Squash Chutney, Peach Lavender Butter, or Cardamom Apple Cider Butter.

If you're already an experienced canner you might find this book to be a little less useful. Since half of the book is taken up with detailed information about the equipment and the process of canning, there are only 31 recipes in this 130 page book. The recipes in the Seasonal section are very interesting for those of us who like canning recipes that are a little unusual. I love recipes that incorporate herbs and spices and a few of them incorporate liqueur or wine.

I always am drawn to book with good layout, great photos and this book is no exception. The colors are fantastic, the layout is great, the recipes are good and the photos are inspiring. You do however have to balance that out with how useful it will be to you. If you don't have a Ball Blue Book of Preserving and don't know much about canning, this would be a great reference for you. If you're already canning you might find it to be a little light on recipes to make it worth the purchase price.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great canning book!, March 19, 2010

By 

entopticon (Western, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More (Hardcover)

I can't overstate how impressed I am with this canning book. She has an amazing knack for taking the mystery out of canning, while explaining the science and practice in an accessible, inspiring fashion. The quality of the book itself is truly remarkable as well, from the environmentally friendly, exceptionally sturdy paper and cover, to the wonderful graphic design. It is definitely meant to stand up to the rigors of the kitchen, but it is right at home as a favorite coffee table book, because it is gorgeous, and the profiles of all the different people in it are extremely inspiring.

I would give it 6 stars if I could, because it goes far above and beyond my expectations for a canning book. Instead of just being a boring manual, it represents a beautiful world view, inspiring us to develop a deeper relationship with the food that we eat, and the communities that it comes from.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking the mystery out of canning., April 22, 2010

By 

Ming (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More (Hardcover)

Although I have seen my mother can many times in my youth, I have never tried canning myself, and was nervous about starting. It seemed like alchemy to me! I spotted this book at my local library and checked it out, and, well, I had to have it after reading it! It explains everything quite clearly, has fantastic pictures, lots of profiles of professional canners/gardeners... It took the mystery out of canning and made it fun and easy for me to get started! The recipes included are absolutely wonderful, and I would recommend every aspect of this book very highly! I'm the sort of person who sometimes has trouble with written instructions, being a visual/hands-on learner, but this was written so clearly and with so many pictures that it was crystal clear on the first read-through! If I could give it an extra star, I certainly would!