Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects [Hardcover]

Karen Solomon (Author), Jennifer Martine (Photographer)

Book Description

Release date: April 28, 2009

Do you relish the joys of hot toast spread with your own homemade butter and jam? Love to dazzle your friends with jars and tins of choice goodies-all created by you? The kitchen is a paradise for crafty cooks, and whether you're a newcomer to the realm of amateur artisanal edibles or a seasoned food crafter on the prowl for your next batch of appetizing challenges, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It has recipes galore for you (75, to be exact).

Projects range from perfect pantry staples (Butter, Crackers, Pasta) to festive giftables (Toasted Walnut Brandy, Lemon Curd, Peanut Butter Cups); some give quick gratification (Mayonnaise, Rumkirschen, Potato Chips), while others reward patience (Gravlax, Ricotta Salata, Kimchee). Practical prep-ahead and storage instructions accompany each recipe, several give variations (like Caramelized Onion and Thyme Butter-yum), and most share ideas on how to use it, serve it, and give it away.

Complete with color photographs and the accumulated wisdom of author Karen Solomon's years of food crafting, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It is your one-stop resource for turning your culinary inspiration into a pantry full of hand-labeled, better-than-store-bought creations


Karen Solomon is a food and lifestyle writer and a veteran culinary tinkerer and food crafter.  In addition to Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It (Ten Speed Press/Random House), she's also the author of The Cheap Bastard's Guide to San Francisco (Globe Pequot Press) and contributing author to Chow! San Francisco Bay Area: 300 Affordable Places for Great Meals & Good Deals (Sasquatch Press) and a former contributing editor to Zagat Survey: San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants.

Her edible musings on the restaurant scene, sustainable food programs, culinary trends, food history, and recipe development have appeared in Fine Cooking, Prevention, Yoga Journal, Organic Style, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and elsewhere, all of which showcase the diversity of her word-wrangling plate.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"tips so flavor-boosting..., they made us want to snub the squeeze bottles filling our fridges."
—Every Day with Rachael Ray

From the Publisher

* A collection of 75 recipes for making artisan foods and drinks at home.
* Features instructions for homemade cheeses, condiments, smoked meats, pickles, noodles, crackers and breadsticks, popsicles, jams, cordials, and more.
* The only book to offer a wide selection of projects that can be completed over a single weekend.
* Special feature--the book includes creative packaging ideas for these gift-worthy creations.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580089585
• ISBN-13: 978-1580089586
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments
  • #100 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Canning & Preserving

More About the Author

Karen Solomon has been a well-published food writer for over a decade. In addition to the Asian Pickles series of ebooks and print book, she's author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It (Ten Speed Press/Random House). She's also the author of The Cheap Bastard's Guide to San Francisco (Globe Pequot Press) and contributing author to Chow! San Francisco Bay Area: 300 Affordable Places for Great Meals & Good Deals (Sasquatch Press), and a former contributing editor to Zagat Survey: San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants.

Her edible musings on the restaurant scene, sustainable food programs, culinary trends, food history, and recipe development have appeared in Fine Cooking, Prevention, Yoga Journal, Organic Style, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and elsewhere, all of which showcase the diversity of her word-wrangling plate.

Karen has presented as a guest speaker at Boston University's Gastronomy Program (September, 2011) and at the 2009 Epicurean Classic in Michigan. She's the former organizer and host of the Jam It Salon, a quarterly DIY "show and taste" at 18 Reasons (2009-2011) and a former organizer and host of the Baby Food Swap (2010). She has served as a judge for both the Eat Real Festival Contest and the Good Food Awards, and she's currently a guest blogger for The Blender, the Williams-Sonoma blog, and the Bay Area Bites KQED Food Blog

Karen's culinary influences come from a variety of sources. While teaching English in Japanese schools and traveling throughout Asia, she had ample time to learn the satisfaction and simplicity of Japanese home cooking. And from the time she could stand on a stool and stir, Karen always enjoyed cooking alongside her mother to make chicken soup, kugel, stuffed cabbage, and other comfort foods of her Eastern European heritage. Most recently, Karen's cooking has become more project-based and crafty, taking on homemade, improved flavors where mass production tends to dominate. She is dedicated to food preservation, as well as eating locally, sustainably, seasonally, and supporting a judicious and delicious food system.

Karen currently resides in San Francisco's Mission district with her partner, her sons, and an equally food-obsessed dachshund, Mabel.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Kitchen Crafts for the Anti-Knitter May 4, 2009

By Erin E. Nichols

Format:Hardcover

I love that author Karen Solomon considers her new cookbook, Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it, to be a handbook for kitchen food crafting. I often lament the fact that I'm not crafty in the traditional sense. Knitting gives me anxiety, painting makes me angry, and God forbid I try to sew anything, but I certainly know how to use my KitchenAid mixer and with this book as a guide I may yet find my very own alternative craft niche in the world.

While paging through the cozily styled recipes in this book I found myself hard pressed to find a project that I didn't want to try. Homemade Apple Butter - bring it on! Pickled Green Beans - when does the farmer's market open?! And if I have two weeks to spare I can even make my own bacon. Perhaps the item I'm most excited to try my hand at is Strawberry Jam. I'm honestly not sure if I can contain my excitement until June when the strawberries will be at their peak of juiciness in New England.

All of the recipes have thorough and thoughtful instructions. This cookbook will absolutely not disappoint and would make a wonderful gift.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Slightly disappointed August 16, 2009

By L. Montez

Format:Hardcover

I did realize when I bought this book that there were only 75 recipes, but I don't think I really took in exactly how slight that was going to make the book overall. Jam it? There are only 4 recipes. Pickle it? There are 6 (and that's if you count the one where you stuff already-cured olives). Cure it? About 2, depending on how strict you want to be with the definition of "cure." Despite my disappointment with the scope of the book, how perishable some of the items are, and the inclusion of some basics like mayonnaise and tomato sauce that I must already have in a dozen cookbooks, there are individual recipes I am eager to try (and that is the other reason you really should find a copy of this book someplace and flip through it, even if you decide to purchase it from Amazon -- there may be a recipe in the book that would sound so spectacular to you that it completely justifies the cost). In the hot weather right now, I think I'll probably try some of the popsicle recipes first, which look original and tasty.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite cookbook May 8, 2009

By Kirsten

Format:Hardcover

How can you not love a cookbook that includes recipes for bacon ("the king of all fried meats"), kimchee (the "pungent Korean condiment" that "makes every dish taste better"), Limoncello (the predecessor of the Lemon Drop and its dirty cousin, the Sledgehammer), and smoked trout ("one of the easiest and fastest to smoke at home"). I've never before had a cookbook that compelled me to try EVERY RECIPE. The instructions are clear and clearly well tested, the dishes are invariably enticing, and the photographs had me running to the grocery store to buy some required ingredients. Plus, the author tells you how to store each creation, which is extremely useful. I'm looking forward to trying each recipe--from things I've always taken for granted (butter, mustard, mayonnaise) to marshmallows, pickled green beans, and peanut butter cups (the photo on the back of the book is dreamy).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Find February 16, 2010

By S. Thompson

Format:Hardcover

Received this fun book as a Christmas gift and couldn't wait to try all the delicious recipes. So far, we've experimented with sesame, poppy seed, and onion crackers, fried potato chips, beef jerky, chive and black pepper yogurt cheese, apple fruit leather, graham crackers, and senior mints, all of which turned out fabulously and far better than imagined. Can't wait to try more! Recipes were clear and precise and easy enough for beginners. Perfect food projects for a rainy (or snowy) day, and very rewarding indeed. We highly recommend!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Extra Step I'm Always Searching For January 9, 2010

By H. Shannon

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am an avid collector and user of hundreds of cookbooks. I already make jam and such things, but this book filled a void in my collection. Having a few recipes on pickling, canning, etc. certainly inspires your own variations.

One critical element that this book includes that most of my others do not - what to do with all of your little homemade condiments and fresh cheese. I can certainly come up with my own ideas, but it's refreshing to find an author that includes items from the book in the other recipes within the book. You can take as many steps as you like and use the finished product or morph it into something even bigger. I also never thought of making my own butter with the added bonus of buttermilk, which doesn't exist in my part of the world. Kudos to Karen Solomon!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! June 5, 2009

By Kara Roche

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Given everything we have learned about processed foods, I can't believe we are just now getting a cookbook with recipes for mustard and ketchup. Why buy crackers at the store which are laden with preservatives, when you can easily make them at home with a few pantry staples? I could not be happier with this book and can't wait to delight my friends and family with their homemade gifts. This book is interesting, creative and inspiring.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Make It. June 28, 2009

By jbrum

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Great book, with easy to follow recipes. I've made the ginger beer and am already getting requests for repeats this summer.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars pretty to look at, but sparse on jam/pickle recipes September 15, 2010

By mary

Format:Hardcover

I loved the look of the book (photographs are beautiful), but wish I had looked more closely at the content. The recipes that are included look interesting, but I was hoping for more jam/pickling recipes. There was only about 3 each. I was especially disappointed that the pickled carrots shown on the cover of the book weren't included as a recipe. Oh well.