Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide [Paperback]

Carol Hupping (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 15, 1990

The most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to harvesting, storing, preparing, and preserving foods of all kinds.

For the self-sufficient farmer or the urban weekend gardener, the third edition of Stocking Up is an invaluable addition to any kitchen. With detailed illustrations and easy-to-follow directions, this encyclopedic resource makes "stocking up" easy.

Follow step-by-step instructions for:

* Freezing, canning, drying, and preserving fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry

* Harvesting nuts, seeds, sprouts, fruits, and vegetables

* Preparing pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, butters, cheeses, and breads.

With more than 300 recipes for preservable foods -- from old standards like casseroles, fruit leather, and ice cream to new favorites such as sun-dried tomatoes, herb vinegars, and salt- and sugar-free versions of basic fare, Stocking Up covers everything for the home cook. Hundreds of charts and illustrations simplify preserving chores and choices for everyone interested in stocking up on wholesome, natural foods.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Choosing Vegetable and Fruit Varieties

As you page through any seed catalog, you'll discover that each vegetable and fruit is usually available in a number of varieties. Some may be particularly good for freezing; others maintain their quality best when canned. Certain varieties dry better than others, and some hold their flavor and texture well in underground storage. If you're planning to preserve a good part of your harvest, you'd do well to decide how you will be storing your garden surplus before you order your seeds, and then choose those fruit and vegetable varieties accordingly.

We've made that process a little easier for you here, by listing in the charts that follow those vegetables and fruits that are generally recognized as being best for freezing; canning; drying; pickling; juicing; turning into a sauce; making jam, jelly, and preserves; and keeping in some kind of cold storage, be it in a root cellar, basement, or outdoor storage area (noted here as "good keeper").

After each variety you'll find the name of seed companies that sell that variety. If your favorite seed company is not listed, forgive us. It does not necessarily mean that the company doesn't carry the variety in question; it merely means that we have only noted the larger and more popular seed companies that we are most familiar with. We know that some small companies sell some of the same varieties, and we also know that they may offer other varieties just as good for particular storage methods.

This is the third edition of Stocking Up, and the third time that we have extensively revised these charts. Each time we went back to the seed catalogs we were amazed at how much had changed since the last time, which only goes to show that the seed business is far from a static one. New varieties and hybrids are being developed all the time, so keep a lookout for varieties too new to make this present chart.

Copyright © 1986 by Rodale Press, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Rev Upd edition (June 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671693956
• ISBN-13: 978-0671693954
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A primer for many types of food preservation and prep... November 13, 2003

By Heather Degeorge

Format:Paperback

This book covers canning, freezing, juicing, drying, cold storage/root cellaring as well as making and preserving your own dairy products. It provides a lot of helpful illustrations and many alternative methods of getting the job done given the equipment available (or not available) to you. In fact, this is the first time I've seen directions on making ice cream without a fancy maker!

This is actually the first book that made me think I could actually make my own cottage cheese or fruit flour.

They also walk the produce-newbie through choosing good produce and the differences in varieties; but for us suburban gardeners, they also help us find varieties good for preserving (including actual company names) and tips on harvesting at a good time.

The meat chart was priceless. I don't intend to purchase an animal to be butchered (although there are yields and advice given for this) but I found knowing what type of meat cut came from where was incredibly helpful in buying my meat in the grocery store! I also found the section on cutting up a chicken into pieces very valuable as well--since I can find whole chickens very easy. Likewise with instructions on filleting a fish. Knowing how to do this allows me to save money when purchasing! They then, of course, show you how to preserve them... and other seafoods and meats.

Last, they also cover nuts, grains, seeds and sprouts--getting/harvesting, preserving and recipes for using them.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE CANNER'S BIBLE! June 21, 2000

By John Michael Lerma

Format:Paperback

I wanted to begin putting up food like my grandparents but didn't have the background or knowledge. After reading this book, I feel like the expert. Extremely easy to understand and very useful. From storing garden vegetables in the Fall to putting up pickles, making raspberry jam, canning tomatoes, this book is excellent. Expert safety advice, how-to instructions, recipes, diagrams, etc. This is the only book you should need to begin putting up your garden produce. This really is the canner's bible!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Classic Book for Food Preservation July 27, 2001

By V.J. Billings

Format:Paperback

It's a little disconcerting that we need a book to teach us what our Grandmothers new instinctively or by shared knowledge. But, in our whirlwind world of prepared food and fast food, even the most basic preservation techniques can seem like a foreign language.

If you only use one tenth of the valuable information in this book to prepare your own organic dishes, your life will be made that much more whole and healthy. This is a complete guide full of know how that will get your do it yourself juices flowing.  The four main headings are:

Vegetables and Fruits make up the first chapter which covers everything from picking the best variety of tomato(or any other fruit or vegetable) to grow for freezing or drying, to how to dry, freeze, pickle, can, or juice that tomato. It also teaches you how to turn your tomatoes (or other veggies) into relish, jelly and more. The recipes in this chapter have been created with the freezer in mind, but they are so good, they may not make it that far.

Dairy Foods ,the focus of the next chapter, churns up all the facts on milk, cream, eggs, butter, cheese, ice cream and even yogurt. I like the 'what can go wrong sections'; they must have anticipated I would read this book.

Meats, Poultry and Fish make up the third chapter. Here we learn how to freeze combination dishes (so they aren't little blocks of ice when we go to cook them later), as well as, the proper way to dry and can these staples.

Nuts, Seeds, Grains and Sprouts is one of my favorite sections. Making fresh herb and nut breads and spreading them with nut or herb butters makes me head for the kitchen.

This book was revised in 1990 and it may differ slightly from the information above. You see I have been using the book since 1978 when it first came out. Some information is timeless.