Customer Reviews

Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a really nice looking easy-to-read (cover to cover) recipe book. But if you need a basic canning book get Ball's Blue book. There's a reason it's been around for more than a hundred years. Yes too much sugar (which I agree dulls the actual flavor) and the recipes assume too much. If you want a book that explains more try Krissoff's "Canning for a new generation" but not as a substitute for Ball's which costs all of $7 from your local hardware store. This book here has some inaccuracies but they probably won't kill you (citric acid and ascorbate are not the same thing but who cares). I think the target market is for a more densely-populated urban market and somewhat experienced canners looking for some new, yummier flavors. The ingredient lists include things like blood orange juice, maple sugar (not syrup), ramps, garlic scapes, orange flower water - a mouth watering list to be sure but from a more developed culinary market. Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful recipe book and if I ever want to throw a canning party the instructions are included. But for someone who just wants a "what on earth am I going to do with all this fill-in-the-blank book" this is not your book. The three stars reflect that and that alone. The recipes are absolutely mouth watering and I can't wait to start making them once I find all the ingredients....

Rodale Press has had its ups and down; this volume brings them back to their strong side: teaching the basics to give you success. They have a few odd things that publishers do. The title does not help much. This book is well laid out. First you get the basics and then you get projects that take you through a year of seasons, if you have them. Of course they feel compelled to have 101 recipes.

Canning has also had its ups and downs. It has been down a long time because when it was a necessity for most homes, it was a big part of the working year. Modern conveniences were a welcome relief. But now we have renewed interest because you can achieve effects unique to this process, and not without dietary benefits. Canning got a bad rep from industrial canning which did its level best to destroy vitamins, nutrition and flavor. Not to mention their sinister tricks of loading sugar and salt because they test well in isolated focus groups. But there are excellent commercial canners if you know who they are. I nearly always opt for canned tomatoes over the plastic impostors at the supermarket or pseudo-farmers' markets. The good news is that this book will allow you to achieve superior results on your first try. And the authors are savvy on safety so they do not include anything iffy.

As I said, this book is well laid out. Go page by page and skip nothing except the introduction. Chapter 1 covers all the vital information to put you in control to begin successful work. It is only two dozen pages with no waste. This book is not a commercial to sell equipment, so you tour the basics. But I will tell you right now that I spent the two dollars for a strawberry huller, and another eight on a cherry pitter. And I have seen too many books masquerading as working books that are just two hundred pages of their ads that YOU pay for.

Before you know it, you are through the theory and the set up and into fruit spreads and pickles. By that time you are ready for the seasonal recipe sections where you can jump around as you please. Compotes, whole fruits and vegetables, condiments (such as sauces and syrups). Even cocktails -- a pickled ramp makes a fine martini. Plenty for all tastes and wants. Geary is right, this stuff makes for great parties because you did all the big work long before. She had help from an expert tech writer and it shows in the ease of use. Rodale makes a sturdily bound book (no jacket necessary as the cover is meant to be wiped clean). And it lays flat on your counter, thank you.

I have been planting a garden for the past few years. After buying this book I am really excited about this years crops. It's full of great, easy recepies for putting up your garden and saving it for those winter parties. It's written well, laid out well and so far the recipies I have tried with store bought ingredients have been very pleased. I can recommend this cookbook with no reservations. Tom.

A good friend of mine knows that I collect quality cookbooks and that I am huge into working with fresh fruits and veggies. She called one day to insist I acquire this particular book. I am so glad that she did. The book itself is really clean looking...with well organized crisp print and pictures, easy to follow instructions, great recipes...along with the special touch of the author's personal notes at the top of numerous pages. I'm going to get years of use out of this one!

From the beginning, this book is amazing. I have been canning for 20 years and I still learned some new things in the first section of "canning basics". The recipes are unique, you will not find these in another canning cookbook. The photos are amazing, the food jumps out at you. I really loved that the authors gave you ideas or ways to use some of the recipes. Having just gotten into fermented food, I was glad to see a recipe for Kimchi and other fermented/pickled food.
I also gave one cookbook to a friend, who was equally thrilled with it!
Go get yourself A Tart and Sweet cookbook and ENJOY! :)

I give this book high marks for attractive design - it's very easy to read with well done photos and a good layout.

Unfortunately, everything else about this book is clearly designed for urban markets in warm climates. Ingredient lists rely heavily on citrus fruits and the type of unusual ingredients typically found only in specialty shops or cities with extensive farm markets.

The authors largely view canning as a social and trendy hobby; they explain how to hold canning parties (complete with cocktails) and few of their recipes feature easy to find, easy- on- the- wallet ingredients.

If you fall in to the target market, absolutely pick up this book - it will make your day and there are certainly some unique, interesting ingredient combinations to play with. If you do not fall squarely into that demographic, I would encourage you to avoid this book; there are many great canning books out there that will better suit your needs.

I've really enjoyed reading through this book and find the recipes I've made to be interesting and tasty. My one concern is that the estimated yields at the end of the recipes have been way off for me. I made the concord grape jam, which says it should yield 8 pints; I got 7 half-pints. The apple maple butter is supposed to yield 4 to 5 pints; I got one and a half pints. Did they mean to write "half-pints"? If so, did I process long enough? I don't know. Either way, it is annoying to go through the couple hours of work to just get one full jar that you can process. The recipes for pear butter and spiced pear cardamom butter are almost the same (except for spices), yet one says it yields 7 half-pints and one says it yields 7 pints - an obvious typo. The chili pickled okra is supposed to get 6 pints; I got 4. The horseradish lemon pepper sunchokes are supposed to yield 2 quarts; I got one. I love all the recipes I have tried, which is why I still gave this book 4 stars, but it would have been 5 if the yields had been checked a little more carefully.

I live in AZ where we have to get most of our produce from the grocery store, and people arent exactly domestic goddesses... That being said, I got this from the library, and then bought it because it was the best canning book I have come across that not only makes it easy to can, but also is recipes I would actually eat!! LOL! Also I love the ideas in the back of the book for the canning parties. Alot of friends would like to learn how to can and it brings it about in a fun way!

Such an inspiring compilation of canning, pickling, jamming and other recipes to stock your pantry all year round. Truly creative combination of ingredients, every recipe with serving suggestions, pictures are lovely and the writing superb. This book is a MUST HAVE for beginning canners and professionals.

The book looked good online, and came well recommended, HOWEVER...the general look of the book is, for me, messy. Canning and preserving is rewarding work, and sharing your efforts with friends is always appreciated, but you don't want to make anyone ill, and some of the photos in the book are so overly styled to look cool that you wonder.
I made two recipes in the book- Ginger Cardamom Nectarine Jam, which turned out well, and Pickled Eggplant, which did not. The eggplant recipe called for a long list of expensive ingredients, and once processed, yielded jars only 3/4 filled with liquid. I should have realized that this would happen; raw eggplant is, afterall, a sponge, but having followed the recipe exactly, and ending up with a questionable looking product, I looked in the back of the book for troubleshooting solutions. No help. Just a few statements like "As long as the jar is sealed, some liquid loss is perfectly safe. If, however, half of the liquid is gone, don't store it in the larder.."
Would you buy a jar of pickles with only 3/4 liquid in it? Would you give it to someone?
Pass on this one, I wish I had.