The Complete Book of Pickling: 250 Recipes from Pickles and Relishes to Chutneys and Salsas [Paperback]

Jennifer MacKenzie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2009

Capturing garden vegetables at their best for year-round enjoyment.

Pickling is one of the oldest and most inexpensive methods of preserving foods. Families would gather over mounds of vegetables and huge steaming pots, producing savory and delicious pickles and chutneys. Home pickling is now enjoying a resurgence, as the cost of food and the desire to know where and how foods are prepared increases.

These wonderfully inventive recipes feature modern methods and equipment in accordance with the latest food-safety standards. The book also includes classic and unusual international ingredients. Newcomers to the art will find step-by-step techniques and details of specific equipment needs.

Enjoy wonderful foods year round with recipes such as:

Kosher dill pickles

Aunt Thelma's bread and butter pickles

Pretty beet and radish pickles

Gingery cantaloupe pickles

White balsamic and pepper pickled strawberries

Clementine pear chutney

Pineapple lime tomato salsa

Smoky three-pepper cucumber relish.

The author specifies manageable sizes for average households, and there are serving suggestions and quick recipes for dishes that use the preserves for top flavors.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Home economist MacKenzie (The Dehydrator Bible, Complete Curry Cookbook) gives kitchen canners plenty of reasons to get their water boiling in this terrific collection of 250 pickles, sauces, chutneys and relishes. After a thorough explanation of canning techniques, MacKenzie rolls up her sleeves and gets to work with seven variations on dill. In addition to popular pickling candidates like cauliflower, carrots and garlic, MacKenzie shows readers how the technique can be applied to sweet foods like cherries, peaches and pineapple, as well as the ultimate DIY for the avid pickler, canner or drinker: martini olives (brine-cured green olives married with gin and dry vermouth). Even readers without an appreciation for the tang of a good pickle will appreciate MacKenzie's 50 chutneys, including variations such as Sangria Citrus, classic cranberry and peach, pineapple ginger and spiced tomato; six chili sauces; 18 salsas; and home-made ketchup. If the prospect of keeping five pints of taco sauce on hand is intimidating, MacKenzie at least offers preserving methods for all the recipes, as well as suggestions for complementary dishes.

Review

Worth checking out. (Family Circle 20091017)

Jennifer MacKenzie dishes up contemporary takes on stand-bys -- from pickles to chutney -- with helpful, practical tips for busy cooks. (Jennifer Olivera Chicago Sun-Times 20090722)

Perfect for those of you who like to pucker. Packed with classic pickle recipes, as well as clever twists on them (Bread-and-Butter Pickles with Onion and Red Pepper), this book is put out by the folks who also published in 2006 the fine Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine. Pickling gives the usual tips on safety, equipment and how-twos but homes in on giving a kick to garden veggies. Pickle everything from fiddleheads to garlic scapes with this book; put up salsa and barbecue sauces, too. Done particularly well: Tips and serving suggestions that come with each recipe. (Margi Shrum Pittsburgh Post-Gazette NOW 20090514)

Another great resource.... I think I'd better roll up my sleeves and clear some space in my pantry. (Cathy Thomas Appeal-Democrat (Sacramento) 20091023)

Mouth-watering color photography, and easy to follow recipes plus tips and variations in the margins of the pages. I think these books will become favorite go-to books for those who want to learn about preserving food, and those who already know how, but want more ideas. Get them now and soon, you'll always have a little something to bring a hostess or brighten up a meal. (Advice Sisters 20110228)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Robert Rose (April 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778802167
• ISBN-13: 978-0778802167
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.8 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Canning & Preserving

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The complete Book Of Pickling April 27, 2010

By Sonia E. Howard Hodgkins

Format:Paperback

This is my favorite cookbook for canning. I have over 40 cookbooks on this topic and always find what I am looking for in this one book. I had been looking for a recipe for pineapple salsa ( I love Newman`s pineapple salsa, but can`t alway find it in the store ) and this was the first book with a recipe for canning the stuff. There are many unusual recipes like martini olives,caramelized onion relish (great pantry item), thai sweet chili sauce, apple onion and sage chutney, purple sauerkraut, piccalilli relish (the best relish you will ever have on a hotdog), vodka and rosemary and tomato sauce (another pantry staple), homemade spicy ketchup, taco sauce and many, many more! Recipes are easy to follow, and if you are new to canning don`t hesitate to buy this book, it is user friendly for all levels of experience.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MacKenzie Covers a Wide-Range of Pickling February 6, 2010

By Kevin C. Kretschmer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I initially checked this book out from my local library, but was so immediately pleased with the results of several recipes that I had to get my own copy. The recipes are printed large enough to be read easily and all steps are explained fully. There are some absolutely beautiful pictures, but if I have any gripe at all, it's that I'd rather see each picture next to the corresponding recipe, rather than having the pictures grouped in clusters in various sections throughout the book.

I pickled a number of vegetables this past fall using this book for guidance. Among them were onions, radishes and beets. I also tried a couple of the chutney recipes and was pleased with the outcomes. So far, there hasn't been a single recipe that I wouldn't consider using again. Aside from another chutney recipe that I plan to try soon, I can't wait until summer/fall harvests to try some others. I certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys all types of pickling.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent October 14, 2009

By Amy M. Dunker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The pickles, relishes and chutneys that I have made from the recipes in this book have turned out to be delicious. This is one of my most used pickling books. The recipes are clearly written and tasty. Highly recommended.