Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author) "As you page through any seed catalog, you'll discover that each vegetable and fruit is usually available in a number of varieties..." (more)
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Product Description

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.

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: Fireside; Rev Upd edition (June 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671693956
• ISBN-13: 978-0671693954
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	John Michael Lerma (SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

25 of 26 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 "book-ie monster" (North Plainfield, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

68 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars the food police, October 26, 2003

By	marilyn oconnor (lyndonville, vt. United States) - See all my reviews

Beware, in this third edition, the author has decided that you should not have salt, nitrates, sugar or vinegar, these are staple ingredients for food preservation.Because of this, the chapter on preserving and smoking meat has been deleted. Also, many of the pickle recipes have been much altered for the worse. Additionally, imagine the preserves and jellies without sugar (honey as a substitute) . I feel I have been cheated by not being informed of these changes in the description of this book.If a cookbook author decides to set themselves up as the food police, they should inform you of that fact up front. I find the book useless. I am still looking for a real food preservation book.