Showing posts with label homesteading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homesteading. Show all posts

12/20/2011

Putting Food By (Plume) Review

Putting Food By (Plume)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This book takes you from knowing nothing to truly UNDERSTANDING not just how to preserve foods, but how each method works and the pros/cons of each method.
Most of the information is on canning and freezing (including different packaging and wrapping techniques), but they also go into salting, smoking, drying, and root cellaring. They don't expect you to live as if it were the 1800's either. They incorporate the use of vacuum sealers and microwaves--and trying to preserve food in the confines of the modern home. Likewise, they will also explain how to create the old types of environments or something that will work just as well.
To be honest, there is more educational information than there are recipes. And even the recipes they give are educational--covering jellies, jams, butters and pickling. These are prime opportunities for failure without appropriate instruction--and that's what they provide. Explaining how it all works--which is not common sense! It takes some learning!
They also explain the best preservation method for the food (often right down to a variety of fruit or veggie, or cut of meat) and how the preservation method used will alter the food. They also tell you what the food will be best used for after preserving. For instance, if freezing cabbage means it will never be crisp again they warn you about this and tell you not to expect it to be used for salads. Things like that make a difference--especially if you didn't grow up in a household where these were items of common knowledge!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Putting Food By (Plume)

The fourth edition of this classic guide to freezing, canning, and preserving food includes new information on freezing for the microwave, making Christmas presents, canning convenience food, and kitchen equipment. Reprint.

Buy Now

Buy cheap Putting Food By (Plume) now.

11/11/2011

The Sage Cottage Cookbook, 2nd: Celebrations, Recipes, and Herb Gardening Tips for Every Month of the Year Review

The Sage Cottage Cookbook, 2nd: Celebrations, Recipes, and Herb Gardening Tips for Every Month of the Year
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Full of herbal lore and facinating info, the author describes a celebration each month and covers "thymely" seasonal recipes to help with the festivities. From January's "Twelfth Night" to "Leyden Day" in October, these wild and often forgotten celebrations are a wonderful framework for fun and frivolity through the seasons. Recipes range from out of the ordinary- Queen Anne's Lace Jelly II and Fennel Tuna with Lavender, to tried and true- Oven Omlete and Chili Con Carne. Tips and Hints abound as well. I really enjoyed the herbal lore woven throughout the monthly themes- (it is said that parsley goes seven times to the Devil because it germinates so slowly!) I will be turning to this book again and again as the year turns.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Sage Cottage Cookbook, 2nd: Celebrations, Recipes, and Herb Gardening Tips for Every Month of the Year



Buy Now

Buy cheap The Sage Cottage Cookbook, 2nd: Celebrations, Recipes, and Herb Gardening Tips for Every Month of the Year now.

10/19/2011

Keeping Food Fresh: Old World Techniques & Recipes Review

Keeping Food Fresh: Old World Techniques and Recipes
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
"Keeping Food Fresh" is a compilation of recipes for preserving food contributed by readers of a French gardening magazine. It was originally published in French and has been translated to English with care. Recipes for frozen or canned products were omitted to allow a focus on older, more traditional methods.
The material presented is perhaps best used by the American reader as a point of reference when evaluating other recipes. It also could serve as the starting point for experimentation. It is not a cookbook in that the recipes come from many sources and do not appear to have been checked in a test kitchen. Some of the quantities betray their metric roots, since few recipes in this country would call for 11 pounds of an ingredient.
Some recipes clearly do not meet USDA safety guidelines, as is pointed out in the editorial comments.
Those who appreciate Eliot Coleman's writing should realize that his writing in this book is limited to the introductory material.
Overall, I found the book to be an interesting read, with much unique knowledge not available elsewhere. It approaches "primary source" material in that the traditional family recipes have undergone little editing, thus their historical fabric is more effectively captured.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Keeping Food Fresh: Old World Techniques & Recipes



Buy Now

Buy cheap Keeping Food Fresh: Old World Techniques & Recipes now.

9/23/2011

Grow Your Own, Eat Your Own: Bob Flowerdew's Guide to Making the Most of your Garden Produce All Year Round Review

Grow Your Own, Eat Your Own: Bob Flowerdew's Guide to Making the Most of your Garden Produce All Year Round
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
"Grow Your Own, Eat Yor Own" is a masterful return to the attention, care and respect those from generations past gave to their land and to their tables. Full of earthy, inspiring photos, recipes and advice, this book has me thinking not only about how I will process my own produce, but also the simple tools and resources available to make my garden really work hard for my family. To do everything so artfully illustrated by garden "guru" Bob Flowerdew would be a full-time job. (Wish we all had the time!) However when the moment strikes you to perserve, sprout, pickle, or plan an appropriate garden harvest for your home; this book is your first stop, your new Bible!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Grow Your Own, Eat Your Own: Bob Flowerdew's Guide to Making the Most of your Garden Produce All Year Round

Eating locally and growing one's own fruits and vegetables are the first steps in helping the green movement. However, many people don't know where to begin growing and harvesting their own crops. And, what happens when everything is ready to be picked at the same time? Or when the garden's bounty has been eaten? These questions and more are answered in Bob Flowerdew's invaluable new book, in which he discusses everything from what to grow for processing and preserving, when to plant them, and how to harvest them. Once the gardening basics have been covered, Flowerdew serves up 50 delicious recipes featuring the very foods grown in the backyard. Perfect dishes for the fall include steaming Baked Apples filled with dried fruit and brown sugar, sausage-stuffed Baked Squash, a warming bowl of Spaghetti Polognese (using lean ground chicken), and savory Stuffed Peppers.As the weather turns colder, there is Potato Dauphinoise, Celery Soup, and Apricot Christmas Pudding. And, with spring and summer's abundance of berries come such spectacular treats as Fruity Upside-Down Cake, Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream, and Lemon Meringue Pie. There are condiments galore and Flowerdew even shares his secrets for tossing the best salad, making the best cider, and creating his very own liqueurs. Grow Your Own, Eat Your Own is a wonderful no-nonsense guide to getting the most out of any garden at any time of the year, and will be a welcome addition to all gardeners' reference library.

Buy Now

Buy cheap Grow Your Own, Eat Your Own: Bob Flowerdew's Guide to Making the Most of your Garden Produce All Year Round now.

8/28/2011

The Farmer's Wife Canning and Preserving Cookbook: Over 250 Blue-Ribbon recipes Review

The Farmer's Wife Canning and Preserving Cookbook: Over 250 Blue-Ribbon recipes
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The Farmer's Wife was a monthly magazine published in Minnesota between 1893 and 1939: its staff of experts, bulletins issued by the USDA and canning and preserving topics makes for an outstanding collection of tested recipes updated by the current USDA recommendations for safe use in everyday kitchens. Add recipes of results and you have a real winner.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Farmer's Wife Canning and Preserving Cookbook: Over 250 Blue-Ribbon recipes

The spiced peaches and icebox pickles, dilly beans and tomatoes in every shape and form, the blackberry jam and hot pepper jelly--it’s summer, and a whole world of summers past, in a jar. Pack the pantry the way Grandma did, and put away the sweetest fruits and preserves, the most tender savory vegetables, the taste of the sunny day and the scent of the crisp harvest air, with more than 250 blue-ribbon canning and preserving recipes culled from The Farmer’s Wife magazine. A reliable resource for the farm wife, the new mother, the suburban transplant, the magazine shared recipes that made the kitchen sing and the family sigh with contentment. Along with instructions for canning and preserving fruits and vegetables from your garden or the farmer’s market, this wonderful cookbook, like an old family friend, offers recipes for using the tomato sauce, raspberry jam, peaches, and other tasty fruits and vegetables that you’ve “put by.”


Buy NowGet 32% OFF

Buy cheap The Farmer's Wife Canning and Preserving Cookbook: Over 250 Blue-Ribbon recipes now.

8/15/2011

Keeping the Harvest: Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs (Down-to-Earth Book) Review

Keeping the Harvest: Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs (Down-to-Earth Book)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought three books on canning and this book was the best. It is simple to understand, has pictures of the way things should look, such as the canning jars in a not water bath. I was canning tomatos and this book was so easy to follow. It listed the different methods for canning, as stating the best method.
I bought a pressure cooker and could not understand the manufactures directions, this book explained in simple terms, everything I needed to know, to use the pressure cooker. It has pictures on how to can tomatos from start to finish, which I really appreciated. To me a picture is worth a thousand words.
I think if you are a first time canner or even experienced, that this easy to use book is for you. I know I will be using it for years to come. Thank you to the authors.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Keeping the Harvest: Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs (Down-to-Earth Book)



Buy NowGet 32% OFF

Buy cheap Keeping the Harvest: Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs (Down-to-Earth Book) now.

8/02/2011

Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow Review

Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This book covers everything you need to know about freezing, canning, preserving, pickling, drying, juicing, & root cellaring. Step-by-step instructions make it easy for even a beginner to follow.
The book starts out with a harvesting guide that includes all methods that can be used to preserve each crop. Next, freezing is covered including a crop-by-crop guide & blanching methods.
Then both bath & pressure canning are demonstrated in detail. A processing timetable for each crop is included as well. Instructions for making fruit butters as well as cooked, pectin, & refrigerator jams & jellies follows.
The drying section includes shelf life for dried food & instructions for making your own dryer. There are also over 250 delicious recipes you can freeze, can or preserve and a resource guide for modern & heirloom seeds.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow

Preserving Summer's BountySurefire techniques and great recipes for keeping the harvest!

Buy NowGet 36% OFF

Buy cheap Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow now.

7/23/2011

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving Review

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I got this book about three weeks ago, having never canned or preserved, and I was completely impressed. Using the recipes inside, I've made pickled ocra, green beans, brandied cherries, sweet asparagus, and the hands down best pickle relish I've ever had in my life. It has hundreds of recipes, and they are all wonderful. If you're into fruit preserves or jams, sweet or dill pickles, slasas, relishes, chutneys, condiments, you name it, there are dozens of recipes of each type of food. I'll be tackling some home made wine and cranberry mustard next week. The first batches of pickles I made were with utensils I already had on hand. All you need is the mason jars if you have a well stocked kitchen. I've sense bought some bottle clamps to get the jars out of the hot water, but that's about it.
Here are the pros:
*) Thorough discussion of the steps of preserving.
*) Discussion on foodborne illness and how to kill it through preserving.
*) A look at high acid versus low acid canning.
*) A handy guide of produce weight and volume (for example, one pound of cherries equals 2 1/2 cups of cherries, so you know exactly what to get at the store).
*) Amazing, easy recipes for all levels of skill and tastes.
*) Dozens of variations on recipes (not just one type of cucumber pickle, but several!)
Buy this book if you're thinking of starting or even an old time pro. It's great fun, and it can produce pickles, ketchups, and preserves where you controll all the ingredients (and can even go organic!).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

From the experts, the definitive book on home preserving.Ball Home Canning Products are the gold standard in home preserving supplies, the trademark jars on display in stores every summer from coast to coast. Now the experts at Ball have written a book destined to become the "bible" of home preserving.As nutrition and food quality has become more important, home canning and preserving has increased in popularity for the benefits it offers:- Cooks gain control of the ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables- Preserving foods at their freshest point locks in nutrition- The final product is free of chemical additives and preservatives- Store-bought brands cannot match the wonderful flavor of homemade- Only a few hours are needed to put up a batch of jam or relish- Home preserves make a great personal gift any time of yearThese 400 innovative and enticing recipes include everything from salsas and savory sauces to pickling, chutneys, relishes and of course, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, such as:- Mango-Raspberry Jam, Damson Plum Jam- Crab Apple Jelly, Green Pepper Jelly- Spiced Red Cabbage, Pickled Asparagus- Roasted Red Pepper Spread, Tomatillo Salsa- Brandied Apple Rings, Apricot-Date ChutneyThe book includes comprehensive directions on safe canning and preserving methods plus lists of required equipment and utensils. Specific instructions for first-timers and handy tips for the experienced make the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving a valuable addition to any kitchen library.

Buy NowGet 41% OFF

Buy cheap Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving now.

4/25/2011

Home Made Preserves, 50 Step-by-Step: Delicious easy-to-follow recipes for jams, jellies and sweet conserves, with 240 fabulous photographs. Review

Home Made Preserves, 50 Step-by-Step: Delicious easy-to-follow recipes for jams, jellies and sweet conserves, with 240 fabulous photographs.
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I think the book is well done. It includes more fancy type recipes, than I expected, which was refreshing; but I pretty much stick to the basics because I share what I make with others, and some aren't as willing to try different flavors in their jams. I also expected to find at least three home-made cheese recipes, given the description of this product prior to my ordering it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Home Made Preserves, 50 Step-by-Step: Delicious easy-to-follow recipes for jams, jellies and sweet conserves, with 240 fabulous photographs.

This book brings together a superb collection of recipes for jams, jellies, marmalades, fruit curds, butters and cheese, and sweet preserved fruits.The recipe section offers more than 50 new and traditional recipes, and over 240 mouthwatering photographs.

Buy Now

Buy cheap Home Made Preserves, 50 Step-by-Step: Delicious easy-to-follow recipes for jams, jellies and sweet conserves, with 240 fabulous photographs. now.

3/08/2011

Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More Review

Homemade Living: Canning and Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys and More
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I can't overstate how impressed I am with this canning book. She has an amazing knack for taking the mystery out of canning, while explaining the science and practice in an accessible, inspiring fashion. The quality of the book itself is truly remarkable as well, from the environmentally friendly, exceptionally sturdy paper and cover, to the wonderful graphic design. It is definitely meant to stand up to the rigors of the kitchen, but it is right at home as a favorite coffee table book, because it is gorgeous, and the profiles of all the different people in it are extremely inspiring.
I would give it 6 stars if I could, because it goes far above and beyond my expectations for a canning book. Instead of just being a boring manual, it represents a beautiful world view, inspiring us to develop a deeper relationship with the food that we eat, and the communities that it comes from.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More

Yes, you CAN! More and more people have discovered what grandma always knew: canning and preserving supplies you with wholesome, tasty treats year round. And this Homemade Living guide provides all the practical, hold-your-hand basics along with plenty of step-by-step photos. Learn about the necessary tools of the trade, crucial safety tips, and hot water bath processing and pressure canning. Discover the all-important science of salt and sugar, and how to select the best possible ingredients, favoring seasonal, organic, and local options. Three topic-specific primers cover pickles, relishes and chutneys; jams, jellies, butters and curds; and whole fruits and veggies—and each offers at least two “Canning Classic” recipes with variation ideas.

Buy NowGet 45% OFF

Buy cheap Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More now.