cover image Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide

Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide

Carla Emery, Lorene Forkner-Edwards. Sasquatch Books, $16.95 (198pp) ISBN 978-1-57061-571-9

In this collection, excerpted from Emery's seminal Encyclopedia of Country Living, home cooks get a wealth of practical ideas and techniques for making the most of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and meats come harvest season. Emery's plainspoken approach to pickling, canning, drying and freezing removes much of the worry; tips on labeling, prepping vegetables for the freezer and a thorough introduction to canning (complete with processing times) will give first-timers confidence and make a welcome refresher for veterans. The recipes lean heavily on timeworn favorites like jams (including a No-Cook Strawberry Jam), sauerkraut, pickles, basic beef jerky and corned beef, though duck confit and the prospect of creating one's own buried storage system should appeal to foodies ready for a new challenge. Sprinkled with tips on infusing liquors and recipes for the impatient like Quick Pickles (which reach their flavor potential in hours, rather than weeks) round out this fine introduction; it should have, like its subject matter, quite an extended shelf life.