This weekend I peeked into my backyard and realized that my tomatoes are sufficiently ripe. Honestly, I am hoping I am not too late to pick them! This summer has gone by so fast that I didn’t think to schedule in harvest time for some of my new vegetables and fruits. Hopefully you will have time to utilize your collection!
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My garden is nowhere near as elaborate as some others. My dream of being self-sustaining still remains, but I want to learn how to utilize my crops as far as possible. That includes using some of these cookbooks for preserving and fermenting during the cold season ahead.
Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond: Safe, Easy Recipes for Preserving Tomatoes, Vegetables, Beans and Meat
by Angi Schneider
The photos in Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond: Safe, Easy Recipes for Preserving Tomatoes, Vegetables, Beans and Meat cookbook to die for, and there are also 100 delightful recipes to utilize!
This is going to be a very useful cookbook for those who garden and cook. It goes beyond the standard pickles and jams. There are recipes for main courses like chicken marsala, pozole, cacciatore, and more. If you were looking for a two-in-one cookbook, this is for you!
Speaking of tomatoes, she has a whole chapter dedicated to this wonderful fruit! Tomatoes are in so much of our cooking and they are fairly easy to grow. Learning how to preserve tomatoes for future recipes would be a godsend. There are also chapters on legumes, vegetables, and meat.
Don’t worry, before we begin even approaching these recipes there is a whole pressure cooker 101 tutorial for canning and preservatives in this cookbook. Angi Schneider has over 25 years of experience! She is basically a master of preserving.
Preserves & Pickles: 100 traditional and creative recipe for jams, jellies, pickles and preserves
by Gloria Nicol
The Preserves & Pickles: 100 traditional and creative recipe for jams, jellies, pickles and preserves focuses a lot of preserving. Here’s what provided in the table of contents:
- Jams
- Jellies
- Marmalades
- Curds
- Cordials
- Fruits in Syrup
- Chutney
- Pickles
The photos in Preserves & Pickles: 100 traditional and creative recipe for jams, jellies, pickles and preserves cookbook are fabulous. Each setting is very elegant, which matches the gorgeous recipes.
There are unique jams like Rowan Jelly and Apricot and Vanilla Jam that sound super scrumptious.
This motivated me to start growing my own fruit!
Fermenting: Pickles, Kimchi, Kefir, Kombucha, Sourdough, Yogurt, Cheese and More! (The Self-Sufficient Kitchen)
by Wardeh Harmon
If you’re looking for a very technical cookbook about fermentation and preserving, the Fermenting: Pickles, Kimchi, Kefir, Kombucha, Sourdough, Yogurt, Cheese and More! (The Self-Sufficient Kitchen) is perfect.
We get over 100 ferments of all types, including beverages, dairy, grains, vegetable ferments, and much more. There are a lot of details on how to successfully ferment each item.
Have you ever been curious about where fermentation originated from? Or about how humans started the process? Every culture around the world utilizes fermentation in some fashion in their food. Now we can learn all about it and cook some new and classic recipes.
I wish the photos were colored, but ultimately we are learning all about the science of fermentation!
If you have a garden or want to learn how to make your foods go farther, grab some cookbooks for preserving and fermenting! These are ancient techniques are still applicable today. I can’t wait to see what I can do.
~Kaiti
