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

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.

Library Journal

Those who feel an urge to can, have a yen for homemade pickles, or daydream about jams and jellies but fear they're too complicated to attempt will be happy to find this cheerful, straightforward manual—one of the first titles in English's new series "about the ways people are reconnecting with their food and food communities and taking up sustainable food practices." English, who writes a regular column for Design*Sponge (www.designspongeonline.com), carefully explains the equipment, nomenclature, and processes and includes recipes both for "canning classics" (e.g., apple butter) and other seasonal preparations, from the homely (apricot jam) to the unusual (Kumquat 5-Spice Marmalade). With a magazine-like layout, this title includes short profiles of canners, sidebars with relevant historical and cultural information, and troubleshooting tips. VERDICT Accessible, thorough, and visually pleasing, this is a useful primer for beginners and a helpful brief reference for the more experienced. Highly recommended. [See the review of English's other forthcoming series title, Keeping Chickens, on p. 96.—Ed.]—Courtney Greene, DePaul Univ. Lib., Chicago