Fruits of the Midwest - A Cookbook and Guide from Harvest to Table Book

Many people only purchase or grow enough fruit for fresh eating and avoid buying larger quantities to can, freeze, or preserve as jam or jelly. Why? Because what was common knowledge in great-grandmothers's day has fallen by the wayside. Fruits of the Midwest - A Cookbook and Guide from Harvest to Table is written to fill this information void and give consumers the help they need to make the most of these fruits common in the Midwest: Apples, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries (sour/pie), Peaches, Pears, Raspberries, and Strawberries. Many of these fruits are grown throughout the U.S., and in Canada and Mexico, so this book is a valuable information resource for readers across North America.

This book provides the types of information requested by consumers. And it's organized in a way that makes fruit-specific information easy to find.

There's a separate chapter devoted to each major fruit. All of the harvesting, handling, preservation, cooking, and serving information, plus all recipes for one fruit, are found within that fruit's own chapter.

A Canning and Freezing Basics chapter describes everything from canning terms, to equipment and jar selection, to steps for water bath canning; freezer container selection, freezing procedures, maintaining frozen fruit quality and other tips.

A Jam and Jelly Making chapter describes the fruits and fruit qualities which contribute to success, discusses pectin and when to use it, describes jelly making steps in detail, and provides recipes for various jams, jellies, and apple butter.

A Miscellaneous chapter features minor fruits (pumpkin, rhubarb); recipes which can be used with mixed fruits or a variety of different fruits;and a pie section featuring fillings, crusts and freezing information.

A General Information chapter has tables of ingredient substitutions, ingredient equivalents, and pan sizes/volumes and pan equivalents.

Altogether this book has 244 pages of information, instructions, tips, substitution lists and tables, and reference information, with more than 250 family tested fruit recipes.