Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry It, Too: The Modern Step-By-Step Guide to Preserving Food

by Daniel Gasteiger

Preserving food is hot! The local food movement gains even more popularity as consumers return to vegetable gardening to grow their own food. They increasingly have become interested in the techniques for “putting up” their bounty. Driven by the recession; the need for healthier, chemical-free food,and taste, people everywhere are preserving the abundance of fruits, vegetables, and herbs harvested from their garden (or someone else’s). You don’t even have to grow your own to preserve freshness; non-gardeners too are learning to preserve with locally grown produce bought from local markets. Targeted at anyone who wants to capture the flavor of freshness, whether it’s from making tomato sauce, drying herbs, or preserving jams and jellies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Cooking, Cookbooks

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2010

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having the most generous in-laws ever, I now have a huge chest freezer in my garage. I wanted to get some books about how to optimally prepare foods (vegetables, mostly!) for the freezer. This is the best so far.
* Glossy color pictures! And MORE glossy color pictures!
* Clear directions, repeated oft and formatted sleekly for easy reference

I got what I wanted: I now feel confident about blanching (seriously, I needed it broken down for me :P) and freezing any vegetable I want to.

I looked at this as a process book, not a recipe book. Furthermore, I don't need any help Dehydrating, Sugaring, Fermenting, Canning ... so take this review with those grains of salt.

That said, this is what I would recommend to anyone wanting general food preservation 101. He includes practical information about how to decide what you'll want to put by -- how much, in what size vessels, etc. He alerts awareness that home-preserved foods will be different (particularly in texture!) than store-bought preserves. (Like canned peaches: home-canned vs bought in a store.)

In sum: basic, thorough, photographed, process-oriented

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome attention to detail. Easy to understand instructions. Beautiful pictures to help you along. Overall an amazing cook book!

[Joy Barilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Food preservation is presented in a way that is fun, easy, and full of lots of tips and tricks. I got it from my library and will be buying it soon!

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Organized by each preserving method. Great photos. A good addition for your home library shelf.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for resource for anyone who likes or wants to know how to can, dehydrate or freeze herbs, vegetables and fruits. This man does it all!! Does some things I've never heard of; putting red hot cinnamon hearts in with applesauce. Sounds quite intriguing! I'll have to try that! I think I can a lot but he beats me 'hands down'. Even cans mandarin oranges! Some good recipes that I would like to try too. A definite winner!

[Shari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures but not a recipe I wanted. Covers canning, freezing, dehydrating, cold storage,& sugaring.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

After checking out a ton of books on canning, this one quickly became my go-to reference.