It is stunning to me how much the world of information around canning, preserving and DIY food arts has expanded in the last couple of years. When I first started this blog in early 2009, it was so easy to be familiar with the canon of books on the topic. I had them all and they took up about 18 inches of space on the bookshelf.
Then suddenly, a new wave of books started to flow onto the market. One of the best of this first round was Karen Solomon’s Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It. It offered instruction on canning, easy home dairy items and a variety of other projects that were universally welcomed by home cooks who wanted slightly more control over their food.
Karen recently published a follow-up volume called Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It that is just as delightful as her first book. It includes a handful traditional preserves, as well as instructions for homemade cereals (cornflakes! puffed rice!), miso, rice milk, smoked nuts and so much more.
For those of you who were intrigued but overwhelmed by Charcutepalooza and its many meaty challenges, you’re going to want to take a peek at the Hunt It section of the book. Karen has included a series of accessible, easy to follow recipes for corned beef, pastrami and hot dogs (as well as instructions for how to transform those hot dogs into corn dogs.
Every time I sit down with this book for more than a few minutes, I start to itch for the kitchen. The urge to cook become irresistible. My apartment has seen her Sesame Rosemary Granola, the Basic Barbecue Sauce and the Pickled Grapes (so good).
Last fall when I was in San Francisco, I got to meet Karen. We were both judges at the Good Food Awards and during a break in the tasting, she bought me a cup of coffee and we shared tales of obsessive preserving and cookbook writing. Somehow, that led to a request that I write a blurb for the book’s back cover. Entirely flattered, I was thrilled to do it.
All that said, here’s the point I really want to make. Even if I’d never known the first book, never met Karen and never spent hours pouring over a xeroxed galley copy trying to concisely say why I thought it was so good, I would still like this book. The recipes are super solid. The head notes are full of personality. And the pictures are pretty. It’s definitely a buy it, use it, love it book.
The watermelons in my garden are just delicious this year, as is the rind, so I do believe I will be tackling pickled watermelon rinds. It sounds yummy, and I bet it will be a great way to relive a little summer in the winter months!
I LOVE Karen Solomon’s first book, which contains the kitchen project I’d like to tackle: smoked trout.
Well my pig share is due soon so maybe some lardo or bacon. If not I’ve been promising my mom that I would try to make cracklin from the skin.
I need to clean out my food pantry so I have somewhere to store all of my canned goodies. Those 20 jars of dilly beans made yesterday cannot live on my kitchen counter much longer.
Wow, I’d l love to try this book-I’ve been cooking on family recipes forever, but it may be time to branch out.
I wanted to conquer pickling and finally just jumped in after a trip to the farmer’s market. We’ll see how it all turns out when I open the pickled okra in a few weeks or so. Now, I want to conquer BBQ sauces, figuring out how to store all these jars in a smallish kitchen and creating packaging for jar gift giving. This book looks smashed full of wonderful ideas. Thanks for sharing!
I have been wanting to put up some pickled jalapenos. Our two plants are prolific, and if I wait much longer, it’s likely those spicy little guys are going to wilt on the plant.
the box of peaches on my counter!
Reorganizing my tupperware shelf. It is starting to take over everything. *sigh*
I haven’t even started canning this year, so I’ve got lots to do! First step – your garlic dill pickles from last year. My husband polished them off last year within about 6 months, so I’ve got to increase my production!
Picklepalooza is coming up soon at my house — always looking for new idesas to try.
I want to tackle making my own cheese….I’ve done butter and I think yogurt would be a snap….cheese always seems pretty daunting to me, but its on my list.
I would love to purchase a pressure canner and begin canning my own food. I have been researching the topic of canning and made a trip to my local cannery where I canned strawberry jam and tomatoes. I am truly anxious to begin more canning projects. Karen’s book sounds very helpful. I would love to win the giveaway. Thanks for the offer
Karen
I have so many things I’d like to try but never seem to have enough time. I expanded my garden this year and have squash and zucchini coming on, so I would like to make zucchini pickles.
I’d like to finally motivate myself to try making yogurt. More urgently, though, I ought to be making space for an impending avalanche of baby bottles and sippy cups!
I’ve been wanting to use my pressure canner more; I’m still a little afraid of it :S
I made pickles for the first time this summer due to your blog. I plan on canning tomatoes later this summer. I also love to freeze whole tomatoes and have done so for a few years due to advice from the farmer’s wife where I buy tomatoes until mine get ready. Really easy and really good in the winter.
Just getting back in the kitchen with everything else going on!
waiting for it to get just a leeeeetle cooler so i can smoke some more pork in my apartment again…
I’ve made quick refrigerator pickles many times, and want to tackle fermented sour pickles this summer. Waiting semi-patiently for our cucumber vines to really get going…
I want to try pressure canning turkey stock. I’m tired of taking up freezer space for the stock, and I have a new (from Christmas) pressure canner that I still haven’t used. Seems like stock might be a good thing to try it out with.
pickles! it will happen this weekend. they will be conquered!
i love her first book! and (hopefully) my next project is a batch of the graham crackers from that book.
I think (no, I know) that I have become addicted to printing off recipes that I have found on the internet. Now I need to take some time and organize them into some folders so that I might be able to find one that I would like to make!
Cleaning off my counters and reorganizing the kitchent cabinets are my top priorities. It’ll make cooking and everything else easier.
Does redecorating count? I would love to paint and put up a pot hanging rack. I really want to make some salsa and BBQ sauces this year.
I’ve been wanting to reorganize the cabinets in my kitchen for months, but never finding the time. 🙂
I think I’d like to can soups next. So far I’ve only done tomato products, jams/butters and veggies.
Ah, the next project will be something pickled. I don’t like pickles (or anything vinegar-y) but my boyfriend sure does, and I’d love to surprise him with a jar filled with something that’s not super sweet and jammy.
I would love a copy of that book. I am just learning so any help would be appreciated.
My last canning attempt was a disaster; my next kitchen project will be to muster the courage to try it again!
Well, I need to make blackberry jam from the few pounds of wild ones I picked … and I have the scars to prove it:)
I’m hoping to make pickles from the pickling cucumbers I’m growing in the garden.
I just finished 120lbs of tomatoes and need to start on the meager 20lbs of peaches in the kitchen next!! But first, blueberry picking!!
Ahhh…I need to figure out how to organize all my spices in such a small space!!!!!
I’m going to make stone fruit chutney today. Yum!!!
I would like to make some homemade ricotta, but the 10 lbs. of strawberries in my fridge will need to be tackled first.
I just checked this book out from the library last Friday! I’m so fortunate to have a local library system FULL of canning and food preservation books! This book has definitely made it onto my purchase wish list!
My current kitchen project is to figure out how to add more shelves to the wall! My vast selection of dried beans have taken over!
We are still in the process of remodeling our kitchen, but a smaller project to tackle: homemade tofu and soy milk. I’d love to make this happen 🙂
My next kitchen project is homemade ricotta cheese. I know it’s easy, but I just haven’t gotten around it it!
I want to make homemade bacon. I’m a chicken when it comes to homemade meat products though.
Lebanese stuffed grape leaves…I just picked the leaves in my friend’s backyard and now I have no more excuses!
I want to master puff pastry from scratch. And also find a way to keep our counters clear.
Dehydrate my herbs and try dehydrated marshmallows. My machine got recalled so I am waiting for the replacement.
I want to make homemade ketchup and mustard!
I want to expand our kitchen cabinets (to make room for all my newly canned goods). We have old cabinets from the 1960s that only go 3/4 of the way to the ceiling. I’m dying to add frosted glass cabinets along the top that would replace the basket storage we have up there now.
projects…there are many. Mainly I would just like to make and put up the curtain over my sink, or paint the floor, or finish the dish drying mat,or or or 😉
Our kitchen remodeling project is underway. We have been “talking” about it for 15 years.
I want to make cheese and jerky!
We do quite a bit of canning and freezing over the summer months, but I have yet to find the perfect pickle. That’s my goal this summer.