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.
Either sauerkraut or kimchi will be next on the list.
I’d like to replace cabinet doors in my kitchen so that they all match (100 year old house, 3 different incarnations of cupboards!)
Looking to make some pickled peaches soon!
I have homegrown tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers ripe right now. Sounds like salsa making time!
I am wanting to try my hand at drying foods. Beef jerky, dried fruit~I need another avenue for the buckets of blueberries I get each year, and all manner of delicious things.
I would like to try pressure canning. I have done lots of waterbath canning but I I’ve been browsing the selection of pressure canners online.
I want to make some Peach BBQ sauce and can it.
I would like to try making tempeh and eventually miso. I enjoy exploring thoe craft of frementation, with adventures in kombucha, kefir, water kefir, kraut, kimchi, ginger beer, and medicinal herbal beers. Tempeh and Miso are on the list as are some more interesting chutneys.
I have a basket full of cucumbers I’ve been meaning to pickle for the past week…
I just bought a pressure canner! I just hope I can figure out how it works :/. My first pressure canning experiment is going to be chili-it gets cold here in Wisconsin!
I have two projects in the near future– cleaning out my oven (yuck!) and canning apples (applesauce, pie filling, etc). I’m interested in learning about smoking, so I will definitely be adding this book to my wish list. 🙂
I would like to make sugarless jams and pastries. It’s hard, but I know it can be done!
Right now I love to make pickles and would love to try pickled asparagus! I am looking forward to trying my hand at more homemade eats!
Not that I want to but cleaning out the fridge is a priority!
This book looks fabulous! I’d love to tackle salt- cured salmon and some smoked cheeses. We do smoked cheddar a lot but I’d like to try some other varieties…
I have an old cast iron countertop stove that I want to get set up for propane so I can take it outside to can and not heat up the house! And also figure out a way to store my bulk spices from Penzey’s in a way that looks nice and is functional. Thinking pint and/or half-pint canning jars…
I just read this!! Great Book, indeed. I think my next canning venture is going to be trying to make tomato catsup. Although I’m debating on dipping my toe into the brining world and making lacto-pickles!
I would love to make all of my own condiments! I just made ketchup and pickles. I still need to make my own mustard, mayonnaise, and anything else that strikes my fancy.
I would love to tackle some kind of cheesemaking project–I’ve been thinking about making paneer.
I am looking forward to finishing the last of the apricot jam this weekend.
Also I want Heather’s (up there comment number 102) for “Wickles – wicked spicy pickles” that definitely sounds like something I’d like 🙂
Definitely making my own condiments is in my near future!
My new challenge is pickles as soon as they introduce themselves in my garden!
Mary
I would love to win this book! My project I would like to start is something (anything) with goat’s milk. I have a half gallon and need inspiration.
I have been around canning for years (married into a family that seemingly does it in gargantuan batches instead of sleep) and never did it until the notion of SMALL batches appeared. Now I am gonna do it! I have some assorted stone fruits that might be good instead of apricots in the rosemary apricot jam (got a sprig of rosemary & ripening fruit; what to do?) and I just did 8 (count ’em!) pint jars of my husband’s favorite sweet pepper sandwich spread.
The trick will be storage. hmmmmmmmm……….
I really want to paint my kitchen and add a bright back splash.
Im am going to pick huckleberries near Lake Michigan for huckleberry pancakes. If I get enough, I’ll make some jam, too.
I have been gone a lot the last two weeks and the CSA veggies are really stacked up in the fridge. So, my project today is to sort through everything and make a plan for it. Tomorrow, my neighbor and I hope to do some canning with a bounty of cucumbers she was given. I am calling this Veggie Weekend.
The book looks very interesting…would love the chance to check it out!
The shiny new 16 quart pressure canner that I bought last year and was too intimidated to try out is taunting me. I have been practicing with a smaller pressure cooker and now may be ready to tackle the big one.
This book looks amazing! I just googled it and sent a sample to my iPad.
I took this week off to work on the gallons of blackberries and raspberries from my garden. I am making syrups today, soups and curries to pressure can from items in my freezer, and jams the rest of the week.
…I have added this book to my Amazon Wish List and would love to win this! Decor’ wise in my kitchen, I need to repaint and restencil; cooking wise I would like to make use of a Pressure Cooker that I purchased some time ago and have never used. I dunno why that thing scares me so and I’ve heard they’ve come a long way since but nonetheless, I need to overcome my fear of it. lol… :o)
…Thanks for the giveaway and have a wonderful weekend!
…Blessings :o)
I’m thinking about trying to make tomato jam.
I should get my book on artsian breads this weekend — my project is to jump in and start making breads!
I started canning when I was little by helping my grandma, and it is something I’ve done off and on throughout the years. I’m really pleased to see a resurgence, because it means many great new ideas and recipes. The kitchen project I would like to tackle is actually a cooking project – I want to learn to make my own corned beef. 🙂
I confess… I’m in Canada but have a US address it can ship to. I thought I’d give it a go just in case that’s enough as I would LOVE this book!
My kitchen wish list includes the salsa canning for this year (need to quadruple the peach salsa output. Turns out we love it. Who knew?) And I dream of repainting and reversing the cupboard doors to hide that horrific 70s detailing. Ugh.
I’m going to tackle a cherry tree. My friend has a sour cherry tree that is loaded with cherries way up top. After picking, I will be in the kitchen pitting and freezing cherries.
I want to put up 1×1 boards across my open shelves of bottles fruit to prevent the bottles from falling if ever there is an earthquake.
I’ve been wanting to reorganize or rather, organize, the pantry for ages now. I need to get crackin’!
I would love to learn how to make my own rice milk! That stuff’s expensive!
This book sounds amazing. Thanks for the giveaway!
I’ve been telling myself to get over my fear of working with yeast, and my project would be working up some pretzels! LOL I will do this….sometime!
This book sounds lovely! What I’d really love to do in the kitchen is actually chart out how many jars of jams and of each tomato product (ketchup, sauce, paste, etc.) I use and/or give away throughout the year so that I truly know how many I should do in the summer.
I have a ton of kitchen projects on my “to do” list, but I would love to make my own pickles.
Just picked 8 eggplants from the garden this morning so putting up a few jars of Caponata is the order for the day! 🙂
I’ve made the strawberry jam and lemon curd and ginger beer and a few other things from her last book, but I’ve been meaning to try the graham crackers and marshmallows so I can make our own s’mores. I may have to wait till Nov now though, seeing as how it’s 110 degrees here. But if I get them right, that could be an awesome Christmas basket, coupled with quart jars of homemade soup and the smoked chickens and tiny jars of sweet hot mustard we usually do!
Ooooh I would love to win that! I’ve only canned jams and jellies and want to try pickled beets or just plain pickles this year.
I am in the process of trying to clean out a pantry closet to fit a small chest freezer. I have put a lot of food away this year in the form of canned goods and am hoping to be able to work on getting frozen meals (and parts of meals) put away in a deep freezer to make my cooking more efficient on those short winter days when all I want to do is come home and snuggle under a blanket.
My next kitchen project? Clean and organize the pantry!
Food-wise, I’d like to make a jam (any type) this summer.
Thanks for the opportunity.
dawn [at] sheistoofondofbooks [dot] com
love it! i have been sitting on a bookstore gift card for 6 mos — now i know why. thanks for the post.
I REALLY want to try making creme fraiche from scratch!
I recently made a batch of Jalapeno Apple Jam – which is spectacular on pork, btw – and now itch to whip up some Ancho Strawberry Jam…
Lacto-fermentation and cheese making!
My upcoming project is sauerkraut. I have the old crock from my parents and am just waiting for the cooler temps in late Sept and Oct. With our high heat and humidity, I’d have a moldy mess on my hands if I started it now.
Next year I will be hopefully be the proud owner and user of a food dehydrator AND a pressure canner 🙂
So much I want to learn! #1 pick? I want to make my own outdoor brick propane canning sanctuary. That’s all.
I have been wanting to make “Wickles”- wicked spicy pickles since my brother introduced me to them last summer.
I’ve really got to get over my fear of pressure canning. I’ve done it a few times but some how it intimidates me.
My top non-food project is to finish painting the kitchen cabinet doors so they can be installed. My next food project is tackling peaches. I’d also like to start making artisan breads ( in 15 minutes a day), plus making my own butter & cheese!
I’d like to make more staples from scratch — like crackers, pasta, and cereal.
I want to learn to make jerky.
Today I am tackling tomato sauce and blueberry/ginger jam!
i want to evolve my small garden to a 2 (or 3!) season patch.
The Texas heat we have been having has done wonders for the jalapenos and cayennes in our very first garden. Problem is-I don’t know what to do with them all! I have heard you can dry them out, and I want to attempt this, but am a bit intimidated!
This book sounds awesome! I’ve been needing to dehydrate eggs, make jelly and I’m waiting for this years tomatoes to started some roasted pizza sauce! Mmmmm…
Canning tuna. And making marshmallows. 🙂
Looks like an awesome cook book. I read cook books just like novels….late @ nite…nothing better than to dream of making all the goodies. I collect cook books like the guys collect baseball cards…lol!
Yesterday was my latest “CANNINING PROJECT”. I made 10 1/2 pints of Peach Sauvignon Jam. It came out amazing!
I’d love to win a copy of this book! My next big learning curve is going to be cheese making. And I’ll be dehydrating my herbs and would love to be able to learn to keep them in this Mississippi humidity! This book will inspire me to try some new things, homemade cornflakes?
I’m going to go through all my canning supplies, jars, lids, seals, to make sure I’m ready to can spaghetti sauce when the tomatoes are ready!
My next kitchen challenge would be to make my own cheese. I also want to try fermenting some cabbage to make sauerkraut and cucumbers for sour pickles. I love playing in the kitchen.
Replacing our current countertops with butcherblock
I have a load of tomatoes here waiting to be transformed into something yummy. Salsa is definately on that list as I made 6 pints about 3 weeks ago and my husband just opened the last jar last night but I am interested in trying some tomato jam too. After that project is done it is on to organize my kitchen so that all of my canning stuff has its own place. I have started small batch canning on a regular basis and would love to have easier access to my equipment.
We started our farm enterprise 10 years ago on leased land. Quickly realized our beef, pork, chicken, eggs, turkey, open pollinated, heirloom vegetables, honey, geese, ducks and fruit are nothing like what is available anywhere else. We are ready to add grains and to preserve everything..we can the usual stuff and want to continue to let our CSA customers know of other ways and methods they can use to hold onto our food year round. Currently providing a variety of foodstuffs to hundreds of families, we would love a copy to share ideas and food preserving options. As farmers we have little cash but lots of good eats!
I have so many projects in mind, I cannot choose just one. I just canned my first batch of anything two weeks ago. I started my own blog three days ago. I have tried making bacon (needs lots of tweeking/better recipe), we even tried smoking some of it in our charcoal grill (interesting to say the least). I would love to learn more about canning and I want to can everything! I would love to learn to make cheese, especially ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheese. But, right now, my first call of business is either baking bread or more canning. This winter, I plan on trying out more things (like making homemade dressing for Thanksgiving and canning cranberries). Thank you for a chance to win what looks like an amazing book and for sharing your awesome insight into your kitchen!
I just completed my first ever fermentation project. Homemade sauerkraut is GOOD! Next up is pickled beans…
Once I get past canning all the tomatoes in a variety of ways from the 100+ plants in my garden, I want to try my hand at making hot sauces from the habenero & other peppers. The book looks wonderful ~ thanks for the chance!
Great giveaway! This will be the year I tackle half sour pickles. My husband will be thrilled.
I’m hoping some carrot apple butter is in my future within a couple weeks… our carrots are starting to really pop and the apple trees in Vermont look loaded this year compared to the less-than-desireable harvest last year. Thank you for all that you do with this blog – what great inspiration!
A new kitchen floor! Ok but that’s not really what you meant. Recently I’ve tackled cheese making, though canning season has pushed it out of the way. So I’m looking forward to trying more cheese making this Fall. Also wanting to smoke my own paprika from the peppers growing in the garden. Hopefully my husband will fire up the smoker this weekend and we’ll give the first red paprika pepper a try.
I’ve definitely been wanting to try making cheeses-but I think my list of projects would change drastically with this book in hand!
I would very much like to make a hard cheese, but I’m waiting until fall.
i just started canning, and so far, i love it…. i would love to can some of the veggies that require a pressure cooker but the cooker freaks me out! i need to conquer my fear of the pressure cooker!
I am going to try to figure out how to use up of the pesto I made this week. We have had it in pasta, on bread, in my first attempt at homemade mayo and we need one or two more meals to finish it off!
Kitchen project as in cooking or project project? If it’s cooking it probably would be a marinted roasted pepper for canning. If it’s a “real” project, we’re getting our new kitchen (that was built in the 60’s!) remodel. We’re at the design stage right but it’s ALL changing, paint, floor, cabinets, countertops, appliances, lighting, patio door and a faucet on the stove wall is getting installed for my canning & hubby’s brewing 🙂 We’re in the beginning steps, but I’ve been dreaming about this new kitchen since we bought the house 2 years ago! Oh, and we’re also putting a bookshelf on a counter’s end for all my cookbooks 🙂
I need to find out ways to use whey. I have a lot of it leftover from making kefir cheese. I know there has to be something to do with it other than dump it on my compost pile!
Ravioli
Sauerkraut
Pickles
Baba Ganoush (overloaded on Eggplant from CSA)
I’m going to try making my Mothers mustard bean pickles. I used to love them as a kid, but haven’t had them in years! And if I can accomplish that, I’m going to attempt making pickled beets for Christmas presents!
My project would be to organize my junk drawer. But….then would I be able to “find it”? he he he.
I was just able to scratch “homemade mozzarella and ricotta” off my project list this weekend. Next up is a big batch of garlic sausage.
I also loved Karen’s first book, and made quite a few things from it – I’m excited to see she has a sequel! As for kitchen projects and ambitions, I’m hoping to get my master preservers certificate. I’m waiting until my kiddo enters school full time this fall, but it’s certainly an undertaking I’m ready for…
My current kitchen project is freezing and making jam and butter out of 18 pounds of blueberries.
Get my freezer reorganized to store all of our goodies from our garden this year properly and find a place to store all of the jams and pickles that my husband and I have started making this year for the first time!!
I’d love to do more with tomatoes. Every year I can up the same sauce and that’s about it. I have a freezer full of little cherry tomatoes awaiting my creative spark.
Thanks so much for the giveaway!!
soy bean based products. I eat them a lot prepackaged so I want to give a stab at making them.
I’ve got some end of season green tomatoes hanging on the vine. I want to try canning some green tomato salsa.
More pickled vegetables and chutneys. Spicy little bites to add to a meal
Writing my profile for online dating. I’m hoping to find someone who will be a kitchen companion. 🙂 Kitchen-wise myself, I’m going to make several little Oriental dipping-type sauces, mostly from the book Asian Tapas, to take to a potluck for departing neighbors.
I think I’ll focus on cleaning it so I’ll feel like doing a project so I can mess it up all over again!
I need to give homemade sourdough another whack. My fiancee and I made a batch back in Florida, but it was so darned hot and humid that summer that anything we left out to rise when overly nuts, and so we never used the remaining starter before moving. Once the temperatures start coming down, perhaps North Carolina will be more forgiving.
Cheers,
*Heather*
I am looking forward to one day having the time and energy to make croissants from scratch!