One of the joys of being someone who cans and preserves regularly is that I’m nearly always prepared when the need arises for a gift. During December’s gift giving season, I keep a box of summer jams and butters near the front door, ready to be distributed. I build couple-specific baskets for bridal showers and weddings.
Last summer, when I was scurrying around on book tour, I even kept a couple extra jars in my car at all times, for those moments when verbal thank yous just weren’t enough and I wanted to offer a physical representation of my appreciation.
Sometimes, even I run out of preserves good for giving (there are a number of trial batches in recipe development that, while good enough for home use, aren’t great for bestowing upon others). Other times, I just find myself out of fresh ideas. That’s when I turn to books and blogs authored by other creative folk, hoping that their various perspectives will gyrate me free from my regularly-trod paths.
The latest book to cross my transom that I’m turning to for kitchen inspiration is Lucy Baker’s Edible DIY. Initially based on the work she’s done on Serious Eats, this book is filled with candies, infused spirits, crackers, pickles, and sweet spreads that will send you hopping for the kitchen.
Recipes are arranged by type. You’ll find nibbly bits like crackers, spiced nuts, and popcorn in the Crunchy section. Boozy should be plenty self-explanatory (and goodness, do I want to try the Spiced Pear Gin pictured below). Sweet includes biscotti, marshmallows, truffles, and toffee.
The last two sections the most preserve-heavy of the book. On the savory side, there’s a strong assortment of Spicy Condiments, Pickles, and Snacks (flavored salts! pickled fennel! ginger sriracha!). Rounding out the book are the Jams, Jellies, and Other Preserves. Lucy has made tweaks to a series of reliable favorites (blueberry port jam and strawberry balsamic thyme jam, for example) which are all worthy of canning pot consideration. One recipe that I’m planning on making soon is the one for Cranberry-Champagne Jam with Crystallized Ginger (I still have a couple bags of cranberries stashed away).
One of the things I like most about this book is that it’s accessible. Not a single recipe goes on for pages (or days), making it approachable for all levels of canners, candy makers, and cracker bakers. As someone who rarely has the patience for recipes that require multiple days of fussing, I’m appreciative. That said, if you’re an expert baker/canner/sugarcrafter who is looking for a book to push your skillset to a new level, this one is probably not for you.
Homemade beef jerky and bacon and other charcuterie.
Homemade crackers, any and all cakes from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, pickled brussel sprouts, and homemade whole ingredient Samoas.
I want to try smoking and curing meats. First project: bacon.
Yogurt is on my list of things to try making.
Amaretto. That’s on my list for this year. I was going to make it for Christmas last year but never got around to it (in fact my clemencello is still not finished with simple syrup!)
I want to try making homemade bitters, and also mint tea with fresh mint from my garden! I got some from a food swap and it was AWESOME, so now I want to try making it!
I have a few things on my list for this year – part of my 30 before 30 goals. This year, I want to make cheese, ketchup, challah bread and tortillas! This book looks AWESOME! Thanks friendly sharing publishers 🙂
This looks like a beautiful book, thanks for the opportunity. I would like to find a really good recipe for tiramisu. I love to order it in restaurants, but have never made it at home. And now, I want to try those Cacio e Pepe crackers from the giveaway book!
I’m excited to try making some hot pepper jam! I finally tried canning this year and thus far it’s gone well so I’m excited to expand my repertoire.
I would love to finally try making jam.
Home made crackers to use with my home made canned goods. I’m trying to eliminate as many store bought, processed foods as possible. Would love to look through this book.
I want to try making my own hamburger/hot dog rolls. Never been a baking type person but it seems so easy to do.
I’m going to learn to bake bread. Like a good sour dough, using that starter that we were given thats been in someone’s family for years.
Cantaloupe jam…. hmmm….
I’m always on the lookout for new recipes for homemade goods. Thanks for sharing the book!
My current goal is to make a good loaf of bread. I rarely make one that I enjoy, yet I keep trying. I also would like to try my hand at pasta. Ooh! And croissants. A guilty pleasure.
pretty little hen: where do you get that ginger? I just moved to the other side of the state.
I want to make torrone!
I’m going to try to make pickles!
Ooohhhhh, I will make more extracts, and have another go at maple syrup- candied ginger (from locally grown ginger in western MA!!), and I will also give bone broth a try again.
I’d like to do more canning for gifts this summer. I also have a dehydrator and want to give that a try as well (over the summer…..teacher)
Thanks for the giveaway – the book looks terrific!
I’m going to try making jelly instead of jam. Just to switch it up!
I buy a 20 gallon bucket of sour cherries in the summer for jam making, but the cherry juice goes into zip bags in the freezer. My plan is to use the cherry juice for jelly. If that goes well I might also try making Welch’s grape juice into jelly since that is the only thing my brother will eat with his pbj sammie.
There isn’t a specific recipe, but I recieved a copy of A Year of Pies by Ashley English for Christmas and I really want to find/make some time to try out a few of the recipes in the book. They’re all full of deliciousness.
This year, two things I plan to try making are limoncello and bagels from scratch and now I’m going to have to pick up this book and try the spiced pear gin! YUM!!
Pineapple habanero salsa… it’s been on my list for awhile now. And some chipotle chocolate marshmallows…
I already made fig vodka from a recipe someone in the family passed me, but now, probably English muffins, to go with all of that delicious jam that I’ve been making since finding FIJ for the first time 😉
No, wait, I think have to make my own crackers (finally). Since I’ve bookmarked no less than 20 recipes of all different shapes, sizes and tastes, so… yeah. Those!
I really want to get over my fear of baking with yeast…definitely want to try a yeast bread this year.
I want to give making marmelade a go. Of course, I’ll need to make some biscuits to eat it on…
Sweet potato soup with za’atar oil for tonight (http://www.yumsugar.com/Sweet-Potato-Soup-Zaatar-Oil-26927596), but there are all the recipes in the Smitten Kitchen cookbook demanding attention over the year.
I want to make sriracha sauce. I’ve never seen it for sale in the UK (possibly because I haven’t been looking in the right shops) and it sounds really good. Thank you!
Oh, this looks great! Thanks for the giveaway!
I want to make some lemon curd. I love the idea of giving it as a gift. It makes me feel like someone who has “tea” on a regular basis in the English sense.
Ha! I just got this for my birthday last week. Great book!
I’ve never made chutney before, because it always seemed like the kind of thing I’d make and then never end up eating, but I had some on a cheese plate at a restaurant this past weekend and I realized what I’ve been missing. So chutney is at the top of my list for next year.
i will attempt to master the art of empanada’s! all kinds…. i want to make beautiful empanada’s for me and my husbands enjoyment…. since we are now a million jillion miles away from a good cuban restaurant
Homemade gelato is at the top of my cooking list this year. But those salted maple syrup caramels in the book are pulling a close second!
Marshmallows. I know, I am so late to the game, but my husband really wants me to make marshmallows.
New jam recipes. I tried low-sugar options this past summer, and I’m not happy with the results. I need somewhere between the teeth-aching sweet of the strawberry freezer jam of my childhood and what I did this past summer. I’ll probably try some of your recipes but actually follow them this time 🙂
I can’t wait to try your lemon curd recipe. I got a bunch of Meyer lemons and them ran out of time. I juiced the lemons and froze it along with the zest. Have to wait until next weekend.
Marmalade. I’ve never made it before.
I am going to try making flavored vodkas for Christmas gifts this year!
Spiced Pear Gin! Need to try that recipe. Would love to get my hands on this book, looks like DIY presents are taken to a higher level.
I have heard it so simple, but I want to try to make a salt encrusted sea bass. I have seen it done, and it looks so simple, but cooking fish has always scared me, for some reason. I’m going to do it, though!!!
I just come in possession of some meyer lemons, so I’m trying to decide what to make with them — preserved? lemon pie? lemon bars? something savory?
I really want to preserve some lemons this year. They look SO good when people do it, I just have never tried…
This year, I will get over my fear of hot sugar and make marshmallows.
I received a miniature pie machine for Christmas, so I’m itching to try out some personal chicken pot pies in it.
I’d love to finally use my smoker to make smoked salmon. Hank Shaw has a simple recipe that looks perfect.
http://honest-food.net/2012/08/12/how-to-smoke-salmon-recipe/
Croissants! They don’t look too difficult – just time consuming. This will be the year!
My fiance has expressed a strong desire for Beef Wellington, so I think that’ll be on the to-make list soon!
My longing-to-try recipe was preserved meyer lemons. Got inspired by a post of yours and started a batch two days ago. So my next gotta-try recipe is probably going to be Italian Wedding Soup. I’ve loved it every time I’ve eaten it, but have never made a pot myself.
I want to make vanilla extract this year. I know it’s supposed to be really simple, and I’m not sure what’s kept me from making it yet. But I’ve got the vanilla beans, and goodness know I’ve got enough jars sitting around, so I’m going to go ahead and make it.
The maple salted caramels in this book remind me of the maple syrup I have in the back of the fridge. I’d love to try those! The book looks completely charming.
I am going to make raw brownies for the first time tomorrow. No sugar or flour so it should be interesting.
I bought a half-pound of vanilla beans late last year to make candied clementines (which have gotten a fantastic reception from gift-ees, so far). I only needed 2 beans, but buying a half-pound was clearly the most economic way to go! Plus, I now have a ready excuse to try other recipes that require vanilla beans, so that’s my plan for 2013. I’m particularly keen on trying homemade vanilla extract.
I’ve been wanting to make homemade chicken liver pate! I just need to get up the nerve and stop being a baby. I love pate!
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/01/chicken-liver-pate-recipe-schmaltz-michael-ruhlman/
I really want to make Apple Cider Caramels. Yum!
I stumbled across a recipe for apple cider caramels that I’d like to try this year. Although I saw pictured above there’s a caramel recipe in this book… so I’d probably start with that one if I won!
For me, it’s mango chutney.
That spiced pear gin sounds amazing!
I have plans to make this rose petal granola (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rose-petal-granola-recipe.html) as soon as I can get my hands on dried roses! This has unfortunately been surprisingly difficult to do…
I have never made homemade mustards and I would like to try that this year. I would also like to make a batch of homemade marshmallows. and I am always looking for new ideas for homemade spirits. this books sounds awesome. I would love to win this book. I just ordered the last book you posted about Notes from the jam cupboard-can’t wait to get it. thanks for the chance Kathy
I want to bake a new whole grain “no knead” bread recipe that I found on The Kitchn’ blog. thanks!
I want to try making dill pickles.
I want to try your homemade yogurt recipe!
I had no interest in cooking anything at all when I started reading this post (pregnancy nausea has kicked my butt for the last 3 months), but then I saw homemade SWEET TEA VODKA! And CRANBERRY GINGER JAM. And I’m suddenly wanting to get in the kitchen! I have to get my hands on this book.
I already did it — I made homemade peanut butter for the first time a couple weeks ago and wow is it kind of addictive (instant excuse to eat peanut butter: gotta lick, I mean clean, the blender : )
On to ice cream in a hand-turned crock (maybe?) that I acquired at a second hand store.
Though I totally second the Smitten Kitchen’s apple cider caramels Sarah J. mentioned above, I’d say I’d like to make a levain and move away from conventional yeast with my breadmaking. Starters get to be future-food in jars.
This will be the year that I make cheese!
I really want to try tomatillo salsa this summer but I think I’m going to make some cranberry applesauce soon
The Gin recipe sounds interesting!
I want to try my hand on any type of caramel making and on the savory side, pate. This book looks so exciting especially the “boozy” section.
I want to try making lemon rind candy….
A recipe to try…I think I would have to be the lemony sweet tea vodka that appears in one of the pictures from this book! That sounds amazing!
Marmalade…. I’ve always made strawberry & raspberry & gooseberry as they are my children’s favorites. I only recently learned that my husband’s favorite is marmalade… After all of the years we’ve been married & he finally tells me this? (Or maybe he did before & I just ignored him…)
I have a huge crop of Meyer lemons! Preserved lemons and limoncello. Oh, and those gorgeous Maple Syrup caramels from that last photo above…those look like fun.
I love that these recipes are fairly simple. That and plentiful pictures are what I look for in cookbooks. I really want to cook a good Indian meal this year — either aloo palak or palak paneer with homemade naan.
Hmm…I don’t have a recipe, but I’m looking for one for a birthday cake.
Sopa de Chile Poblano!
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Mexico-Poblano-Soup
Fermented dill pickles! Got the crock, just need a good growing season for cukes…
I will make a small batch of elderberry jam from the elderberry juice I picked up at the farmers market last weekend.
This year I want to experiment with my le Creuset and try cooking in a tangine. And crepe cakes.
Book looks sweet! I want to make reduced flavored vinegar this year.
I really want to master risotto this year…this leek risotto is looking really good to me!
http://food52.com/recipes/20271_leek_risotto
Maybe it’s already out there but I’d like to try a recipe for homemade liquid soap and then develop a ‘pump’ that would fit a canning jar. Maybe it’s already out there?
Sesame Crackers
My 2013 recipe will be dill pickles. I could not master this a few years back and am ready to revisit them.
I want to tackle an array of homemade bitters!
http://www.thekitchn.com/gifts-for-the-cocktail-lover-homemade-bitters-180954
i want to invest more time in baking/cooking/preserving and, this year, make more yeasted breads – in particular, the cinnamon pull apart bread that i have seen floating around the internet for a while now.
Lime marmalade: http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t–3042/lime-marmalade.asp
I’m considering adding a little tequila to make it more of a… sort of margarita marmalade.
i want to try pickled green tomatoes this coming fall. my Dad’s garden always has a ton on the vines right before the first frost and it would be awesome to make something tasty out of them.
I’d sure like to master making caramel!
That book looks amazing. This will be the year I master caramel… I swear
I want to make smoked tomato vinegar. I haven’t decided yet, though, if I’ll go whole hog and make tomato juice into wine and then vinegar, or just infuse some white vinegar with smoked tomatoes…
I’d like to conquer the homemade marshmallow thing. We’ve made some tasty ugly ones and I’d like to make some pretty ones.
Black pepper balsamic strawberry jam! Cannot wait for summer to get here.
I am itching to make homemade buttermilk biscuits so I can spread some of last summer’s lovely strawberry jam on them!
Caramels! I was reminded by that photo above, but this was the recipe I’ve had my eye on… http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/10/apple-cider-caramels-the-book-is-here/
Homemade mustard has been high on my list for a while now. I just need to get rid of all the store bought mustard that’s clogging up my pantry space first!
I want to try making pulled pork for my husband. He loves it and I have no idea how to make it. I printed a couple recipes I found online, but what I’d really like is someone’s tried and true recipe. I want it to come out perfect the first time. Thanks.
homemade limoncello!
I am itching to make Maple Cream. The detailed instructions are on America’ Test Kitchen website and in their new DIY cookbook (also in my wish list folder.)
I want to try making Pad Thai this year.