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.