Naturally Sweet Food in Jars is my third cookbook and was published in March 2016. It focuses on preserving with honey, maple, agave, coconut sugar, fruit juice concentrates, and dried fruits. You can find an array of ordering options here.
The idea for this book was initially sparked by this post, as well as the many alternatively sweetened recipes that have come since on this site. The finished book features more than 100 recipes for preserves, as well as a handful of recipes designed to help you use up some of what you’ve put up.
I had two primary goals in mind when I was writing Naturally Sweet. The first was to translate some of my most beloved sugar-sweetened recipes into those that used less refined sweeteners.
The second objective was to create new and novel recipes that would be safe for canning and that featured the various sweeteners in ways that made the most of their unique, individual flavors.
I also wanted to help change the conversation about preserving. So often, people dismiss it because they feel like the products created when you preserve aren’t always the healthiest.
However, by shining a spotlight on alternative sweeteners, I feel like I’ve created a collection of recipes that are able to balance health concerns with issues of safety and shelf stability.
And, as always, the recipes are relatively small batches that don’t require too much of your time and energy.
I love to have ice cream on my birthday!
Happy birthday!! 🙂 I love to go out for dinner on my birthday. It’s nice to have a break from cooking 😉 My favorite place currently serves up the best chicken & Belgian waffle you can imagine.
Happy Birthday! Thank you for being so generous to give someone else a gift on your day!
Happy Birthday Marisa!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! When I was kid, my mom always made me angel food cake with strawberries. To this day, as an adult, I have made myself that very same cake every single year and it is my favorite thing on my birthday. 🙂
Happy Birthday, hope you have a great day. My favorite thing to eat on my birthday is lemon cake.
Happy Birthday! Things that I love on my birthday are pie or lemon tart.
I’ve done some preserving out of Preserving by the Pint and I am excited about a book that uses more natural sweetners.
Since I’m a St. Patty’s Day baby, I generally have corned beef and cabbage, but I also love a good carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
Happy Birthday Marisa! My favorite birthday meal is anything not cooked by me.Extra special if it is Indian Food and a chocolate hazelnut truffle cake.
Hope you have a wonderful birthday! I like homemade ice cream for my birthday.
Happy Birthday, Marissa! While I don’t have a birthday favorite, I generally like anything with figs and ginger.
First and Foremost! I wish you a blessed and Happy Day for your Birthday!~ May the sunshine be poured down on you! For my birthday, I like nothing particular. But I am quite fond of vegetables and Lobster. Yes, Lobster from CT!
Happy birthday Marisa! My favourite birthday food is Indian takeout from Amaya (an amazing Indian restaurant in Toronto), followed by raspberry chocolate cake. Those things don’t exactly go together. But they do on my birthday.
Happy Birthday! My own birthday is on the 10th and I celebrated with a casual trip to my favorite bakery in Seattle for rhubarb danishes! So delicious! However, at home I had made some strawberry syrup which we ate on vanilla ice cream, and I think that is my favorite think to eat on my birthday.
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!
Happy birthday!! I like to celebrate with vegetarian tacos, gin and tonics, and lemon bars 🙂
I’m an Independence Day baby (July 4 is NOT the real independence day!), so there’s lot of lovely fresh fruit around to make into a pie or strew over cake and ice cream. 🙂 And happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday Marisa! Beet salad followed chocolate cake for desert!
My mom always makes me a Strawberry type cake that’s absolutely horrible for you and completely delicious. We live so far apart now that I would love to have one any day!
Happy birthday, Marisa!
I enjoy a savory dish for my birthday- love Thai and Indian food.
Congratulations on your new book, I am new to canning and I look forward to learning from your work.
I have so looked forward to this book coming out.
I hope your birthday is full of all your favorite things! Happy Day.
Happy birthday Marisa! My actual birthday was on Thanksgiving so that is the day we celebrate it, even though the date for Thanksgiving is different year to year. So one of my favorite things to eat on my birthday is turkey!
Happy birthday! I hope someone else does some healthy and delicious cooking for you to celebrate your day! My birthday is at the end of April so I am always happy to have some Spring veggies for my birthday, particularly if local asparagus is in season. And I must have chocolate to end the meal 🙂 Enjoy your day!
I love cake, funfetti cake. Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!! Apple pie with peaches, plums, walnuts & almonds…YUM!!!
Osso Bucco is the all time favorite.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday. May 14th is also my birthday. I like to eat anything containing the first deliciously sweet strawberries that are just getting ripe about this time. DEEEE-LISH!! And I usually spent the night sitting in a big field watching the lightening bugs 😉
Happy birthday to you, too!
Have a fantastic birthday!!! I hope you are celebrated well and are surrounded by love! Thanks for blessing us with your book on your day!
I can’t wait to try the sweet onion relish and find some fun uses with these natural sweeteners I have here in my house.
Happy birthday! My birthday is Sunday and my friends and I will be making lots of birthday cocktails featuring rhubarb, strawberries, and elderflowers, cause they’re all going like gangbusters in our gardens right now.
What I’d most like to eat are soft shelled crabs, but they aren’t in season during my birthday time of year. But I do usually have seafood of some sort. I wish I lived in New England. I’d have fish or seafood every day. Fresh seafood in the Midwest is either hard to come by, or so ridiculously costly that I might as well just get a plane ticket and fly to the coast to eat. Congrats on the book!
Chocolate cake for birthday breakfast, even if I have to make it myself!
Happy Birthday! My mom still makes me BBQ meatballs and cheesy potatoes and I’m 35! 🙂
My favorite is a nice slice of pizza. I don’t indulge too much in pizza on a regular basis, so that’s my little treat to myself.
Happy Birthday. Love my meatloaf.
Happy Happy Birthday!!
For my birthday,
I always make myself the lightest, fluffiest gluten free coconut cupcakes, served warm out of the oven with some coconut icing and toasted coconut on top. Heaven Heaven Heaven
I wish I could beam one to you!!
Happy birthday Marisa!
Happy joyful birthday!
When I was a vegetarian and living with someone who didn’t eat vegetables on my birthday I made them make me mashed potatoes and tofu dogs and creamed corn and anything else that I could think that would just disgust them but I would enjoy . It was my birthday revenge and I enjoyed it fully !
Happy birthday! In our family you got to choose your birthday dessert and my favorite has always been brownies, made from the box. None of that fancy stuff, just chewy brownies from Betty Crocker.
Happy birthday! I’m glad you were born.
Happy Birthday Marisa! My favorite birthday foor is most definitely bean tacos! I love to top them with different salsas and hot sauces. So. Freaking.Good! Enjoy your bday and eat lots of yummy things 🙂
Feliz Cumpleanos , Gefeliciteerd and Happy Birthday! Fave birthday food would have to be a delicious homemade pasta!
Happy Birthday Marissa! I hope you enjoy your day. I would love to win a copy of your new cookbook!
My birthday is close to Christmas, but my mom still takes the time to make me cheesecake for my birthday. Cheesecake remains one of my favorite foods to eat even when it is not my birthday.
Happy birthday!! I love waffles with jam for breakfast on my birthday!
Ice cream is my favorite treat. Happy birthday!
I love classic yellow birthday cake. Yum!
Happy Birthday! I always make myself a birthday pie, usually apple…my favorite.
Happy birthday Marisa! I loooove a lemon tart as a birthday treat.
Cheesecake! But, like, vegan cashew cheesecake. Dairy hurts my belly, but I will take the dairy free version happily on my birthday!
Happy Birthday! I love birthday cake and even better with a nice homemade jam between the layers.
Happy Birthday! I just celebrated my 33rd this week, we went out for Cajun—filé gumbo, cornbread with jalepeño butter, and blackened catfish with cheese grits.
Happy Birthday! my birthday is 2 weeks after yours and my favorite food is Pizza, the cheesiest the better.
Happy birthday to my fellow May baby! (I was May 3rd.) There definitely has to be chocolate in some way, shape, or form on the day. An absolute must.
Happy Birthday! Love the book!
Happy Birthday! I usually go for coconut cake on my Birthday. I guess it’s something about tropical flavors in February.
Happy birthday! The book looks beautiful, and so useful. We are planting a ton of berries on our property so I’d love to learn how to preserve them without sugar. On my birthday I like to have something with fresh blackberries, since they’re in season in early August – usually a blackberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream.
Happy Birthday! Mine is the 24th. I don’t have foods I associate with my birthday, but I do like to surround myself with flowers – Trader Joe’s is my best friend around this time! I’m so looking forward to reading the book, especially with the 5 pounds of honey I have in my basement (long story).
Since I was a teenager (I turned 46 one month and 1 day ago) my birthday meal has been Spanakopita (Moosewood recipe) followed by either peach pie or some version of lemon dessert-recent favorite has been Shaker lemon pie. Happy Birthday, Marisa!
Happy Birthday Marissa!!! Definitely chocolate, and whipped cream, homemade
of course! Maybe a mousse of some kind?
Happy Birthday! Mine is still a ways away, but when it arrives I’m hoping someone will make me chocolate chip cookies!
Happy Birthday! For my birthday, I always request that I don’t have to cook. It’s a nice respite for a day. 😉
happy birthday! I love chocolate angel food cake for mine!
Happy Birthday!! Woo hoo! My favorite goodie to have on my birthday is flan…it’s my FAVORITE 🙂
Happy birthday! I love cheesecake for my birthday.
My birthday is October so I love pumpkin pie made completely from scratch – using pumpkin from the garden and a homemade sweet pie crust.
We’re celebrating my husband’s birthday on Saturday! I’m most looking forward to the Elvis Pie – peanut butter cookie curst, banana cream filling, candied bacon on top!
Happy Birthday Month!
My birthday is at the end of July and I am not a hot weather fan. I like fish or seafood on my birthday…sushi or crab cakes or fresh fish make me smile. A pile of garden vegetables with the fish makes me even happier.
Happy Birthday! I love cake with lots of buttercream frosting!
Happy birthday, Marisa!
Since my birthday is in July, I almost always try to have ice cream… Usually something with chocolate in it. 🙂
Happy birthday! I’m a traditionalist on my birthday. Give me a big slab of yellow cake with chocolate icing!
Happy Birthday! Growing up I always asked for lasagna as my birthday meal from my mom. Also, never cake. Weirdly I don’t like cake but icing is delicious 🙂
Happy Birthday… Cheesecake is what I like… A new choice each year ,!
My birthday was the same day at the scheduled release for your book! It was on my amazon list, but I didn’t get a copy – I did get a wonderful book on infusions, though!
Growing up we always had a great homemade meals (steak and potatoes, normally, so good!) with boxed cake for birthdays, but now my greatest desire on my birthday is the incredible Princess Torte from Wuollet Bakery in Saint Paul.
when my kids were preteens, they would make frozen pizza on my birthday and we would all sit on the couch and watch Caddy Shack. Not my favorite food or favorite movie, but one of my favorite memories.
Happy Birthday, Marisa! ????
Happy Birthday Marissa! I hope it’s a wonderful day for you.
Happy Birthday, Marissa! I celebrated my birthday last month by… moving! After we got settled, my husband took me to my favorite Asian dumpling place near where we live. Best hot and sour soup hands down! Always get the spicy dumplings, garlic green beans too.
Happy Birthday!!!! My favorite birthday meal differs from year to year! There are too many to choose from!
Happy Birthday. I like to have a wiener roast, with homemade ketchup and pickle relish on the roasted dog of course.
Happy Birthday! I’d love a copy of the book
Happy Birthday. On my birthday I like either a Boston cream pie (which you probably know is a cake), or a raspberry custard pie (an actual pie).
Happy Birthday! I love to eat a cupcake on my birthday! Or, a really good cheese board is fabulous too!
Hi – my birthday is in August, so I love veggies and kabobs on the grill, with fresh-picked corn on the cob. I am salivating just thinking about summer foods! Happy Birthday to you – enjoy the day!
Happy Birthday, Marisa! I hope you have a wonderful day and a terrific year. Since my birthday is near the end of July, I love having a rack of ribs slow roasted on the barbeque with some homemade potato salad and coleslaw, finished off with homemade chocolate cake and ice cream! Enjoy your day!
Happy Birthday! For my birthday, I must have either cake and ice cream or pie and ice cream. Yum.
Happy birthday!! My birthday requirements generally involve tomatoes and s’mores. Not in the same place =)
Happy Birthday! My birthday has to involve Strawberry Shortcake! Have a GREAT birthday, eat well, love more!
Happy Birthday! And thanks for all the great recipes!
Happy Birthday!
I love pie, and the hubby is not a fan, so I usually request a pie for my birthday. As a late summer baby, I tend to end up with peach melba or peach blueberry, which is just fine with me.
Happy Birthday! I always enjoy a chocolate marble cake with chocolate icing!
Every year on my birthday, my mom makes me lemon meringue pie all from scratch. I love it.
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Cake!
Happy Birthday! I love chocolate anything on my birthday.
I’ve got your beautiful book right here, Marissa, but I just want to wish you a very happy birthday, with all YOUR favorite foods 🙂
Happy Birthday. I love having lobster on my birthday but anything will do. I do love toast with strawberry jam first thing in the morning .
I’m going to enter for Ben instead of myself 🙂 His favorite/requested birthday treat is my salted caramel & chocolate french macarons because his friend who is allergic to gluten can have them too. Hope you enjoy your birthday weekend!
Happy Birthday! I love having charcuterie with my girlfriends =)
Happy birthday! My birthday tradition is macaroni and cheese with ice cream cake for desert
Hope your bd is a great one!! My bday meal is the same each yr. My hubs & daughter help me cook up a seafood feast with baked potatoes, salad & my own version of cheddar bay biscuits.
Happy Birthday!!!! I love nothing more than finding an entire round of courses of things I’ve never eaten before and trying them on for size. There have been some disappointments, but I’ve added hundreds of things to my kitchen repertoire that I never would have tried otherwise.