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.
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.
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! My birthday tradition is macaroni and cheese with ice cream cake for desert
Happy Birthday! I love having charcuterie with my girlfriends =)
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 lobster on my birthday but anything will do. I do love toast with strawberry jam first thing in the morning .
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 chocolate anything on my birthday.
Cake!
Happy Birthday!
Every year on my birthday, my mom makes me lemon meringue pie all from scratch. I love it.
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday! I always enjoy a chocolate marble cake with chocolate icing!
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! And thanks for all the great recipes!
Happy Birthday! My birthday has to involve Strawberry Shortcake! Have a GREAT birthday, eat well, love more!
Happy birthday!! My birthday requirements generally involve tomatoes and s’mores. Not in the same place =)
Happy Birthday! For my birthday, I must have either cake and ice cream or pie and ice cream. Yum.
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!
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! I love to eat a cupcake on my birthday! Or, a really good cheese board is fabulous too!
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’d love a copy of the book
Happy Birthday. I like to have a wiener roast, with homemade ketchup and pickle relish on the roasted dog of course.
Happy Birthday!!!! My favorite birthday meal differs from year to year! There are too many to choose from!
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 Marissa! I hope it’s a wonderful day for you.
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! ????
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.
Happy Birthday… Cheesecake is what I like… A new choice each year ,!
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! I’m a traditionalist on my birthday. Give me a big slab of yellow cake with chocolate icing!
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 love cake with lots of buttercream frosting!
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.
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!
My birthday is October so I love pumpkin pie made completely from scratch – using pumpkin from the garden and a homemade sweet pie crust.
Happy birthday! I love cheesecake for my birthday.
Happy Birthday!! Woo hoo! My favorite goodie to have on my birthday is flan…it’s my FAVORITE 🙂
happy birthday! I love chocolate angel food cake for mine!
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! Mine is still a ways away, but when it arrives I’m hoping someone will make me chocolate chip cookies!
Happy Birthday Marissa!!! Definitely chocolate, and whipped cream, homemade
of course! Maybe a mousse of some kind?
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! 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).
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! I usually go for coconut cake on my Birthday. I guess it’s something about tropical flavors in February.
Happy Birthday! Love the book!
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! my birthday is 2 weeks after yours and my favorite food is Pizza, the cheesiest the better.
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.