On first glance, The Little Book of Home Preserving might not catch your eye. It’s a tiny book (truly, no bigger than the size of my hand) and could easily get lost in a larger display. However, missing this book would be a huge mistake. Written and photographed by Rebecca Gagnon (author of the blog CakeWalk), it is bursting with interesting, creative recipes.
For a little book, this volume packs a serious punch. It opens with the basics of preserving, including safety tips, the equipment you’ll need to get started canning, and even instructions on how to strain whey from yogurt in order to follow the lacto-fermentation recipes in the book. Rebecca also touches on the inherent art of making preserves, which is a section I particularly like and relate to.
Once you get into the meat of the book, you see that it’s organized by season. I’m hoping against hope that my CSA will still have a few ground cherries left next week so that I can make a batch of the Citrus Chai Ground Cherry Preserves. I’ve also got my sights set on the Grapefruit Jam with Vanilla and Poppy Seed (the picture of that one in preserve is so gorgeous).
Rebecca sent me an extra copy of her book to share with one of my readers, so we’re having a super special weekend long giveaway. One lucky person will win a copy. However, no matter whether you win or not, I highly suggest picking up a copy. It’s size makes it perfect for slipping into Christmas stockings and at $6.57 on Amazon
, it won’t break the bank.
Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a comment on this post and share what you’re preserving this weekend.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Sunday, October 13, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted on Monday, October 14, 2013.
- Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
Hopefully the last of the season’s tomatoes
Pear jam, pressing apple cider to freeze with our homemade apple press, and preserving lots and lots of memories at a memorial service this morning.
My life sucks right now because there’s no canning until after November 6th, when I defend my doctoral dissertation. However, starting November 7th, I’m canning up a storm for Christmas! I would love a good book on seasonal canning.
I’m jarring apple butter ummm!!!
Pumpkin butter
This weekend I’m preserving memories. I’m visiting my daughter and her family so no canning but lots of hugs and activities with my daughter and her girls.
Not preserving this weekend, just celebrating the life of a loved one 🙂
applesauce and tomato juice Maybe some hot sauce.
Vegetable soup, chili, black bean and corn salsa, and a couple savory jellies w/hot peppers
It’s apple butter weekend.
Not making anything this weekend, however my daughter is getting into making all kinds of jam. I would like to win this book so I can give it to her for Christmas.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
I will be headed to the Farmers Market shortly to see what they have. It will be something with fresh ginger if one of the farmers has his at the market.
I have so many apple peels and cores left from all the baking I’ve been doing, I’m planning on making a batch of Compost Jelly this weekend. YUM!
Not doing anything this weekend , however my daughter is getting into making all kinds of jam. WOULD LIKE TO WIN THIS BOOK SO I CAN GIVE IT TO HER FOR CHRISTMAS……HAPPY THANKSGIVINGS
EVERYONE!
Apple butter and dilly beans!
Apple sauce and apple butter…
Applebutter! Yum..
Applesauce and apple butter! And something with a few straggler tomatoes….
I did 8 pints of salsa yesterday (Friday) and have 30 pounds of apples for apples pie filling and applesauce!
Sadly, not a thing this weekend. I am smoking a pork butt for family get together though…
Pepper relish, hot pepper salsa, and pickled dilly beans!
Pea soup and apple sauce this weekend, still lots of tomatoes too
Im putting together my recipies for a canning event oct 25 and oct 26, with neighbors and friends. We did peaches in august and we are doing apples in october. We had a blast! We are taking on apple jam, apple sauce and apples ready for dessert or pie making, also apple sliced for jars to use in everyday uses in yogurt topping and in oatmeal. Yummy. Apples canned 4 different ways in 2the days. Glad i got lots of help and laughter to help me out.
I’m not preserving anything this weekend, but I’m sharing past preservation by mailing out some home-canned tomato chutney to a few lucky friends. Or, well, friends who BETTER realize how lucky they are ;D
I’m going to see what looks good at the farmers market before I decide. Should be fun though!
Pickled quail eggs w/purple ceyenne pepper. Just enough ceyenne to give it a little kick. My kids love them !!!
We are preserving tomato sauce and pizza sauce this year.
No preserves this weekend, just a big pot of Ribolita soup for friends coming over. The apples are abundant, however, and we’ll be picking a bunch for making applesauce soon!
I love canning!
Apples from our tree and tomatoes from the Hutterites 😉
I’m canning fresh applesauce!
Apple and Grape Jelly .
Applesauce and apple pie filling
Apple butter, if all goes well
Crock pot apple butter? I made 14 pints last weekend..turned out awesome! Good luck and have fun canning…I just love it!
apple pie filling!
this weekend I’m making a hot sauce from my thai dragon peppers — yum!
Cleaned up the garden of the last peppers Hot and Bell will do them today. After our 2nd annual WALK for AUTiSM .!! We do it for the love our grandson Johnny .
Today I am going to can cranberry sauce (for Thanksgiving gifts) and then go onto tomato soup.
We’ve been canning pears this week.
What a must have little treasure! Applesauce is the canning treat this weekend!
My pomegranates are ripe and I will be making loads and loads of pomegranate jelly…the most time consuming and the most yummy jelly-ing processes!
Mango orange mint jelly, caramelized onion relish, mango lime jam or citrusy mango butter (have to see how much mango I have left), chinese plum sauce (without soy since I’m allergic), spicy pickled carrots, refrigerator pickled beets in orange juice and if I have time pickled fennel with orange and mint.
Unfortunately I haven’t been able to preserve very much since we are moving soon across the border. I did do some roasted tomatoes last month following your recipe, they are so good!
Sweet & spicy pickled peppers!
That Grapefruit, Vanilla, Poppy Seed jam sounds very intriguing. Can’t wait to see the recipe.
Nothing this exact weekend, but I just made Mandarin Orange Jam this week:@)
would love to win one of these books. I am a self taught canner.When I was young and wanted to learn my mother told me she had to do to much of that as a child. I am a grandma now and I still can but still enjoy learning new ways and new recipes for canning
I hope to do some sort of jelly this weekend! I’d love to win!
The next batch of preserves for me will be Apple Cider Jelly. It’s a favorite with all my friends.
Ooh…persimmon vanilla jam. My landlord’s persimmon tree is full of fruit, and they’re getting close to ripe. I like this plan…
Applesauce!
Lots of beautiful applesauce, this has been the best year yet for our apple tree.
That persimmon vanilla jam sounds lovely.
Such a sweet book. It looks beautiful … Thank You. I’ll be doing Pomegranate Jelly and Pomegranate Syrup 🙂
Bountiful Baskets had ASPARAGUS as an extra this week, so I have 22 pounds of pickled asparagus ahead of me!
I’m going to start a batch of sauerkraut!
I am canning apples….apple butter and applesauce
Applesauce and chicken broth.
Chokecherry jelly 🙂 I haven’t made this jelly before, so I’m looking forward to the end result!
The tomatoes are never ending this this! Time to search for anew recipe to try…
I’m a newbie to all of this, but I’m hoping to do some type of jelly or the monkey butter this weekend. I have a lot of tomatoes in the freezer though. When the courage to do it hits though, who knows what yummy things will come out of my kitchen!!! 🙂
Hoping for more bones to can beef stock and more tomatoes… peaches if they still have them at the orchard…
Actually, I will be doing this next Saturday, on my birthday! My sisters and I are traveling from all of our respective cities back to our hometown and Moms kitchen for our 2nd annual “Jam Session”—we are making prickly pear jelly (YUMMY)!
Tomatoes: stewed, some plain; tomatoes with onions, green tomato pickles then on to apples and pears
Oo, I just acquired 6 huge persimmons from a friend’s (apartment building’s) tree! I hadn’t thought to make jam with them but persimmon vanilla jam sounds delicious!
Allison, will you post the recipe for that !!! sounds good I ‘ve never canned persimmons thanks
I am going to be getting some apples from a friend, so will probably can some apple sauce and maybe some pie filling. I also need to make some garlic herb salt before my herbs all freeze outside!
Apple butter!!
This weekend I will be trying out my dehydrator for the first time. I am still quite new to preserving as I only began doing so last summer.
fall fruits and root veggies are in abundance and ready to can – yummmmm
Watermelon jelly and Cran-Apple Butter
finished pressure canning chicken broth, will do some onion soup.
waiting for apples, I have big plans
I haven’t preserved anything this week but have made some bread n butter pickles, strawberries n wild plum jam. I love this almost lost art.
I am planning on canning some applesauce and apple butter this weekend! I love this time if year !!
I am planning on canning some applesauce and apple butter this weekend! I love this time if year !!
I won’t be canning anything this weekend. I am still new at canning and have almost everything I need to go for it.:) All I still need to get is a pressure cooker for some of the things that I want to can. This lovely little book would make a nice addition as well to my canning supplies.;)
No preserving plans this weekend. My most recent was roasted corn salsa a few weeks back.
I’ll be making pear vanilla jam this weekend…DELICIOUS!!!
It’s another weekend of applesauce for me. Might do some apple fruit leather while I’m at it.
Here in Bahrain, it’s too hot to grow anything in the 110 degree heat during the summer. Now that it just cooled down to 90 degrees, I planted my garden yesterday. Looking forward to canning salsa from the tomatoes and peppers I just planted.
I am going to start working on the 50 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes I’ve been collecting all summer in the freezer. I collect them little by little and then at the end of the season they all get canned. I love doing it this way because when I defrost the tomatoes they skin themselves…and then I dehydrate the skins and grind them into tomato powder….absolutely nothing wasted. If there is “tomato water” left over after all the canning is done I can that also and use it for cooking grains or adding to soups….only the cores make it to the compost bin.
Making some black and blue syrup
Canning apple pie filling
Raspberry Plum Jam & Syrup, Green Tomato Mincemeat, Salsa Verde, and Mixed Berry Jam!
Grapefruit Jam with Vanilla and Poppy Seed! Are you kidding me? That just sounds delicious! – I am not preserving anything this weekend or for the next week or so – I am finally getting granite counter tops and a new cook top – I’ve been waiting 8 years for them. I am collecting recipes and ideas and so eager to get started – I can hardly wait!
Apple butter. Yummy!!!
This book looks wonderful! This weekend I am preserving apples — tons and tons of apples — I love keeping the sweetness of fall apples with me throughout the year!
Applesauce and Apple Butter!
Not a thing, sadly! It’s Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend, so.. busy with that. But, who knows – maybe I’ll come across something to pickle at the Market in the morning.
more jams, jellies and pickles
After working 18 days in a row, some of them 12 hour days, I am preserving my sanity by making no specific plans.
I’m making raspberry lychee jam and salsa verde this weekend!!
Grape jelly. Apple sauce. Something or another with all the green tomatoes still littering my fridge.
Anytime is “pickle time”!!
taking the weekend off feel like im coming down with a cold.
Rhubarb catsup
I’m going to make some more Muscadine jelly and Huckleberry jam this weekend.
Last apple picking of the season tomorrow morning, so planning to put up a lot of apple sauce and maybe some apple butter this weekend. 🙂
Roasted tomatillo salsa! Also pressure canning turkey broth because it’s Canadian Thanksgiving.
This weekend we are making some beef stew. My hubby came home with stew meat and wants to help. Haha, been canning all summer and now he wants to work the PC. Gonna be fun……..
Beets, pickled beets, tomato Sauce, freezing some cauliflower, pumpkin chutney, and I think that’s all!
Hiks, why not open internationally? Well, it’s live, guess had to click amazon now
I’ve learned in recent days that the giveaway laws vary from country to country and so I could be in violation of international law if I go beyond the US and Canada. So sorry!
That is awesome. I canned applesauce and apple jelly. Hope to win this. It would make a great housewarming gift. Blessings to you!!