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
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.
I had a stroke in September. I may not preserve at all this year.
I love canning books. This weekend I am canning applesauce and apple rings.
Nothing in canner this weekend. Last thing I canned was Pears & made Pear Relish also.
That little books looks great!!
I am making strawberry rhubarb jam…yum!
I love canning, not actually canning anything this weekend, I have pretty much got all mine done. I am teaching my soon to be daughter in law to can. she would love this book
Did some bread and butter pickles and dill pickles. just went and bought bushels of apples for apple butter yum yum still have the watermelon jelly to try and get done this weekend as well going to be a busy busy weekend for me!! I love canning its fun and awesome and everything taste’s so much better
What a cute little book! I have burdock and celery root brining along with kale, and will season and pack in jars with some ginger, celery seed, and maybe green chili. Need those lactoferments!
Today I’m going to try your pear lavender jam. (Except I have Bartlet pears instead of red pears.) The lavender is steeping in the hot water right now and it smells so wonderful!
I’m making prickly pear fruit jelly to put in my
Christmas gift baskets. The red color is perfect
for the holiday! And best of all the fruit is free.
Diane in Texas
Today I’m going to try your pear lavender jam. (Except I have Bartley pears instead of red pears.) The lavender is steeping in the hot water right now and it smells so wonderful!
Love the book! always looking for new ideas and recipes. This weekend is tomato sauce and tomato soup. Thinking about some pepper jam too. Only so many hours in a day 😉
I am attempting to can some salsa this weekend. Unfortunately, a lot of our garden was wiped out by Colorado rain last month. 🙁
I hope to find some apples on sale so I can make a batch of apple jelly.
i have an odd mix going on this weekend: canning salsa, tomatoes, and apple butter. just finished some strawberry conserve. it’s been an odd growing season!
What a beautiful book and a lovely gift idea for friends you are encouraging to preserve! We are preserving raspberries this weekend. Our harvest in Alaska was amazing this year. So grateful!
As a brand new canner I would like and could use all the information I can get my hands on. Have only done tomatoes so far.
I have a slew of green tomatoes so this weekend I will be making for the first time tomato chutney
Not preserving anything this week, being lazy. Should have canned my pot of split pea soup though instead of putting it in the freezer.
This weekend will be the ultimate jam session for me and my favorite gal. We just left our farmers’ market with red anjou pears; carrots; baldwin, enterprise (which are amazing!), and northern sky apples. Apple Butters, Pear Jam, Pear and Apple Sauce will be had! Now, I must go find the ginger. Everything is just so much better with ginger.
After waiting patiently for my heirloom Wenk’s Yellow Hot Peppers to ripen to red, I am attempting my first ever batch of hot sauce!
I love the BINDING on this book. Why can’t ALL COOKBOOKS be bound like this? The way it lays flat, the rings, the ease of use, the never broken glue. I could go on for a good long while. Fabulous. Also the book itself looks pretty great too.
I will be preserving pears this weekend! After I make a nice pear cobbler first…;-).
Apple butter!
I am canning hot pepper jam and onion and pepper relish this morning – using up the last of the peppers in my potted garden. thanks for a great blog, very inspiring!
I’m finishing up with canning tomatoes, then it’s on for pumpkin puree for pies, cakes, cookies and all sorts of good things.
Heading to Lancaster to see what I can find that strikes my fancy. Really hoping for some beautiful pears–pear vanilla jam! Yummy!
Spiced plum jam for grandchild #2.
This weekend I’m going to make apple pie filling and finally get those apples out of my house =].
applesauce!
Hi!
my hubby & picked 40 lbs of apples last weekend..so applesauce & apple butter. This is my first year of preserving & I’m hooked.
I was drawn to your website from amazon (got your book for Xmas) and was excited to see you sometimes come to Portland, I missed the last one, maybe next time!!
Thanks for the opportunity! -Colleen
This weekend it is apple butter and monkey butter, maybe with a batch of caramel-apple jelly.
I’m making Quince Paste and Quince Jelly and Jam, my daughter brought me 30lbs of Quince!!!!
This is my first year preserving and I am wondering what took me so long. Last night I made a small batch of cranberry/tangerine preserves with Curacao. They will be favors for holiday parties. I was just searching last night to see if canning persimmons was possible (I guess there is some controversy about the astringency?) and I can’t believe that the photo you posted has a persimmon/vanilla recipe. I will purchase copies of this book as Christmas presents to go with the jars. If I’m lucky, you will send me a copy for myself!! I really enjoy your blog.
This weekend it’s back to apples from all of our trees! I’m making carrot-ape-cardamom butter from Tigress in a jam, and Apple Chipotle BBQ sauce! I’d love to get my hands on this bpok and see what she suggests for preserving apples…
Not doing any preserving this weekend. But would still love to win the book. Thanks for the giveaway.
I’ll be making a batch of applesauce with some gorgeous apples my friend gave me from the tree in her backyard.
Nothing in my canner this weekend. If I take my grandkids to our local pumpkin patch next weekend, I imagine doing something with one or two hand-picked little pie pumpkins. : )
Finally finishing the apples…I love them, but I’m ready to be done. 100+ quarts of sauce, 5 quarts dehydrated apple slices and 14 or so quarts of apple slices canned and the rest to be made into sauce and apple butter this weekend and then I’M DONE with the apples!
Oh, I also made an apple jalapeno jam that was amazing! And a really hot version that my bil will love, but burns off my tongue 🙂
I am making pear vanilla jam…Love this recipe..thanks so much!! and then maybe raspberry vanilla later…
that book is so cute!
That sounds like a cool little book! I’m planning on making some apple butter with the homemade applesauce I have in the freezer, and then it’s on to experimenting with peach jam.
This is my first year preserving & it’s been great fun! Thanks to my aunt for teaching me this art! This weekend we are working on apple butter, black bean salsa & baked beans! Yummy…makes my mouth water just thinking of them.
This weekend I’ve already got a hambone started for stock to keep in the deep freeze. Later this weekend we’ll pick the portabello mushrooms that grow in the side of our yard. We’ll freeze some and dry some whole, and this year we’re planning to dry some and make them into powder.
I am canning the last of my tomatoes.
Pickled beets, from the bounty down the street! First pickling endeavor…can’t wait!
I make about 50 jars of hot pepper jelly this time of year. Give them all a way for Christmas gifts. Everyone loves it.
This little book would be a great addition to my cookbook library. I have some cranberries in the freezer, so I think I’ll do something with them–cranberry-orange marmalade or apple-cranberry preserves maybe.
What a darling book! And I love the cover!!! Currently working on apples. Made the apple pie filling and coming up next will be apple sauce. Thanks so much.
Today I am canning applesauce from our home grown apples. Tomorrow berry jam.
i’m making ginger apple butter
I’m doing apples!!!! still have a ton on our trees…more apple butter, pie filling, conserve, jam and anything I can think of 😉