So often over the life of this blog, I’ve written about beautiful cookbooks. These posts are fun for me to write because I love any excuse to sit awhile with a new cookery volume and explore what it has to offer. Many of you take the time to write me an email or leave a comment, to tell me how useful you find these cookbook pieces, because they give you a chance to peek inside a book in a way that’s different from the experience on Amazon.
Today’s cookbook feature is a particularly unique joy, because this time, I’m sharing my own book
To my mind, the book is a tangible embodiment of this website. It brings together the most popular recipes from the archives as well as a number of new recipes you’ve never seen before. All the previously-published recipes were retested and rewritten before being included in the manuscript to ensure that they were the best versions of themselves. Many were also scaled down to yield just three or four pints, to keep with the small batch theme.
It includes detailed canning instructions (with helpful instructional pictures!), tips on how to determine whether your jam has reached its set point, a guide for adjusting processing time for altitude and all the best safety practices.
The recipes are sorted by genre, so that all the pickles are in one chapter, jellies in another and so on. Within each section, the recipes are arranged by season, so that each spring, you can start at the beginning of the jam chapter and then work your way through to the end.
The book is also full of really gorgeous images. Truly, my jars have never looked better. The photography was done by Steve Legato, at his Philadelphia studio, and it was such a pleasure to watch him work. Also, I made all the canned goods pictured, so you can trust that your finished products should look pretty darn close to what you see.
Another way I tried to keep the book tied closely to this site is that it’s not just about canning. Towards the back of the book, you’ll find sections devoted to nut butters, granolas, bread and scone mixes in jars and even flavored salts. There’s also information about how to best freeze different fruits and vegetables, and some details on pressure canning low acid foods.
Finally, the reason I think so many of you will like the book is that it’s me. It’s my voice, the same one you read here day after day. I’m always working to write about food preservation in a way that conveys the fact that it’s a joy, not a chore. That feeling ribbons throughout the book. I love joining so many of you in your kitchens through this blog and I hope I’ll get to do the same through the book.
Thanks to my kind publicist at Running Press, I have three copies of the Food in Jars
- To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and share your favorite kind of food in jars. Jam? Jelly? Pickles? Chutney? Canned peaches? Granola? Iced coffee? There is no wrong answer.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Sunday, May 27, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Monday, May 28, 2012.
- Giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian readers.
- One entry/comment per person, please.
If you can’t bear to wait and see if you win the giveaway, you can always order a copy by clicking here: Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round
I would have to say that it would be pickles. 1) because I’ve always loved pickles, ever since I was a kid, and really fresh ones are so much better than supermarket pickles. and 2) because they were the first thing I ever canned successfully (I had some early attempts at jam that turned into berry sauce, which was delicious, but not what I was going for. I have since successfully made jam many times, but pickles remain my first unqualified canning triumph).
I’d love to win this book! Canning has always intimidated me so this would be super helpful. I’m a big jam fan 🙂 Congratulations on your book by the way!
My favorite is preserves with strawberry and blackberry being my current faves. Congrats on such a lovely book.
Pickles! Or chutney. Maybe it’s a tie?
Still learning how to can, one of my favorites is probably pickled green tomatoes.. yumm..
After a long, hot afternoon of yard work, I love to shake up a large jar of homemade lemonade or an Arnold Palmer (ice tea and lemonade).
I lived in Yakima Washington for several years which is famous for its fruit and produce. I had a friend who canned every year and I couldn’t understand all the fuss and work that is until I tasted her peaches! Now these were peaches that were probably just a few hours from the tree when canned and I swear they tasted better than fresh ones! Soooo, I was bitten and dipped my toe into the big canning pool! To this day I think of those peaches…the woman was truly gifted!
Jam- I love the variety!
kimchee!
Jams, pickles and relishes!
Oh my goodness! I would LOVE to win a copy of your book, Marissa. I just love your website and I think it’s wonderful that you were able to share your knowledge and delicious recipes via book form. So many congratulations being sent your way!
Favorite food in jars? Jam! Definitely jam. I am a jam canning fool. I currently have two freshly made batches of your strawberry vanilla jam sitting on my counter. My neighbors love it, and so do I!
Thanks for the chance to win!
I love salsa, especially when made with more unusual ingredients like tomatillos or peaches!
I love pickles! And then to give them away! Beautiful book! I’d love to win it 🙂
I canned 119 jars of jam this week already! One of my favorite foods from jars, however, is home-canned green beans!
I love strawberry jam!
I loves me some pickles!
Jams are my favorite. I use them everyday on my toast, yogurt, PB&J, spoon. ; ) Right now, strawberry as I have made 24 jars in the past two weekends.
Congrats on the cookbook!!!
Tomato jan is my current favorite.
My Grandma’s apple butter! Great giveaway – love your blog and all the super recipes!
Thanks,
xoxo
Joy
Pickles — preferably with some spicy kick to them
My grandma’s lime pickles!
Congratulations! It must feel amazing to be holding your own book in your hands! 🙂 Personally, I’m most excited about the pickles chapter (as I’m something of a pickle sissy) but it all sounds wonderful!
Oh, my favorite thing in jars has to be marmalade. My mom would make it every year.
I’ve fallen in love with jars. My favorite is still plain old jarred peaches.
As it’s the last 6 weeks of the school year and my classroom is a steambath…my current
Food in Jar is iced coffee.
Hope I win!
My Israeli grandmothers garlic/dill pickled
Kirby cucumbers! Pickled in the sun on her porch
Every time we went to Israel she put large batches
Up and now I make them for my family from
Her recipe
I’m a jammer and jelly maker mostly – I in the middle of rhubarb too, but just did a pinepple that people are truly enjoying. I was surprised. My favorite thing is to hear the lids pop! Your book looks great – Congratulations! This is a great opportunity – thank you for all you do.
My favorite thing to put in jars is your tomato jam!! Love fruit jams, too….hmm, hard decision. I’m going to stick with the tomato jam. Thanks for the giveaway. Your book looks awesome. I’m asking for it for my birthday–if I don’t win it here!
Last year was my very first year to can and my very first recipe to try was your vanilla strawberry jam. It was amazing!! It was delicious and my kitchen smelled heavenly as it cooked. That and spiced apple butter were my favorites and on my to do list for this year as well. Your book looks beautiful. Congratulations!
Congratulations Marisa! I learned how to can from your site, starting with carrot pickles, and I think pickles are probably my favourites to eat, though I love to make jams and jellies.
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam with chunks. Eat it just from the jar.
I love dilly beans!
I’m a jam girl. 90% of what I spend time on is jam.
I can’t choose just one! I absolutely love spicy dilly beans for snacking and everyone loves when I put them out at parties. My other favorite is crushed tomatoes. I love cooking with them all winter to make delicious tomato sauce, pizza sauce and chili!
I love making chutneys because they go with so many things, and they are the most forgiving recipes! I love your blog, your recipes are clear and filled with helpful tips, thanks. Congrats on the book, that is an amazing accomplishment!!
I like anything canned. Fruits, jams, pickles, veggies.. Your book looks wonderful!! I have truly enjoyed your site.. Wish you were coming to the South for your book tour and class- I would be on the front row!
My favorite thing is jars: Tough to answer, but I believe it is going to have to be Jam! I love the smell of it cooking, the beautiful colors that I end up with and the satisfaction of placing it up on the shelf for future eating. Nothing as great as popping that seal and smelling summer in the middle of winter! ~anita
My favorites are strawberry or grape jelly. They both bring back wonderful memories of my childhood of both my grandmother and mother making jellies in the kitchen.
Pickles!
p.s. the book looks gorgeous – layout, photos, typeset, etc…
Gosh, any kind of jam put up in Summer is fabulous in the depths of Winter.
Homemade bean salad is my favorite food in a jar. I am growing enough beans this year to maybe last until next summer…probably not! (I eat it like a mad woman when I have it.) Thank you for the chance at your fabulous book!
my favorite food in jars is pie filling, but choosing between peach, cherry and apple? impossible!
Peaches! My mom used to can them. I’m going to give it a try this summer.
Your small batch strawberry-vanilla jam. My friends and family refer to it as crack jam and eat it straight out of the jar!
Tomato Juice for the cold winters when I want to make chili and vegetable soup!!
I love preserves in jars! Blackberry is my current favorite.
I love canning.I love that your recipes go way beyond the Ball blue books.I would love to win a copy! Thank you.
Tomato sauce (mine!)
I already bought the book but I would love to win a copy to give to one of the many friends who have complimented my copy as it sits in the coffee table!
My favorite food in jars is pickles! The sweet Asian refrigerator pickles was the first Food in Jars blog recipe I tried and they were so good!
My favorites would have to be jams & preserves…strawberries and figs!