Saving the Seasons

Book excerpt: You can’t get much closer to the source of your food than canning or preserving it yourself, and Saving the Seasons shows you how through clear instructions and step-by-step pictures. Loaded with helpful tips, charts and user-friendly recipes for beginners and experts alike, you will enjoy the season's bounty all year long! Top Five Reasons To Preserve Your Own Food Eat from known, local food sources—year round! Fill your cupboards with foods free from chemical additives and preservatives. Lock in peak flavors and nutrition by reserving the bounty of the season. Taste the full flavors of homemade—store-bought brands just can’t compare! Preserve foods while they’re plentiful, and the benefits last all year—with tastes you won’t soon forget. "What a treat to be reminded that it's not just technically possible to keep summer in your pantry all year long, but incredibly delicious. There's nothing at the supermarket that comes close to the tastes in these pages—and nothing that will help much more in the fight to build a local food system to replace the vulnerable, unhealthy, and sprawling mess that is our current lot." —Bill McKibben, author Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet "What a great idea to combine lessons for canning, freezing, pickling, and drying all in one book—with recipes for everything from making spicy kimchi to black raspberry jam! What a delicious way to extend our gardens." —Catherine Walthers, author of Raising the Salad Bar and Soups + Sides "It is heartening to see the renewed interest in gardening and in eating locally—actually, the interest in eating real food! It is long overdue. With this encouraging trend comes the need for a comprehensive guide to canning and preserving the garden bounty to enjoy the rest of the year. Saving the Seasons fills this niche perfectly. Its colorful pages, clear instructions, and many recipes will stimulate the novice as well as the seasoned canner." —Elsie Kline, Farming Magazine "A must-have follow-up to Simply in Season, Saving the Seasons takes eating locally and seasonally to the next step—beyond fresh. Now one can eat locally and seasonally year round with the knowledge of how to preserve or save the seasons. With the aid of the simple steps and photos, the novice will feel quite comfortable saving the seasons, and the experienced will learn new tricks. All will have wonderful recipes to try." —Mary Beth Lind, co-author of Simply in Season "With the voice of a trusted friend, Saving the Seasons offers comprehensive guidance and easy-to-follow instructions to the lost art of food preservation. It's the next best thing to having Mom or Grandma in the kitchen with you—possibly even better (sorry, Mom)." —Cathleen Hockman-Wert, co-author of Simply in Season "As a mother-daughter team with many years of farming between them, including both rural and urban agriculture, the Meyers are well-placed to present this updated guide on preserving food. They provide simple instructions and a great selection of recipes, from basic jam, pickles, and relish to international favorites like kimchi and chutney. Their tips offer terrific extra tidbits geared toward beginners while useful notes are included on foods for babies and kids." —Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen, organic, sustainable, and local food/agriculture writer A great addition for those who are cooking seasonally with Simply in Season!