Canning and Cooking

The food we eat is important in
determining our relationship
to the earth around us.
We can either stuff ourselves with
artificial ingredients and preservatives --
or we can eat locally-grown produce
in season, and we can can it
so that we can enjoy nature's bounty
throughout the rest of the year.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes:

Canning:
Strawberry Jam
Brandied Peach Preserves
Honey Pickles

Seasonal Cooking:

Spring: Grilled Pineapple

Summer: Pesto Pasta

Fall: Pecan-Crusted Tilapia

Winter: Lemony Rice Pudding

For more recipes and ideas . . .

Check out my canning blog and my general food blog.

Canning Resources:

The old stand-by for canning information is Ball Blue Book of Preserving. This is from the people who make both the Ball and Kerr brand canning jars. It is a great book if you have never canned before, because it discusses the difference between hot water and pressure canning, and has a chart of what foods are best for each.

You might also consider contacting your local Cooperative Extensions System Office to get canning advice specific to your particular location. Every state has an office, and many counties have their own.

For official government information, there is always the USDA Complete Guide To Home Canning. They will soon be releasing a 2009 update to the 2006 edition currently available.

Cooking Resources:

If you're only going to have one cookbook in your house, make sure it is the Joy of Cooking. This has been revised a number of times, but if you want to learn traditional techniques, look for the original.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a more up-to-date take on How to Cook Everything, try the newly revised edition of Mark Bittman's classic by the same name.

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