One of the joys of being someone who cans and preserves regularly is that I’m nearly always prepared when the need arises for a gift. During December’s gift giving season, I keep a box of summer jams and butters near the front door, ready to be distributed. I build couple-specific baskets for bridal showers and weddings.
Last summer, when I was scurrying around on book tour, I even kept a couple extra jars in my car at all times, for those moments when verbal thank yous just weren’t enough and I wanted to offer a physical representation of my appreciation.
Sometimes, even I run out of preserves good for giving (there are a number of trial batches in recipe development that, while good enough for home use, aren’t great for bestowing upon others). Other times, I just find myself out of fresh ideas. That’s when I turn to books and blogs authored by other creative folk, hoping that their various perspectives will gyrate me free from my regularly-trod paths.
The latest book to cross my transom that I’m turning to for kitchen inspiration is Lucy Baker’s Edible DIY
Recipes are arranged by type. You’ll find nibbly bits like crackers, spiced nuts, and popcorn in the Crunchy section. Boozy should be plenty self-explanatory (and goodness, do I want to try the Spiced Pear Gin pictured below). Sweet includes biscotti, marshmallows, truffles, and toffee.
The last two sections the most preserve-heavy of the book. On the savory side, there’s a strong assortment of Spicy Condiments, Pickles, and Snacks (flavored salts! pickled fennel! ginger sriracha!). Rounding out the book are the Jams, Jellies, and Other Preserves. Lucy has made tweaks to a series of reliable favorites (blueberry port jam and strawberry balsamic thyme jam, for example) which are all worthy of canning pot consideration. One recipe that I’m planning on making soon is the one for Cranberry-Champagne Jam with Crystallized Ginger (I still have a couple bags of cranberries stashed away).
One of the things I like most about this book is that it’s accessible. Not a single recipe goes on for pages (or days), making it approachable for all levels of canners, candy makers, and cracker bakers. As someone who rarely has the patience for recipes that require multiple days of fussing, I’m appreciative. That said, if you’re an expert baker/canner/sugarcrafter who is looking for a book to push your skillset to a new level, this one is probably not for you.
Because they’re nice, Running Press has given me a second copy to share with my readers (I know I said no giveaways for the rest of January. It’s nearly February and I was itching to share this book). If you’d like to enter for a chance to win it, here’s what to do.
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me one recipe that’s on your list to try in 2013 (if you want to link to it, feel free).
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog over the weekend.
- Giveaway open all.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.
Disclosure: Running Press gave me two calendars, one to keep and one to give away. They did not pay for inclusion in this post and my opinions are entirely my own.
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I’d really like to try my hand at making candies, specifically caramels. In particular, those maple syrup caramels with fleur de sel up there look unbelievable.
lemons!! the salted lemons and lemon curd. mmmmmnnn
and BREAD. this is the year I conquer bread
Lemon or Lime Curd.
Lemon curd has been on my list for the past few years. I hope to get it done this year!
Cranberry Champagne Jam? I’m in! I want to try that recipe!
I have a pile so high that I’d need a couple of years of daily trials to work through it, but I’m itching to buy the “Jerusalem” cookbook and try everything in that. Thank you for the giveaway!
I’d like to make a mango chutney and some kind of citrus marmalade. They’ve been on my list for quite a while.
I’m experimenting a lot with fermented foods in 2013. The Art of Fermenetation by Sandor Katz has got lots of things bubblin’ in my kitchen — kefir, kombucha, natural soda!
i’m into pickling, thus i’d like to try pickled fennel oh and the Spiced Pear Gin!
I tried Marshmallows this year for the first time. They turned out ok. Now I want to try different flavors of them.
I’d like to perfect cooking a duck breast
Soooooo excited, just won an ebay auction for a wonderful 10-12 qt copper jam pan, it arrived from France on Monday. Not to mention I pulled a recipe for Strawberry Jam with rosemary out of the Hobby Farm Home this month. Checked that my rosemary was still going good in the herb garden and am just waiting for for strawberry season to arrive. Until then……..
I would love to tackle making tamales when I get the time/space.
Tomato salsa is on my list! I’ve canned nearly everything else, and even a pear salsa, but never a regular tomato salsa!
A chocolate salted caramel tart.
Preserved lemons or limes and those bars you linked the other day….looked delicious.
homemade vanilla extract
I definetly want to try the cottage loaf in your previous post.
spiced pear gin and other alcohol beverages-yum!!
I love yogurt, I’d love to try and make some of my own, then get into trying to make different flavors!
I’m going to make croissants. From scratch! I am determined.
I am so excited about this cookbook! Ever since I moved closer to my fiance’s family, I have wanted to impress them with homemade goodies, like Sea Salt Caramels from scratch! But, to be honest, I really want to try the Spiced Pear Gin recipe, because gin is delightful.
Fennel confit — some to eat right away, and the rest to freeze to go with next winter’s roasted meats!
I want to make sauerkraut this year.
I will definitely be making the Tomato Butter – I love the flavor profile in the recipe. Yummmm!!
http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/08/august-can-jam-tomato-butter/
Sourdough bread! Seems simple enough for someone who bakes bread on a regular basis but sourdough has always seemed like a monumental task! I am bound and determined to do it this year!
Thanks for the giveaway and good luck to all!!
I am going to try boneless wings this weekend. We are hug fans of buffalo wings and wanted to try something different. Yay. Thanks for the great giveaway.
My latest obsession is Suzanne Goin’s Corned Beef & Cabbage with Parsley- Mustard Sauce! http://food52.com/blog/3040_suzanne_goins_corned_beef_cabbage_with_parsleymustard_sauce Perfect for St. Patty’s Day, I’m thinking!
I would like to find an awesome coq au vin recipe.
I need to try that gin and the caramels. What a great looking book!
I would make that spiced pear gin!!!! I am sucker for DIY drinks!
Whiskey caramels with this chocolate whiskey I have from a distillery in Brooklyn. YUM!
Please don’t enter me in your lovely giveaway because I bought this book a couple of weeks ago. It’s lovely and I can foresee many pleasurable hours in my future of reading and cooking.
I added the book to my wish list. I’d love to try the Crunchy section first!
I am planning on making the oatcakes from Whole Grains for a New Generation
Dandelion Cordial – http://www.marthastewart.com/315162/dandelion-cordial?center=0&gallery=274340&slide=281291
I’d LOVE to get a copy of this book. I made and canned several gifts for family and friends this past Christmas and really enjoyed the process. One recipe that was on my list for 2013 was chicken soup. I made that this past weekend. I made my own broth and then made the soup with it and canned it in my pressure canner. Then, because I’m the impatient sort, I opened a jar this week for supper, warmed it on the stove and added some rice I had cooked the night before. It was truly satisfying to eat the soup that I had made and preserved myself.
It’s also nice to know that I have 4 more quarts waiting on my shelf for future meals. I’m hoping to discover 3-4 more soup recipes for canning and also hope to can several quarts of chicken broth.
I would love to try some homemade doughnuts!
I have never done any preserving (unless you count stealing strawberries while my dad made jam when I was a kid), and so will be trying this out for the first time ever this year! I’m super excited!!!! Probably going to try out something involving cranberries, they are my favourite!
Maple syrup caramels, yum!
The past couple of years I have been doing a lot of experimenting in my little kitchen, for example I made my own sourdough starter and bread and my friends and family line up to get a loaf. But my favorite experiments have been in the form of infused liquors and such, I’d love to explore the entire “boozy” section of that book.
It’s not a difficult recipe, but I’ve really been wanting to make this chia mango pudding recipe for a while now: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/mango-coconut-chia-pudding.html.
I want to try making bitters.
I want to make mole sauce.
I’ve made a few liqueurs, but I’d like to do some more–they’re so fun and easy!
I was going to try your blood orange marmalade recipe, only I was going to try to use honey instead of sugar. I’m also working on taking a lot of our favorite recipes and substituting the processed foods in them with whole foods.
Next on my recipe list is Gluten free Sourdough Starter and then on to Gluten free Sourdough English muffins! They’ll be awesome with your Tomato Jam recipe.
I really want to make my own vanilla extract!
Noodles. I’ve never made homemade noodles. And now that my daughter has tasted my sister’s chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles, she insists I need to make some!
I want to learn how to make some Korean dishes especially Kimchee.