FAQ and Press

Frequently asked questions

What are your favorite canning books?
Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling, by Sherri Brooks Vinton
Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry, by Liana Krisoff
The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Recipes to Use Year-Round, by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard
Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen, by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler
Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More, by Ashley English
The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden or Market (Revised Edition), by Linda Ziedrich
The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits, by Linda Ziedrich
Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, by Sandor Katz
Putting Up: A Year-Round Guide to Canning in the Southern Tradition and Putting Up More: A guide to canning jams, relishes, chutneys, pickles, sauces, and salsas by Stephen Palmer Dowdney
Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects and Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It: And Other Kitchen Projects by Karen Solomon
Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything by Mary Clemens Meyer and Susanna Meyer

What kind of camera do you use?
99% of the time, I use a Nikon D90 with a 35mm fixed lens. Once in a great while, I’ll borrow my husband’s Canon DSLR or use our Canon G10 if I need something portable.

If I have a canning question, can I email you directly?
At this time, I have a very hard time responding to all the emails I get. Your best bet for an immediate reply is to post your question to the Food in Jars Facebook page. There’s an active community of canners there and you’ll get a reply more promptly than if you depend on me working my way through my email.

Do you teach classes?
I do! I offer both regular group workshops as well as private classes. Click here to view my upcoming classes.

Do you write anywhere else?
I do indeed! In addition to writing this blog, you can also find my stuff on Serious Eats, Food Network’s FN Dish blog, Simple Bites, the Cuisinart Blog and the Mrs. Wages newsletter, as well as in the pages of Grid Philly Magazine. I also maintain a more mundane blog called Apartment 2024.

When does your book come out?
My very first cookbook will be coming out in May 2012. Published by Running Press, it will be called Food in Jars, just like this blog. If you’re really excited about it, you can pre-order it now on Amazon.

Who designed your logo?
The Food in Jars logo was designed by my friend and former co-worker, Roger Estes. You can find more of his work here.