The farm girl's guide to preserving the harvest : how to can, freeze, dehydrate, and ferment your garden's goodness

Preserving food can be one of the most intimidating aspects of homesteading and cooking. Luckily, no one makes it as easy and as much fun as farm-girl-in-the-making Ann Acetta-Scott. For a beginner new to the world of preserving, the ideal tool is a detailed reference guide, and in The Farm Girl's Guide to Preserving the Harvest, Ann covers all the basics on canning, dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, curing, and smoking, including how to select and use the right tools for each method. This guide takes home preservers through the beginning, moderate, and advanced stages of preserving. Newcomers can start with a simple jam and jelly recipe using a hot water bath canner, while others may be advanced enough to have mastered the pressure canner and are ready to move onto curing and smoking meat and fish. With more than 30 delicious and healthy recipesand Ann's expertise and encouragement, the home preserver will build confidence in the most common methods of preserving. Preserving food can be one of the most intimidating aspects of homesteading and cooking. Luckily, no one makes it as easy and as much fun as farm-girl-in-the-making Ann Accetta-Scott. For a beginner new to the world of preserving, the ideal tool is a detailed reference guide, and in The Farm Girl's Guide to Preserving the Harvest, Ann covers all the basics on canning, freezing, dehydrating, fermenting, curing, and smoking, including how to select and use the right tools for each method. This guide takes home preservers through the beginning, moderate, and advanced stages of preserving. Newcomers can start with a simple jam and jelly recipe using a hot water bath canner, while others may be advanced enough to have mastered the pressure canner and are ready to move on to curing and smoking meat and fish. With more than 30 delicious and healthy recipes and Ann's expertise and encouragement, the home preserver will build confidence in the most common methods of preserving Foreword......Page 8 INTRODUCTION......Page 12 One Where to Start?......Page 18 Two Let’s Talk Water Canning......Page 54 Three Let’s Take the Pressure Off Pressure Canning......Page 90 Four Dehydrating Everything Good......Page 122 Five The Art of Curing and Smoking Meat and Fish......Page 160 SixThe Basics of Fermentation......Page 182 Seven Root Cellar and Cold Storage......Page 218 Eight Freezing and Freeze-Drying......Page 228 Afterword......Page 244 Acknowledgments......Page 246 Resources......Page 248 Index......Page 252