Preserving the Seasons begins with brief overviews of all the ways to save your garden, or farmers market’s, bounty. Freezing, pickling, water bath canning, drying, dehydrating and freeze drying are all covered as are various types of infusions.
I don’t know if everyone has a relative like my grandma. She cooked without recipes or even measurements. She used the lines on her palm to decide how much salt to add to a recipe. She knew how much liquid to add to her dough based on its looks. She was not much help to a young aspiring cook. But her food always came out delicious.
Preserving the Seasons uses my grandmother’s method for recipes. There are instructions, and measurements thank goodness, in all the recipes. But they certainly don’t hold your hand during the cooking process. They require a bit of experience in the kitchen to use. If you have never done one of the techniques, chances are you will need another book, or a rapid Google search, to clarify exactly how to complete each preserving method or recipe.
So if the techniques and recipes within Preserving the Seasons are meant for more experienced cooks, what can beginners get out of the book? The first two sections provide good explanations of all the different ways to preserve fruits, vegetables and even flowers. It allows the reader to decide which method they want to try, with the help of further research. I have done most of these methods before, some more successfully than others. Some I have never even heard about. I really loved the infusions section because that technique is totally new to me. I believe other beginners would love the brief overviews too.
Those more experienced will love the variety of the recipes included. Most don’t require a lot of money or any difficult to find ingredients. Readers may also find some new ways to use and/or preserve ingredients that they have on hand.
Overall, Preserving the Seasons seems more like a good starting point rather the reference book I was hoping for. It will build enthusiasm for using up every bit of seasonal produce in one way or another. 4 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Elements for providing me with an advanced review copy.