In a little while I’ll be sending Jim out to pick some rhubarb that we having growing on a hill in our yard. This is the first year that we can do a full harvest of our rhubarb. We could pick a few stalks last year since it was only the second year our plants were in the ground. This year, however, we’ll be able to harvest half of all the stalks on each of our plants.
So what am I going to do with all of that rhubarb?
Well, the first thing I do with anything that I’m planning to preserve is consult the book So Easy To Preserve New & Revised Edition. (Remember, I’m a transplant from New Jersey. I’m relatively new to canning and preserving.) I bought this book from my 4-H extension office last year when I was taking my Master Gardener class and it is the best book on food preservation I’ve seen, to date.
This book has directions for all types of food preservation. It offers tips and recipes. It tells you musts and must-nots.
“Units” included in the book:
- Preserving Food
- Canning
- Pickling
- Jellied Products
- Freezing
- Drying
Every unit includes basic how-to directions, most frequently asked questions, remedies for problems encountered, and many, many recipes.
Topics that make this book extra special include information on:
- canning meat, poultry, and game (all types including venison, bear, rabbit, and squirrel.) **A must have for a family that includes one or more hunters.**
- canning seafood
- reduced sodium and no sugar added pickling products
- flavored vinegars
- microwave jellied products
- remaking runny jelly and jam
- freezing animal products
- drying fruit and vegetable leathers
- drying jerky
- drying herbs
- drying seeds, popcorn, and nuts
These topics are not “extra special” on their own. You can find all of the information with research. But, having all of this information together as a collection and being able to just pull it off of your bookshelf, makes this book invaluable.
So, what did I end up doing with the rhubarb?
I made Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and blogged about it HERE. Then, with the extra rhubarb, I cut it into pieces and dry packed it for the freezer. I have enough for two more future recipes and we still have more that needs to be picked.
Title: So Easy to Preserve, Revised (5th Edition)
Authors: Elizabeth L. Andress, Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D.
Kind of book: 376 pages, soft cover, comb bound
Publisher: Cooperative Extension / The University of Georgia
Price: $18.00 (U.S.)
To Order: http://www.soeasytopreserve.com
**This is my honest review that no one asked me to write. I paid for my copy of So Easy to Preserve and decided to share my thoughts of this book with you. No compensation was received.**
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