Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round Kindle Edition

Such a misleading book title. I was looking for a book on canning and preserving food in small batches like the title implies. It should be called "recipes using jars: freezing, refrigerating in jars, dry ingredient jars for gifts, and water bathing gourmet condiments that you would only use once a year".As someone new to home canning, I was really hoping for just a regular book of advice and "regular" recipes, maybe with a proven twist included by the author, on canning in small batches. Food I would actually use and feed my family with, using staple products I may have access to in bulk. Not this crazy gourmet, wierd ideas for a curd or putting granola in a jar or a bread in a jar recipe. Even the picture on the front looks like it's about preserving food, like in the title. And I question the reviews now, since I purchased this book after reading the reviews and recommendations and checking out the authors website. The book is not as marketed or titled. But if you've been canning for years, and dont pressure can, and just want to use your mason jar supply for gift giving, and want to spend hundreds of dollars on specialty spices and ingredients...then this is the book for you

I have to admit to being just a little disappointed with this book. Having read the description, I didn't realize it is exclusively water-bath canning. It devotes the last 3 pages of the book to a discussion of pressure-canning, but no recipes whatsoever. I didn't pick up on that from the description. That said, it has some interesting recipes for water-bath; it's just that wasn't what I was looking for. So I'm glad I also ordered "Modern Pressure Canning" by Amelia Jeanroy, also available on Amazon.

The subtitle to this book is, "Preserving in small batches year-round". Well for the past two years I thought I didn't want small batches, I wanted to create in volume because I was going to do the same recipes all the time. What happened was I tried a new recipe last year because I was given loads and loads of free eggplant. And so I had to try new recipes. As Oprah says, I had an "AH-HA" moment.First your definition and my definition for "small batch" may be off by a quart or more. Author Marisa McClellan likes to use one pint jars. I like to use 1/2 pint jars, so already I have double the amount she is canning in her written recipe. Marisa's small batch isn't super small as I was assuming. Also I have to give a huge shout out to the texture, color and weight of this book. I love the overall size. The actual size of the hard bound cover is 9 X 6 3/4", which makes the reading page about 8 1/2 X 6 1/2 inches which fits in your hand so comfortable. The pages are heavy in weight and feel like heavy duty journal pages. The page color background changes with each recipe, which I love. Not blaring loud colors, but soothing light greens when key limes are used. Or light orange and browns used when Oranges and cinnamon come to play on a recipe. So fun to read. The pages have good heavy texture to take notes on. And lets talk about the three empty pages at the end of the book she has titled for you and I as, "Perserving Notes" because who doesn't love to have notes to refer back to, or ideas you get later.I own pickling cookbooks, jelly and Jam making cookbooks and I own "mixes for gifts" books. I have the "blue book" for canning and I think every jelly/Jam person needs to own several books. This particular book gives great ideas to old recipes. Which is what I was looking for. This spring, summer and fall I plan on trying The strawberry with vanilla bean and Earl Grey tea Jam, Spiced Plum Jam, cantaloupe Jam, Mimosa Jelly, Mulled Cider Jelly, Pickled Brussel Sprouts, Sweet and sour pickled red onions, Lemony pickled cauliflower, spiced pickled pear halves and Shay's Chocolate Cake in a Jar.There are a few recipes that I probably won't try, like the granola recipes, but that is my personal prefrence.I should tell you that I finally submitting to buying her book only after trying out a recipe from her blog, "food in jars blog". I needed a recipe for lemon and strawberries. I found Strawberry Lemon Marmalade and printed it off and tried it out. It was a huge success. If you still unsure you want this book, check out her blog and several of her recipes there. Really awesome site.Marisa McClellan I am sorry I doubted you. I get it now. When I try a brand new canning recipe I want to try a small batch relatively speaking, because it might be that I want to make it again and again, or maybe not so much. And I do hope you write another book, I will be first in line next time.

i was attracted to this book by reading a few of the author's blog entries. Unfortunately, there is no connection between her blogging about "small batch canning" and this book. I already know the basics of canning jams and vegetables, but I gave it up because I had to give away most of of it, due to oversupply. Kinda like the warning not to leave your car window down in late summer, or you will find a bag of zucchini when you return.This book is a light treatment of standard canning processes, followed by a lot of recipes, some VERY different. For the most part, jam recipes contained in the book produce 3 pints, which equates to 6 half-pints, which is close to the standard batch size in pectin box recipes or Ball's Blue Book of Canning.If you are looking for lots of original recipes, then this book is OK, but if you are looking for a different approach to canning, you won't find it in this book. For that, you would have to dig through the author's blog, which can be quite tedious.

I love he ideas for preserves and pickles in this book, as a hardened water bath canning fan in the U K it is tricky to find books with accurate timings and quantities and this one does that. We have had resounding success with the homemade chocolate hazelnut spread, nicer than Nutella, and fantastic pickled Asparagus. Get this and the complete ball book of home canning and you will be set with more ideas than you can eat in a lifetime.

Love this book just getting Into this whole preserving ,canning so still early days for me but the book is very informative and easy to follow,pictures are great so hopefully will be using this for many years to come!

This book is seriously geared up to the American market both for equipment and recipes. It is a useful reference aid though for tips and ingredients.

vnt

Great book, well written and fun to read. Instructions are clear and easy to understand for beginners. Great tips too!The recipes are simple with few ingredients and they sure look delicious. I can't wait to try my first one.