Book tour: segment 7!
Oregon is where it’s at.
;)
Mountains (and volcanoes) galore, the Columbia River gorge, the Willamette Valley, the Pacific coast. Ah! Descending upon Portland OR always takes my breath away.
Oregon is where Linda Ziedrich lives, too. Earlier this year, Linda took the time to review my manuscript (and blurb my book!) before we went to print. A few weeks ago I was writing out a mailing label to send her a copy of the finished product and realized we’d be driving near her home en route from Portland to San Francisco during the first portion of my west coast book tour. (I’ll recap Portland events next week, since I’m returning to Portland for the PDXSwappers event this Friday.)
She invited us to stop in for tea…;)
which turned into a garden tour…;)
;)
(Yes, she is that awesome, solar panels. They sell energy back to the grid during the sunny months.)
;)
;)
;)
And, of course, I asked for a peek at her larder!;)
Ah-maaazing…;)
Wandering around her fruit- and vegetable-filled estate then turned into a homegrown lunch. Lucky us!
It was such a delightful afternoon, and, what’s more, it was an honor to meet in real life such an inspiring author and all-around resourceful woman. Her years of research and testing have made such an impression on so many people, myself included.
As a thank you for keeping track of my travels, and for trying new things (having a go at those beginner-friendly, home food-preservation projects in Chapter 9 of my book), I’m pleased to announce a giveaway made possible by Linda’s publisher, Harvard Common Press. Linda’s Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves and Joy of Pickling books are the first books I consult when I have any amount of local produce. I gave away her books last spring; and now, on the second day of summer, HCP has allowed me to offer up the set of both books to two lucky readers. Yes, you get the Pickles and Jams book together!
To enter: Post a comment below describing who or what has inspired you to try preserving food at home. Books, people and/or other reasons all accepted and welcome! Be sure to leave your email address in the specified box on the comment form (so I can contact you if you win). Random.org will select my two winners after entries close at midnight on July 5, 2011.
To close this up, four hours after eating a delicious lunch with Linda and her lovely daughter, Rebecca, we were back on our way, heading west to the coast and then south to eventually stay the night in Crescent City, CA. Stay tuned for Redwoods detouring and California book party adventures in the next tour post.
(Disclosure: I’m doing this giveaway purely because I think Linda’s books are the bees knees, and a great addition to any experience-level preserver’s library. I actually purchased my own copies of the Joy’s with my own money.)
Book Tour
Reader Comments (151)
First of all, so glad you enjoyed Oregon! I moved here 4 years ago and am totally in love with the place. It is, in fact, what inspired me to start canning! The sheer abundance of gorgeous berries when summer finally hits and teh fact that the summer s so short, to be exact. The real impetus was when I decided to give out homemade jam at my wedding last summer- I spent pretty much every weekend making batches of jam...and now I've moved on to canning other stuff like pickles and chutney. So much fun!
My friends actually inspire me! We started having canning parties last summer and look forward to it again this year. Just about ready to leave today to go pick some strawberries!!
My Dad would occasionally "put up" a batch of jam. I love cooking alongside my husband so we decided to give it a shot and after the first batch were hooked! It has become a growing obsession and each year we can a bit more than the last and get even more adventurous in the recipes we try. Our CSA has given us an additional excuse to can to ensure that all the "excess" beyond what we are able to eat in a week does not go to waste.
My mother was instrumental in teaching me canning while helping her do up tomatoes...I got to put the salt in the top of the filled jars. Now, black raspberries and elderberries are calling my name to become gifts and take a place at the table honoring Ma.
My mother has raspberries bushes and every year made jam for her family. When she became ill and lost her sight, someone had to learn. So I made jam and been hooked ever since. I have to say the first two blogs that I followed and learned was Tigress and Marisa from Food in Jars. My list of favorites has grown and I follow them often including this blog. I would love to add these books to my cookbook collection. Thank you. ;)
I'd have to say it was my 80 year old dad. He is so hard to buy gifts for BUT loves strawberry jam with biscuits, I decided that his Christmas gift this year would be jars of my home made jam -- and then I started reading the food blogs & now there will be some pies in jars, He loves pie!
My husband's grandmother and the idea of feeding my children better food is what has inspired me to have my first garden and learn to can. I have done apple butter and pickles and I am looking forward to doing so much more with the produce from the garden this year.
Misti
I learned to can about 8 years ago from my ex-boyfriend's mother. We went strawberry picking and then made jam. I was very new to the world of food and farming, and she took me under her wing. Without her it would have taken me years to drum up the courage/initiative to teach myself on my own!
I love to garden and canning was a natural progression. There is something very satisfying about providing healthy food for my family. I've read several books on canning and just keep learning as I go. Seeing rows of jars filled with wholesome homegrown food is very gratifying.
My best friend, Heidi, had been bugging me for years...and LAST YEAR I took the plunge and started canning. I put up over 100 jars last year from picked you-name-it to jellies, jams and vodka!!
OMG your photos are amazing!!!!
It was my grandmother who inspired me to start canning. She had the most amazing garden and would can everything and keep them in her cold room... im hoping to add a cold room into my basement now!
I haven't ever tried canning before, but I'm really interested in it. My grandmother used to make this awesome pickles, and I would have eaten a whole jar in one sitting if she would have let me. Also, my mom has made this great kitchen garden that grows like crazy! And my in-laws always have tons of extra produce from their garden, so canning is something that I would love to try.
Lots of people have inspired me to can. The mother of a childhood friend who has always given my family homemade goods, my friend Kim who inspired me to get over my slight fears and hesitations and who always makes it seem easy, and my friend Abby who was willing to dive in with me. More recently, I'm inspired by the great blogs lthat I have discoverred recently like yours and foodinjars.com.
My family inspires me to can, preserve, and bake from scratch. I not only enjoy homemade goodies for their quality, taste and the rich history that comes from all the recipes but I also enjoy sharing these gifts with my family and friends. Having 3 young children of my own now its also a gift of learning to be able to teach my children not only how to grow, harvest, cook with but how to preserve and can all sorts of yummy goodies!
I actually am one of those odd little souls who grew up surrounded by women who preserved. Both Grandmas, Mom, and my aunts were perpetually putting up SOME thing. Mom's dill pickles are still the very best.
Mom got a high proportion of our food every year from a back yard garden. So all summer the kitchen was lost in a fog of blanching, boiling water canning, jam making, jar packing, freezing, and general produce-based carrying on. I even remember pitting two lugs of black cherries with a HAIRPIN to can them for Dad.
Big "want" right now - a nice big copper preserving pot!
My dad inspired me to start preserving at home. His mom always did, and after he passed away, it seemed like a good way to keep his (and her) memory alive.
I love how she organizes her jars in her pantry!
Anyway, the story of how I began preserving: I had a lovely babysitter growing up who made her own bread and jams and jellies and was an excellent cook. She taught me how to cook at the beginning, too. Well her jalapeno jelly was probably the entire reason I learned to make preserves and can. I didn't do it until many years later, but it was the memory of her jellies and jams that spurred me on to it. I was a young wife, wanting to put up things that were delicious and out of the ordinary. I experimented with all sorts of flavors and am fairly proficient at it now. I still haven't brought myself to make that green jalapeno jelly. I don't think it would touch hers. I might try this year, though.
My grandma! She would make applesauce every fall. I miss her a lot.
My friend Christine, who died last October, originally inspired me and her memory still inspires me. She started making jams for the heck of it, wanting to be a good girlfriend (and then wife) to her boy. She was my first friend example in college that showed me so many thrifty, awesome life hacks to being domestically awesome.
My mom always made jam. I started with refridgerator pickles with the recipe from chez pannise. Last year was my first jamming adventures. I called my Ma, alot. I am so inspired by all the posts I find on FB. Food in Jars sent me your way.
Thanks for the great adventure.
My Mother canned when we were kids, and as I got older I always loved the way the finished product looked! It is so satisfying to "put up" something you started from nothing.
My grandmother's friends taught me. It was the evening after her funeral and all her friends were sitting at her old dining room table and I mentioned how it was something that I wished I asked her to teach me to do.
Her one friend, Mrs. Boobie (no lie!) started telling me how to do it. Then she looked at me and said, "I have pears on my tree and you will come over and get some tomorrow." These older ladies don't ask-they command! So, I went over and she had a tree with the branches breaking off because the fruit was so heavy (she didn't like pears and all her children and grandchildren were grown). She met me at the door with a bunch of old pillowcases. I took the pears and made pear butter and preserved some with a simple syrup made of sugar, white wine and cinnamon sticks.
So, now when I make jam I think of my grandmother and her friend Mrs. Boobie, who by the way, is still alive. My mother just saw her and said she asked when I was going to come get some more pears. My mother said she smiled ear to ear when she heard I won 2 blue ribbons for my jams at the NC State Fair!
My grandmother and mom had the most influence, but recently my husband and I started vegetable gardening. We've had such good results growing that we started canning for ourselves and family. Fun, fun.
My aunt always made jams and jellies, and she inspired me to start making my own. I love it and would like to learn more!
I don't have a particular family member or memory from childhood, my interest in canning has only blossomed in the last few years. My husband and I moved to Iowa 4 years ago. I have made some amazing friends with all sorts of hobbies. Since my husband and I love food, good food made from scratch, and are interested in eating with the seasons, I immediately wanted to learn how to preserve fresh, locally grown food. Two years ago I had a canning party, learned how to can apple sauce, and now I am exploring other goodies such as salsa, strawberry jams, fresh lemonade, etc. FB has actually been an amazing place to learn about all the wonderful blogs and get new recipe ideas!