Ask A Beginner + Giveaway: Sherri Brooks Vinton's Preserving Answer Book
Tuesday, July 29, 2014 at 9:00AM
Our newly renamed, Ask A Beginner series from the pickle apron & towel designer herself, Christina, is kicking off (again) with the second post in the series! Check out her assessment of Sherri Brooks Vinton’s latest Preserving Answer Book, the third book in her Put Em’ Up book series:
Disclosures: Storey provided us with a complimentary copy of this book and will be mailing the winner’s copy directly. If you buy the book from Amazon using the link below, a minute fraction of the sale gets magically deposited into my bank account. Supporting bookstores or traditional booksellers directly is also a great idea if you’re able to go that route.
Sherri Brooks Vinton’s latest book on preservation - “Put ‘em Up! Preserving Answer Book” - seems like it was written specifically for me. Why? Because this book anticipated just how many questions I would have when I finally made up my mind to can the pickles that have been sitting on my counter for the past week, taunting me. I’m just going to come out and dub myself a beginner, and I’ll admit that I’m very by-the-book because I’m still finding my place in the kitchen.
That said, I have to make this guide a staple in my kitchen. First, it breaks everything down by a question-and-answer format (jus’ my style), which is a great counterpart when preserving. Sherri Brooks Vinton covers preservation in three parts: (1) basics of getting started, (2) preserving processes, and (3) putting your newfound skills to work.
Second, the preserving portion of the book is quite extensive and covers everything from general canning to infusions: the basics of preservation, learning equipment, and troubleshooting through your uh-ohs and whoopsies. She also includes some great starter recipes. All the topics covered are things that I have been itching to try, but have just forgotten how to tackle - like the boiling-water method of canning. This guide makes it easy to re-learn the processes I’ve learned in workshops, and the best part: there are illustrations to guide you along your way. This is way better, and more comprehensible, than my half-assed notes.
Lastly, I learned a couple new tricks: (1) cover your ferments so that pests (like a MOUSE) can’t snack or swim in your ferment. A.k.a. get a tea towel and rubber band that sucker down, pronto! And, (2) a new (hip) trick I learned, that you can use dried grape leaves to keep fermented pickles crisp - say whaaa? Tips like this are scattered through the book, and it seems she left no stone unturned.
While reading this book, I had so many “well how ‘bout that” moments (like how potatoes and onions do not get along in storage, which explains the two unhealthy tubers I found in my basket the other day) and then some “aha” moments (preserving is really about making the most out of the equipment you have on hand, so you only really need two specialty items and can substitute the rest - aka: stop procrastinating!). This guide has given me the confidence to get in that darn kitchen and make some of that preservation magic happen already! So if you’re looking for a resourceful preserving kitchen partner, this is your gem, y’all.
Reader Comments (18)
I am looking forward to doing a hatch chile tomatillo salsa. I skipped last year and regret it!
I love preserving jams and a myriad of apple products (sauce, butter, syrup).
elderberries--for the first time!
Tomatoes!
I would love to preserve some sweet summer strawberries!
If I get enough cucumbers from the garden, I'd like to try pickles this year!
Oooohhh - I am just beginning to experiment with preserving and wish I could still call on my grandma for help - she was amazing! Sounds like this book might be a perfect introduction.
tomatoes!
I wanna learn how to make okra pickles that aren't slimy, pickled watermelon rind, and get comfortable enough with the process of preserving that I make my own jams and fruit butters.
This is a very basic question : what is the difference between pickling and fermenting ?
I am eager to try Kate's recipe for fermenting carrots and ginger.
I want to try canning the wild black berries that I picked last year and this year.
Carrots 'n cukes!
Hey Elizabeth, fermenting is one way of pickling vegetables. The other and most common type of pickling is to pour a vinegar based brine over your veggies to acidify them. Fermentation with vegetables involves using specific types of bacteria to acidify the produce instead of an already acidic brine solution.
Jams are the absolute best. Blueberry and blackberry jams are my favorite to make, and to eat! I've also wanted to branch out into pickling. Hopefully I'll get motivated this year!
This sounds like another great book to add to my collection. I've Sherri's first canning book, and anyone looking at it can pretty easily see it's a favourite around here. ;)
This year I think I'm most looking forward to putting up some more jams. People love getting them at Christmastime, plus they're so versatile.
Thanks for the opportunity!
I'm looking forward to canning the tomatillos & ground cherries in the garden - don't know what kind of recipe yet, but I'd like to do something with them. The cherry tomatoes too.
I'd also really like to find a recipe for a mustard that's cannable and also tastes good. So far, I can have one option or the other, but I haven't found both yet.
I have just started canning and preserving. Why did I wait so long?
I've got her first and second books and would love to add this to my collection!