The Book of Preserves

by Mary Norwak

Book Overview

With its variety of jams, jellies, chutneys, mustards, and syrups to choose from, "The Book of Preserves" provides a wealth of traditional country recipes. Illustrated in color with step-by-step pictures to guide readers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0895865076
• ISBN13: 9780895865076
• Release Date: September 1988
• Publisher: HP Books
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.6" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Gifts from the garden, the store, and yourself

Go to the store and buy it. Why take the time and effort to create jams and jellies and preserves? Why indeed? For three reasons--and three very good ones at that: 1. Because you grew your own produce. Now you want to "put it up." 2. Because you enjoy doing so. It is a hobby. You don't even have to grow it. You can buy it somewhere, then "preserve it." 3. Because this sort of thing--preserves, jams, jellies, chutneys, pickles, and the like make FABULOUS gifts. As you can see by the picture, this is a long book, eleven inches high, and five and one/half inches wide. The paper is the slick kind and there is at least one large picture on each page of the 128 pages. Not only does author Mary Norwak promote attractive packaging of products, she puts them in an attractive book package. Let's go inside. All needed utensils are pictured. If you are interested in preserving, you can lay out everything and know you have it. That's what I did. Next the author describes ingredients, then preserving techniques and terms. Gift packaging and labeling are illustrated. The first preservation is Jams, with steps for making it listed and pictured. A jam is made of fruit or fruit juices and is less firm than jelly. Then Mary includes fourteen different jams to make, including kiwi, apple-ginger, black cherry, and, of course, strawberry. Jelly is a clear product that quivers. Jellies include blueberry-apple, black grape, and herb among the six. A marmalade is a sweetened jelly made from citrus fruit and its peel. An unusual blend is Oxford (bitter oranges, molasses, and whiskey). Interested in trying a combination of flavors? You can with these recipes. As you turn further, more exotic products greet you. Remember that trip to England or inside an English novel being introduced to curds and butters? A curd is a thick, creamy fruit-flavored mixture of eggs, butter, sugar with a short shelf life. Butters are thicker than curds. Both are used as spreads or fillings. Spiced apple butter and lemon curd are two choices to make. Amaze your family and friends with more and more unusual and creative items: Chow Chow, Pickled Peaches, Mango Chutney. Make your own Spiced Cranberry Sauce, mull your own peaches, make cherry brandy and coffee liquer. Create an herb vinegar. Before that, learn to dry your own herbs. This book speaks to the creative and aesthetic in us. Preserving is a way of life, a joy, a means to an end. For those who appreciate this kind of endeavor, "The Book of Preserves" is highly recommended!

Great introduction.

In its roughly 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Preserves (Jams, Chutneys, Pickles, Jellies), starts with a brief introduction into the basics of preserving, including a glossary of ingredients and an explanation of the necessary equipment and utensils and all about setting, packing, sealing, packaging and labeling preserves. It then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of preserves, from jams and jellies to candied fruits. Special chapters are dedicated to marmalades, curds, butters, conserves, freezer jams, microwave preserves, pickles, chutneys, sauces and catsups, fruit in alcohol, liqueurs, syrups, flavored vinegars and mustards. The book closes with a short section on drying fruit. Classics such as candied apricots, blackcurrant jelly, black cherry jam, grape jelly, pickled dill cucumbers, dried apple rings, herb vinegar, mango chutney, spiced oranges, lemon curd, spiced prunes, rum pot, apple butter, cranberry sauce, strawberry jam and tomato sauce appear next to unique recipes such as dried apricot and pear jam, freezer nectarine jam, kiwifruit jam, lemon apples in wine, mushroom catsup, orange and apple jelly, peach and raspberry jam, pineapple harlequin, plum and cherry brandy jam and grape chutney. From apple ginger chutney to walnut catsup, this collection of recipes is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of making preserves - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended: this series' installments on chocolates and petits fours, ice creams and sorbets, cookies, and afternoon tea. Also recommended: Around the World Cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

Simple and delicious.

This book is full of easy to follow recipies that taste wonderful and look beautiful. Basic, easy to understand instructions on canning, labeling and gift wrapping are included on the first few pages. Most of the recipies are for slightly different than your adverage preserves (You won't be finding the Pineapple-Orange marmalade on your supermarket shelves!). Recipies for pickles, syrups, mustards and liquors are included along with jams, jellies, marmalades and other preserves.