Edible Crafts

Creative food craft ideas

Cookbook Giveaway!!!! Two Ways to Go Green: Preserving vs. Eating Fresh

by

Thanks to the generosity of From Storey Publishing, I have two yummy books to giveaway! in Put ’em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, by Sherri Brooks Vinton and Recipes from the Root Cellar by Andrea Chesman.

My love of things in mason jars is well documented on this blog, so it’s about time I looked into the original purpose of jars: preserving. Everything you ever wanted to learn about canning and preserving can be found in Put ’em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook. Author Sherri Brooks Vinton easily won me over to the virtues of “putting Up” (aka preserving). She writes “The jams are fruitier, the pickles are more flavorful, and the chutneys and relishes will trick out your dinner table like nothing else.” Aside from greater tasting food, preserving allows you to rely less on imported produce and go green by preserving locally grown foods. The book opens with a section on all the techniques you need to know, the equipment you need and step-by-step instructions with illustrations for each method of preserving. Much of the book is devoted to over 150 recipes for herbs and every fruit and vegetable from apples to watermelon, including such gems as pickled asparagus, szechuan beans, candied citrus rind, charred chilies, fennel confit, rhubarb chutney and spiced pear vodka.

Recipes from the Root Cellar also celebrates the bounty of local harvests, but with an almost contrary premise: that of enjoying local, fresh vegetable in their seasons rather than import say, asparagus in January. As author Andrea Chesman writes, “Between an awareness that processed and exotic foods bring with them a significant carbon footprint and a shortfall in many household economies in the grip of a global recession, eating more humble vegetables makes sense.” The collection offers over 250 recipes with inspiration to enjoy seasonal veggies through the coldest months and pulls hardy greens, winter squashes, and root vegetables from hiding. After a hearty introduction covering  how to buy and store individual greens and veggies and how to cook and prepare them. The book is filled with recipes aplenty, from soups and salads, vegetarian main dishes, main dishes with seafood, poultry and meat, and even desserts. Recipes include Curried Rice Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing, Carrot-Mustard Slaw, Apple-Squash Bisque, Portuguese Kale Soup, Rutabaga Chips, Leek and Goat Cheese Pizza, Lemon-Braised Chicken with Turnips, Spicy Meat Lo Mein, and Pumpkin Waffles.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!! Leave a comment to this post before midnight August 30 EST and I will choose a winner randomly to win both Put ’em Up! and Recipes from the Root Cellar. (Be sure your comment links somewhere with contact information or you leave an email address in case you win.)

[tags]giveaway, books, green, preserving, canning, root vegetables[/tags]

Related Posts:

Comments

  5. Ohhhh!! These cookbooks look wonderful!! I LOVE to cook, bake…you name it! I am one of those kind of moms who tries a new recipe at least once a week!! Needless to say…I am a cookbook fanatic!

  7. I would love some new ideas for canning. I love this site. What a great give away. Debbie

  8. I just got my mom into canning too! We started with pickles and salsa they turned out great! The only issue we have is the top to our canning pot is warped – any suggestions on a new canning system? I’ve looked online and the price varies – I would want an affordable one.

  11. Wow these are some awesome books! I checked out put’um up from the library, and was going to copy a few of my favorite pages, but they are all so great, I figured I should just get the book instead. The root cellar book is right up my alley too! If I don’t win these books, they will both end up on my amazon wish list by September 1 🙂
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  14. I am always looking for more recipes and instruction for preserving food. This is exactly where my focus and energy are going these days. This would be a perfect gift.

  18. I would love this book! This is my second year of having my own organic garden and I need ideas on how to preserve all my fresh produce. I am also working on trying to integrate more local products into my diet. Thanks!

  19. I really have a things for Mason Jar too!
    I often use one as a glass 🙂
    I started doing this after I went to a bar where they serve drinks only in jars.

  25. I’ve been meaning to strat making my own jams and pickles, this would be a great incentive!
    abrilgmolina at gmail dot com

  26. My son, who has just started his apprenticeship as a chef, would love these.
    Thanks for the comp.

  28. I have just started canning, so the put em up book would be perfect. I also struggle with interesting ways to cook root veg, so that book would be great as well.

  30. I’ve been canning for several years and my daughters are learning to do the same. These would be great books for them in the future. Thanks!

  32. This would be great! I’ve been wanting to start canning for awhile now. I remember doing it with my Grandma as a child and want to share it with my children, too. Plus, it all tastes so yummy!

  33. I just had my first garden this summer. We’ve been canning salsa, pizza sauce, pasta sauce & green beans and have frozen limas and corn. These books would be awesome for me as we are already starting to plan our sophomore garden…which is being enlarged to about 1/2 acre…yippee!!

  34. These books sound great! Love any type of “back to the land” books. Thanks for the giveaway.

  35. Would love to win this book. Might help me to eat more vegies, not to mention the kids. This book can only be helpful and improve my diet and lifestyle.

  38. I’ve been on a jam making spree lately finding inspiration on the blogs, but I’d love to try out some of the recipes in these books. Thanks for the opportunity 😀

  42. I am new to this site and have just taken up crochet and trying to learn to cook – both are having some interesting results! So I got myself a crochet book and now just need some nice lovely cook books to help me on my way ?

  43. I love canning but I have only been doing fruit. I would love to really branch out and get more brave.

Have you read?

How to Make Thick Yoghurt Smoothie Bowls in the Ninja Slushie Maker

A quick, creamy breakfast with fresh fruit added on top

Smoothie bowls are one of those beautiful breakfasts that feel healthy and a little indulgent at the same time. Thick, cold, creamy, and pretty enough that you almost don’t want to eat them… almost.

The Ninja Slushie Maker takes all the effort out of it.
 Instead of dealing with frozen fruit bricks or blenders that complain loudly, you simply mix your yoghurt base, chill it, and let the Ninja turn it into the perfect thick smoothie-bowl texture — no ice required.

If you are like me and come addicted to these smoothie bowls then you will want to invest in these double walled bowls, this is my favorite brand and these have been great. 

Then you top it with your fresh fruit afterwards so the bowl stays thick, cold, and spoon-worthy.

It’s easy, quick, and a lovely way to start the day.

Why Yoghurt Works So Well in the Ninja Slushie Maker

Yoghurt freezes into a silky, firm slush — similar to soft-serve but healthier and lighter. Because the machine creates the icy texture itself (instead of relying on ice cubes), the mixture never becomes watery or gritty.

Just smooth, cold, creamy perfection you can decorate to your heart’s content.

The Basic Yoghurt Slush Base

Once you learn this base recipe, you can create endless flavour combinations.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups plain or Greek yoghurt, chilled 
  • ½–1 cup milk of your choice (just enough to loosen the mixture) 
  • 1–3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional) 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) 

Method

  1. Stir all ingredients together until smooth. 
  2. Chill the mixture in the fridge until very cold. 
  3. Pour the chilled mixture into the Ninja Slushie Maker. 
  4. Blend on the slush setting until thick, creamy, and icy. 
  5. Spoon into a bowl and add your fruit and toppings. 

This base has enough body to hold granola, berries, and nut butter without sinking.

Topping Ideas (Add These After Blending)

Fresh Fruit

  • Strawberries 
  • Blueberries 
  • Banana slices 
  • Mango 
  • Kiwi 
  • Peaches 

Crunchy Toppers

  • Granola 
  • Toasted coconut 
  • Chopped nuts 
  • Cacao nibs 

Extras

  • Honey drizzle 
  • Peanut butter 
  • Chia seeds 
  • Freeze-dried fruit crumbs 

Easy Flavour Variations

Berries & Cream Smoothie Bowl

Use vanilla yoghurt as your base. Top with raspberries, strawberries, and a sprinkle of granola.

Tropical Coconut Bowl

Add a splash of coconut milk to the base. Top with mango, pineapple, kiwi, and toasted coconut flakes.

Chocolate Yoghurt Bowl

Mix 1 tablespoon cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder into the base. Top with banana slices and a peanut-butter drizzle.

Meal-Prep Tip

Prepare the yoghurt base the night before and store it in small jars.
 In the morning, just pour one jar directly into the Ninja Slushie Maker and you’ve got a thick, cold, ready-to-top breakfast in minutes.

 

Explore Edible Crafts

breakfast cake candy chocolate Christmas cookie decorating cookies dessert Easter fruit Halloween Holidays kids lollipop sticks lunch packaging party summer Thanksgiving valentines