Edible Crafts

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

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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]

Comments

  4. Always looking for new and interesting recipes for canning. I’ve been canning for 40 years and someone always has something new & interesting. Would love to win these.

  5. I keep meaning to start pickling! And preserving. With the kids nearly back in school, this might be my chance.

  7. It would be great to win these books!. I REALLY want to learn how to can and preserve in order to feed my family healthier foods, save money and our planet. These would be especially great now that I have a huge veggie garden and more berries than I know what to do with!

    Thanks for the opportunity!
    Lynn

  9. These would be perfect for my dear friend Laura – she is the most awesomest jamstress I know.

  15. Oh wow! This would be a great way for me to actually figure out how to preserve some foods. Thanks for the chance to win. 🙂

  16. I’ve been making jams for a couple years and last year was the first time I really started canning (apples and tomatoes). I’d love to learn how to do more! Great giveaway.

  17. My friend is just beginning to enjoy the fruits (and vegs, for that matter!) of her first ever allotment. The pair of us could have hours of fun if I won these books… x

  18. One of my fav things to do is can. I would love these books and know more about the history of preserving. Thanks for sharing.

  20. This is great. I’m canning on my own this year and could use all the help I can get.

  21. I spent years watching my Mum can, with no interest. Now that she’s gone, I have great regrets. I want to put food by!

  29. I love all the new things you talk about and I patiently wait every morning for your newsletter. Then I hang on to every word. Thank you so much.
    As for the canning book, my daughter and I were just talking about the idea of starting to can. The mango tree is full and so much goes to waste, we thought of putting some up. This book would give us the information to do that. Please keep us in mind. Thank you again.

  32. My son and I have been trying to can pickels without too much success… the canning part went fine, the pickles, not so hot. So we could use any help we can find!

  33. I’ve been washing out my honey jars and practically everything else in a jar or made of glass …so please pick me and I will blog and photograph my creations for you 😉 homesick American gal, Susan xoxo

  34. I would love to win these cookbooks. I try to use whole foods when cooking and love trying new recipes!

  37. My husband would love these books! He’s the canner in our house, but so far it’s just applesauce and pickles. Some new recipes would be great to try.

  38. I started canning this year, and we’re putting a root cellar in our new house, so I would love to win!

  43. Great giveaway! I could use both these books with my CSA stash and eventually when my own garden is created! Thanks for the chance!
    crafts[at]oursideofthemountain[dot]com

  46. What great timing! The garden is just beginning to yield more than we can eat in a couple of days (and that is with 7 in the family)and I do have to find time to put some of it up through canning or freezing. To have new ideas would be so helpful. Then, in the middle of Feb. or March I am sure I will be able to put the other book to use because I will want some really new ideas for using what I have canned. Thanks for the opportunity.

    Shari in Colorado ([email protected])

  47. These cookbooks look great. I eat a lot of root vegetables, and more ways to cook them sounds great! The canning cookbook may teach me how to do it. That would be super.

  50. oohhh! i think the only thing i love more than glass jars are glass jars full of jam 🙂 cant wait to make a batch… mmmmmmm jaaaammmmm…
    xxx sarah

Have you read?

9 Halloween Food Hacks You Can Make in Minutes (No Fancy Ingredients!)

Halloween food doesn’t have to be complicated—or require a trip to the gourmet shop. With a little creativity, you can take what’s already in your pantry or fridge and turn it into spooky, crowd-pleasing snacks. These hacks are quick, affordable, and so easy even the kids (or grandkids) can help. Think of it as Halloween magic—no cauldron required.

1. Ghost & Bat Bread Dippers

Got tortillas, pita bread, or even sandwich slices? Grab some cookie cutters and cut out ghosts, bats, or pumpkins. Toast them in the oven for a crisp bite and serve with any dip you have on hand—hummus, guacamole, or even a simple sour cream and salsa mix. Suddenly, your everyday chips and dip look party-perfect.

Pro tip: Dust them with garlic salt or paprika before baking for extra flavor.

2. Spooky Slime Punch

That punch bowl sitting in the back of your cupboard? It’s about to become a cauldron. Add a few drops of green, red, or orange food coloring to lemonade, soda, or fruit juice. Red = blood, green = slime, orange = potion. For a finishing touch, float in gummy worms, plastic eyeballs, or even frozen grapes for a creepy surprise.

3. Bat Wing Chicken

No need to reinvent dinner—wings are already spooky if you think about it. Arrange chicken wings tip-to-tip so they resemble bats resting on your platter. For extra drama, glaze them with a sticky BBQ sauce or teriyaki glaze so they glisten like midnight wings.

4. Coffin Bread Loaf

That humble loaf of bread from the bakery? Hollow it out and you’ve got yourself a coffin. Fill it with spinach dip, chili, or spaghetti “worms.” Use the bread you scooped out for dipping, or set the “lid” at an angle for a coffin reveal moment. It’s eerie and edible all at once.

5. Vampire Donuts

Store-bought donuts are instantly transformed with a splash of red icing and a cheap pair of plastic vampire teeth. Stick the teeth in the center hole, add some candy eyes, and you’ve got a tray of vampire treats that look straight out of Dracula’s kitchen.

6. Eyeball Meatballs

Cook up some meatballs (store-bought or homemade). Pop an olive slice into the top of each one and add a dab of cream cheese or mozzarella for the white of the eye. Set them in marinara sauce, and suddenly you’ve got eyeballs staring back at you. Kids love these… adults usually laugh before they eat them.

7. Bloody Bandage Cheese Sticks

This is as easy as it sounds—string cheese or mozzarella sticks drizzled with marinara sauce. Arrange them on a tray and you’ve got instant “bloody bandages.” No one will look at a cheese stick the same way again.

8. Spider Crackers

Crackers, cream cheese, and pretzels come together for the creepiest little snack. Spread cream cheese on a cracker, add pretzel sticks sticking out the sides for legs, and top with raisins or candy eyes. These edible spiders are simple enough to make on the fly and cute enough to double as table décor.

9. Witch’s Broomsticks

Slice string cheese in half, then snip the bottoms into little fringes to look like broom bristles. Poke a pretzel stick into the top as the broom handle. They’re snack-sized, adorable, and a guaranteed conversation starter.

Bonus Ideas (Because Once You Start, It’s Hard to Stop)

  • Monster Popcorn: Make plain popcorn, drizzle it with melted green or orange candy melts, and toss in candy eyes. 
  • Pumpkin Clementines: Draw jack-o-lantern faces on clementines with a food-safe marker for a healthy treat. 
  • Witch’s Cauldron Pudding Cups: Fill plastic cups with chocolate pudding, top with crushed cookies for “dirt,” and finish with a gummy worm or candy bones. 

Keep It Simple & Spooky

The beauty of these hacks is that they’re all about presentation. You don’t need fancy ingredients or professional baking skills. Just a little creativity, a splash of food coloring, and maybe a few plastic Halloween props. With these ideas, you’ll have a table full of spooky snacks in minutes—and your guests will think you planned it for weeks.

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