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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]

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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?

How Much Do You Really Need? A No-Stress Party Drinks Guide for Real Women Who Host

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over years of hosting everything from kids’ birthdays to backyard 50ths, it’s this: running out of drinks will haunt you forever, and overbuying means staring at a fridge full of lukewarm mixers for the next six months. Neither is fun. So I finally sat down—cup of tea in hand, Aloo asleep at my feet—and pulled together the no-nonsense drinks calculator I wish I’d had years ago.

This guide is written for the woman who does it all: planning, prepping, pouring, smiling through the chaos… while trying to make the whole thing feel effortless. Whether you’re throwing a birthday bash, retirement party, holiday get-together, or the classic “just because we need a night with the girls,” this calculator will take the guesswork out.

Let’s keep it simple, doable, and totally stress-free.

The 3-Rule Party Drink Calculator
 (You can literally plan your whole bar with this.)

  1. Assume 2 drinks per guest in the first hour
     People arrive thirsty. They mingle. They top up.
  2. Then 1 drink per guest per hour after that
     This is where the pace naturally slows.
  3. Multiply by your party length
     Done. No apps, no math headaches, no complicated charts.

Quick Cheat Sheet: What to Buy for 10, 20, 30, or 50 Guests

For a 3-hour party:

10 Guests
 – Wine: 3–4 bottles
 – Beer/Cider: 12–18 bottles
 – Spirits: 1 bottle vodka or gin + 2 mixers
 – Soft drinks: 4–6 litres
 – Water: 4–6 litres

20 Guests
 – Wine: 6–8 bottles
 – Beer/Cider: 24–36 bottles
 – Spirits: 2 bottles + 4–5 mixers
 – Soft drinks: 8–10 litres
 – Water: 10 litres

30 Guests
 – Wine: 10–12 bottles
 – Beer/Cider: 36–48 bottles
 – Spirits: 3 bottles + 6–8 mixers
 – Soft drinks: 12–14 litres
 – Water: 12–16 litres

50 Guests
 – Wine: 15–20 bottles
 – Beer/Cider: 60–80 bottles
 – Spirits: 4–5 bottles + 10 mixers
 – Soft drinks: 20 litres
 – Water: 20–25 litres

If You’re Serving Mostly Wine
 Go 60% white, 40% red unless it’s winter, then flip it.

For afternoon parties, rosé counts as a white—buy a couple bottles because someone always wants it.

If You’re Serving Cocktails
 Stick to one signature cocktail plus a basic spirit (vodka or gin) with soda or tonic. Trust me, nobody needs a full bar unless you’re running a hotel.

For a 20-guest gathering:
 – 2–3 bottles liquor for the signature cocktail
 – Enough mixer to match (lemonade, juice, ginger beer, etc.)
 – Garnishes: limes, lemons, mint, berries
 – 2kg ice for shaking and topping

If You’re Serving Beer Drinkers
 Plan for 1.5 bottles per person per hour if beer is the star of the show.
 Beer-focused gatherings are thirstier gatherings. It’s science.

Don’t Forget Ice — Seriously
 Ice is the one thing everyone underbuys. You need more than you think.

Ice Guide:
 – Small gathering (10 guests): 3–4 kg
 – Medium (20–30): 6–8 kg
 – Large (50): 10–12 kg

If it’s summer, add another 20%.

Essential Mixers That Always Get Used
 – Soda water
 – Tonic
 – Lemonade
 – Cola
 – Cranberry juice
 – Orange juice
 – Ginger beer
 – Fresh citrus (honestly the unsung hero of any bar)

Keep it simple; nobody needs lychee cordial at a 60th birthday unless you really love lychee.

Water, Water, Water
 Your future self will thank you. Hydrated guests dance more, complain less, and recover beautifully.

Plan for 1 litre per person minimum.
 More if it’s hot, outdoors, or includes dancing (my favourite cardio).

When in Doubt, Buy a Little Extra
 You can always send guests home with leftover cans and bottles. It doubles as a quiet nudge to clean your fridge.

The only time I truly regret buying extra is when Aloo gets into the recycling bin the next day and has the time of his life spreading cans around the backyard.

Hosting Made Easier
 Once you’ve used this drinks calculator once or twice, it becomes instinctive. And honestly, when you’ve got the drinks sorted, the rest of the party feels lighter. No frantic runs to the bottle shop, no panic when the rosé runs out. You get to relax, enjoy, and actually be present at your own gathering—what a concept.

 

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