We love a good garden book, don’t you? Books are a fun way to learn a new skill, expand your knowledge, and soak up inspiration for future projects and activities. And we especially love a garden-to-table book that gives us the confidence to take our garden harvest to new heights in the kitchen.
Preserving food doesn’t have to be scary and it can be done at home. Gardening is wonderful for so many reasons but at the top of the list is the benefits you get from growing your own food. But what do you do when you grow more than you can eat? You learn to preserve!
So, if you’re in the mood to take a break from actual gardening while cracking open some of the best garden foodie books out there, here’s our list of suggested reading for you! From classics to newer publications, these books have several things in common — they are all highly rated, best-selling, full of great information, easy to follow, drool-worthy, and inspiring. Bon appetit!
7 Books About Preserving Food That Will Keep Your Belly Happy
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine (Robert Rose, 2006). From the makers of the iconic canning and preserving products, this time-honored classic provides complete directions for safe canning and preserving, necessary equipment and tools, and tips that are ideal for both the beginner and the more experienced home preserver. Plus, 400 recipes for pickling, jams, jellies, chutneys, and relishes (how about a Roasted Red Pepper Spread or Mango-Raspberry Jam?) to keep you inspired. FIND IT
- Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces: by Marisa McClellan (Running Press Adulty, 2014). Got a smaller kitchen, or a small garden with equally small amounts of produce? This book is perfect for you. While many traditional recipes are better suited to large batches, Preserving by the Pint is a guide for preserving small amounts of food, freeing up both your time and your shelf space. Look for mouthwatering recipes like Blueberry Maple Jam and Sorrel Pesto. FIND IT
- The Noma Guide to Fermentation: by René Redzepi (Artisan, 2018). How about a book by the chef and co-owner of one of the world’s best restaurants? Noma, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, is renowned for its reinterpretation of Nordic cuisine — including some form of fermented food on every dish. Now you can learn the techniques to create your own kombucha, kimchi, vinegars, misos, garums, and black fruits with over 100 trending recipes. This one’s been recommended as one of the “Best cookbooks to give as gifts” by magazines like Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and more. In short — it’s a no-brainer. FIND IT
4. Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables: by Mike Bubel and Nancy Bubel (Storey Publishing, 1991). Let’s say you grow your own food, value self-sufficiency, and would love to store some of your perishable harvest without canning. Can you do it? Yes, if you have a root cellar — an underground structure created for exactly this purpose. The Bubel’s classic book guides you to build your own root cellar, using the earth’s cooler, stabler temperature as a natural refrigerator. FIND IT
5. The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Drying Food, Plus 398 Recipes Including Making Jerky, Fruit Leather, and Just-Add-Water Meals: by Tammy Gangloff, Steven Gangloff, and September Fergason (Stackpole Books, 2014). Attention, campers, backpackers, and sustainability hounds! The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook is about ready to change your life. Author Tammy Gangloff is widely considered the expert in food dehydration, and she walks you through the techniques necessary to preserve most (if not all) of your garden harvest including veggies, fruits, herbs, greens, and edible flowers. The nearly 400 recipes allow you to create your own teas, flavored oils, jerkies — even instant baby food! FIND IT
6. Artisan Sourdough Made Simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Delicious Handcrafted Bread with Minimal Kneading: by Emilie Raffa (Page Street Publishing, 2017). Another form of fermentation is the sourdough starter, and Artisan Sourdough Made Simple shows you how to bake luscious bread such as Roasted Garlic and Rosemary and Raspberry Gingersnap Twist using a master starter recipe. Equal parts science and art, this book includes 65 recipes to kick your bread making up a notch. FIND IT
7. DIY Pickling: Step-By-Step Recipes for Fermented, Fresh, and Quick Pickles: by Will Budiaman (Rockridge Press, 2015). If you love international cuisine this book is for you! From Japanese Tsukemono to Korean kimchi, from German sauerkraut to Indian chutney, pickling is part of a long and rich tradition of food culture around the world, and with DIY Pickling, making delicious sweet, sour, spicy and fermented pickles in your own kitchen has never been easier. Included are the fundamental pickling techniques that you’ll turn to again and again in your pursuit of pickling perfection. FIND IT
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