Put 'em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling

by Sherri Brooks Vinton

With simple step-by-step instructions and 175 delicious recipes, this book will have even the timidest beginners filling pantries and freezers in no time! Put ’em Up! includes complete how-to information for every kind of refrigerating, freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. Sherri Brooks Vinton includes recipes that range from the contemporary and daring — Wasabi Beans and Salsa Verde — to the very best versions of tried-and-true favorites, including Classic Crock Pickles and Orange Marmalade.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Gardening, Food Preservation

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of jam and preserving books these days. I feel like it's cheating to add cookbooks to goodreads. But you know what, I have made a lot of recipes from this book and I am crazy about it and someone needs to stand up and take notice of that. And I am behind on my 2011 book count in no small part because I spend most of my time reading books about jam & pickles and making jam & pickles.

From this book, I made dilly beans, the Szechuan Beans, Ginger Peach Jam, cherry preserves (black pepper and vanilla), drunken cherries, the quick raspberry jam (I made this about 10 times), the heirloom salsa and.... some other things I can't remember right now. I have canned a lot of stuff this summer. My cabinets are groaning with the weight of my enthusiasm.

I like this book because it covers a range of food preserving from really basic stuff to more experienced jams with interesting flavor profiles. The book is essentially broken into two sections. The front part of the book explains techniques, theories and best practices for food preservation. This is where you learn how to blanche the skin off tomatoes and test the gel stage of a jam set.

The second part of the book is broken out by ingredient with various preservation techniques and recipes listed under each. I love, love, love that this book has a lot of lower-sugar recipes and leans heavily on Pomona's pectin instead of conventional pectins. This greatly helped me overcome my insecurities about Pomona's. Most recipes have variations for storage. If you feel uncomfortable water bath canning, for example, the author tells you to put your extra jam in the freezer. That is pretty nice. A lot of people think they can't preserve food because they are intimidated by canning. I like anything that gets past that.

Side note: One of my friends asked, "Why does this have instructions for freezing berries? Doesn't everyone already know how to do that?" But no, not everyone knows how to freeze berries (properly) and second of all, when you have 30 lbs of berries on your counter staring at you it is easy to forget that you can just freeze them. Your brain starts to tell you "You need to find the perfect number of jam recipes that equal the number of pounds on your counter or you are wasteful." Freezing berries is like, one ladder rung below making syrup (which is my go-to "OMG ALL THESE BERRIES!") but many orders of magnitude above "I guess these rotten berries are going in the compost."

My point is: Food preservation really only matters if you actually do it. Fancy recipes for jellies are worthless if you don't have time to make them. This book meets people where they are. It's friendly. It's cute and modern. It's cooler than my old grease-stained Ball Book. It's the first preserving book that I have actually wanted to cook all the way through! Everything we made has turned out delicious, so we're all motivated to try more.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I have this fantasy that Susie and I are living lives as some sort of DIY, locovore, urban-farmer survivalist couple, which leads me to read a lot about things like urban gardening, chicken-raising, bee-keeping, and food preservation. This book falls into the last category, and its a good one! Plenty of techniques and recipes are covered here, from root cellar storage to drying, canning, fermentation and pickling. If I'm ever able to trick out my house with beehives, a bat-house, a chicken coop, greenhouse and/or cold-box and raised veggie bed this book will become an invaluable part of my daily reference library. Of course, I'm going to need a lot of time, which means that one of Susie or I will have to get rich, and my backpack/lawnchair idea has already been taken...

[Anna]

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[Mabeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I wanted a kind of guide to canning etc and this covered that requirement but the real reason I chose it is because of the layout of the book. Its laid out by type of produce and then all the things you can do with that item. So if you have a ton of peaches it goes through all the different things you can do with peaches with recipes and instructions. SO we'll see if I end up liking it when I read/use it but so far I'm loving it.

Ok, I do really like being able to look things up by produce and see ideas. I will follow that by saying I haven't used a lot of the recipes. Partially because the pears I canned with her recipe ended up in a lemonade syrup rather than a normal syrup. I think she calls for ALOT of lemon juice in everything. While I understand it protects from a lot of things she seems to go way over to the safe side at the expense of some tastes. The pears were still fine, they just tasted like they were sitting in lemon sugar water... which they were. So for ideas and techniques, a great book. I will use some of the recipes but not all.

[Ann Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comprehensive guide to home preserving should be on every cook’s shelf! Full of inspiring recipes for making salsas, relishes and chutneys, this book also provides excellent instruction on preserving with the boiling water method and making fermented pickles.

Ms. Vinton also cautions the amateur cook how to ensure that the foods are packed well for storage. This is an all important element of home preserving, one most young cooks worry about considerably. How does a cook ensure that there is enough acid in the mixture for the fruit or vegetables to remain safe? A few helpful tips ensure that the home preserving pioneer provides a vast variety of tasty foods for family, friends and guests all year long.

There is a nice balance between instruction and inspiration in this book. A good resource for cooks just learning about the wonderful world of home preserving.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on my re-read and must buy list! A great canning book Wende recommended, it has great tips for a beginning canner like me and really interesting recipes listed by main fruit/veggie. I love that the batch sizes are small enough to just try using what I might get from my csa or pick up at the market in any given week to make a few pints (unlike other canning recipes that require real investment and commitment to the results).

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curried Cauliflower, Szechuan Green Beans, Pickled Asparagus, and that was just the first night! Need I say more? All these recipes are for small batches, usually 3 pints. The Curried Cauliflower required only a single head of cauliflower, a red bell pepper and an onion. No need to invest in bushels of produce, some of which will go bad before you get around to completing the canning. This book is perfect for Farmer's Market shoppers!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savior
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Humanity condemned to vulgarity.
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[KA · Rating 5 out of 5]

So easy to use for someone who's never canned before (or dried, frozen, or otherwise put up produce for the season. I've used several of the recipes and been really pleased with the results.

[Lapotagère]

Very good...

[Sandra Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for people who love to preserve their own food. From dried mushrooms to homemade raisins, BBQ sauce to salsa, you can find what you're looking for.

The book starts with Techniques, Food Preparation and Food Preservation Methods. It then moves to Working in Groups, Things That Will Surely Get You Into Trouble and Things That Look Bad but Aren't Dangerous. After that, we get to the recipes. Recipes are arranged in alphabetical order according to major ingredient.

As a cookbook lover, I come across different ingredients all the time, and some aren't so easy to find. For instance, I've come across lots of recipes in many different books calling for preserved lemons. I live in the South, and I haven't seen them for sale anywhere, but with this book I can make my own. It includes a recipe for Lemon Curd as well, something I adore!

If you like making your own jams and jellies, you'll love this. From Classic Strawberry to Ginger Peach or Fennel and Onion, Orange Marmalade and more, you'll find many great recipes. Pickle lover? There's a large variety of pickles, and I don't mean just pickled cucumbers!

I really enjoyed this cookbook, and I think anyone who enjoys putting up their own produce, or someone who wants to get started will really enjoy it as well.

I received a copy of this book from Storey Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Casey Lauger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very helpful and especially love the creative recipes such as spiced carrots, citron, and the creative takes of preserving fruit.

The book is well put together. I appreciate that it's in color and has pictures to help. I especially loved the little tidbits of information the author included in the footnotes.

I can honestly say that whenever my garden is ready for harvest, I pull this book out and get to work. Just this past week, I canned over 12 jars of dilly beans.

My only criticisms are that I wish there were more recipes and even some more basic recipes. For example, A recipe for basic green beans would have proven helpful or more on Tomatoes and cucumbers. I have so many there has to be more things I can do with them.

Overall this is a very good book

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few cookbooks I kept during a purge of them before moving. I use this at least a few times a year to preserve pears. My copy is so well-loved that I’m going to have to replace it with a new copy soon. The intro in the beginning is an excellent primer for the newbie to canning and preserving, though I’m not sure how helpful it would be for someone with more experience under their belt. I do like that occasionally recipes will include “here’s an idea for how to use this once you’ve made it,” something which doesn’t always come naturally to me. All in all, an excellent preserving manual and recipe book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of the better preserving cookbooks that I've read. The recipes are so easy to follow, I loved that chatter throughout the book also. The recipes are varied, from the easiest first tries like jams or pickles to a more varied selection of fruit and veggies. 100% recommend this book for both beginner and more experienced canners!

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have many books on canning/preserving but this is my favorite. 👍 Each chapter is organized by vegetable and each recipe has several options, such as refrigerated, canned, or dried (chapter on chili peppers). Highly recommended for beginners to more seasoned canners.

[Christine Sopko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would visit this cellar if the world was ending. I learned about leather britches. I enjoyed the format of easy to read and sectioned off by crop. My skill level agrees with a couple of simple time tested favorites.

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of useful information, like ratios and directions for canning/drying/freezing safely. The recipes seem delicious for the pickled veggies.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

To much sugar, but enough intriguing recipes that I think I'd like to own a copy :)

[Cheryl Crandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innovative preserving. There were several new vegetable/ preserve recipes that I tried. They were delicious. Worth the investment.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skimmed the first time I borrowed from the library - I like the organization even though not so many recipes that I'll use. I'll probably borrow again at least once a season or maybe just purchase so I have it always on hand.

I love using less sugar since homegrown fruit is already so sweet - but I'm not a fan of jelly & jam made with Pomona's Pectin. Something is off about the texture.

Made the following:
Watermelon Jelly - substituted lime juice for lemon. Not bad but I prefer the Food in Jars recipe and using Ball Classic Pectin.

Want to try:
liqueur recipes
granita recipes
chili pepper recipes
sweet pepper recipes

[Angeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for home preserving. It's organized alphabetically by fruit or vegetable including figs, onions, tomatoes and berries. This is very helpful if you have an abundance of a particular fruit are bursting at the seems with cucumbers . Speaking of cucumbers, some of the recipes for those are cucumber agua fresca, cucumber sake, bread and butter pickles, and dill pickles. The pickle recipe offers the refriderator or canning preservation methods.

The author includes simple to follow instructions for various preservation methods. The directions are clear. The pictures are not only colorful and fun but helpful as well. While I've only tried a few, all of the recipes I've tried are delicious (cucumbers, pickles, peaches, tomatoes are on deck)!

She does use Pomona Pectin in some of her jams, which can be hard to find and a little pricey. It's used for lower-sugar.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really great book. The recipes sounded good and the author made preserving food seem pretty easy. She doesn't get into pressure canning at all so it's not a comprehensive canning book. I've made a couple of her recipes so far and the downside for me is that the recipes called for weights of foods. I don't have a kitchen scale and it would have been so much easier for me if she said "three cups sliced zucchini" instead of "two pounds zucchini, sliced". Or whatever the equivalent is. I do like how she tries to use as little sugar as possible (which in canning/preserving is still a lot).

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I did not have a chance to make any of the recipes during the short time that I had this book from the library, I am planning to pick up my own copy.

The step-by-step instructions for processes ranging from traditional canning to freezing and even making infused alcohols or vinegars seem very well written and illustrated. Then each fruit or vegetable has its own section. For example, rhubarb has several pages (unexpectedly!) including pickle, chutney, and jam, as well as how to freeze rhubarb and then a recipe for a crumble.

For someone like me, who did not learn kitchen skills growing up, this is a great resource to preserving food in many ways.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is the way that it is organized! Rather than grouping recipes according to method of preservation, this book groups according to type of fruit/veg. It also has a very handy j fez on every single page to point you back to the technique for the recipe. For example, every recipe has the ingredient list, the preparation, and the preservation methods to use for that particular recipe. I can then look at the index on the left side to bring me back to the page that explains that particular preservation method. It's so efficient!

Contemporary recipes, small batches, informative, step by step instructions.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the reassurance this book gave about how fun canning is and how you aren't "going to kill anyone." It breaks down the processes for making jams, jellies, cold- and hot-packed pickles... And lots of nice looking recipes!
- Pickled Beets with Cumin and Cloves
- Beet Relish
- Curried Cauliflower
- Cherry-Walnut Relish
- Chili-Tomato Jam
- Fennel and Onion Jam
- Sweet and Sour Pickled Onions
- Ginger Peach Jam
- Chinese Plum Sauce
- Italian-Flavoured Pickled Zucchini
- Pickled Watermelon Rind

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second recent canning book I've read that skips over canning with a pressure cooker. It must be a lost process or no longer the fashion. The book does include a fair amount of Asian and Latin America recipes, a refreshing change from older works and a bit on drying fruits and other goodies. The basics are well covered with illustrated step by step instructions, a beginner should have little problems following the recipes. Also many of the recipes have a freezer pickle option, so you don't have to go the whole canning route if you're feeling lazy.

A good book for beginners.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spend a lot of the summer "putting up" jams, pickles, fruits and veggies and this was a fun take on more modern recipes. Not the kind of stuff your grandma would preserve. (Homemade spiced pear infused vodka!) Lots of recipes for freezing, drying and infused alcohols if you aren't into canning. My only complaint is that a lot of the recipes measure by pounds of produce instead of measuring by cups, which makes it a little hard to follow if you don't have a kitchen scale.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone interested in preserving food. It is laid out nicely, very easy to navigate, and I really like how it is broken down by different foods. If you find yourself with more plums than you know what to do with, you can just flip to the plum section and see a variety of ideas from chutney, to sugar plums to jam. The author is spunky and obviously loves what she does -- her recipes have me very inspired!

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a literary first: I'm in love with a cookbook. I'm talking about head over heels infatuation people. And it's not just any cookbook, it's a gorgeously photographed, easy to understand book about canning, freezing, infusing, pickling, and preserving. Hence, it feeds my dreams/delusions of being a farmer along with providing awesome recipes and techniques. It's a win/win kind of book. And I have already bought my copy off Amazon. Ahh....true love...sigh.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, I like the recipes! Hard to find* Pomona's pectin though. Lots of recipes in here are calling for the

I'd love a few more anecdotes like "I come from a long line of white lightening..."

I like how the information is prevented and definitely want to try these drying and freezing methods, but there's not enough emphasis on pressure canning, which you need to do if you are using vegetables.

*found at Whole Foods