The Modern Pioneer Pantry: A Complete Guide to Preserving Food

by Mary Bryant Shrader

Fill your pantry, save money, and eat healthier using time-tested methods from Mary Bryant Shrader of the Mary's Nest YouTube channel.

There is no better way to preserve food than by using the methods our predecessors used. Canning, preserving, pickling, and drying have been used for centuries to make fresh food last longer and preserve garden harvests. Now, as grocery prices continue to rise, people have realized that these methods, when done properly and safely, can preserve fresh food for months and even years, which means less waste, a well-stocked pantry, and a bounty of delicious and healthy food.

Fans of Mary Bryant Shrader’s YouTube channel and website love her positive, encouraging approach to teaching complex topics in a way that is both entertaining and richly informative. In her first book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, Mary shared tips for cooking traditional foods and using simple ingredients to make healthy meals more economically. Now, in The Modern Pioneer Pantry, Mary goes in depth and teaches you how to use water-bath canning, pressure canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing, dehydrating, and drying to preserve everything from fruits and vegetables to salads, jams and jellies, pickles, and so much more.

In addition to in-depth instruction for each method and over 115 recipes, you’ll learn how to use Mary's unique Four Corners Pantry approach to ensure your home will stay well stocked and food will never go bad. You'll also learn how to source inexpensive ingredients, get the most out of your garden (or the produce section at your local supermarkets), and create a pantry that will be a source of pride and also nutrient-rich food for your family. Each chapter also includes a scannable QR code that links to instructional videos on the Mary's Nest website.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2025

About the author

Hi Sweet Friends, My name is Mary and I am the author of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... and The Modern Pioneer Pantry: A Complete Guide to Preserving Food, available for pre-order February 2025.

Through my YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/marysnest and corresponding website: https://marysnest.com/ I teach traditional cooking skills for making nutrient dense foods including bone broth, cultured dairy, ferments, sourdough, and more! I also teach how to stock a traditional foods pantry, home canning basics, and how to make natural remedies using simple ingredients.

I'm always happy to answer questions about my new cookbook or any questions you may have about cooking traditional foods. You can find my author page here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Love and God Bless,
Mary

Reviews

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginner introduction to various food preservation methods and how to stock your pantry.

[Christy Wilhelmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC and plan to post a blog article about my favorite parts of this book. It covers all the possible ways of preserving the harvest, from water-bath and pressure canning, to fermenting, to freezing. Options, options, options! I bookmarked at least 30 of the recipes to try out down the line, and it renewed my interest in prepping foods for later use. Time to pull down the pressure canner and get going. My reason for 4 stars is that as a vegetarian I would have liked to see modification notes for recipes with meats to make them veggie-friendly. But the book still has plenty to offer non-meat eaters.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is all about preserving and building your Modern Pioneer Pantry. There are chapters about water bath canning, pressure canning, drying and dehydrating, fermentation, freezing, and pickling. There is a LOT of information and recipes here. This is definitely aimed at someone who is comfortable in the kitchen and knows how to can. The recipes look good and there are lots of tips on how to use the preserved food in a variety of ways. Overall, if you're looking to up your preserving game, check this cookbook out.

[Mardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful followup to Mary's first bo0k, the Modern Pioneer. I especially enjoyed making the Crystalized Ginger. Not only did I end up with fantastic Ginger slices, I have the added bonus of a simple syrup infused with ginger to add to beverages, or baked goods plus ginger sugar that I plan to use for fall baking. Mary provides detailed instructions for deliscious and healthy food plus tips that will help anyone achieve a pantry that enables one to save money by eating at home.