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It Starts with Fruit: Simple Techniques and Delicious Recipes for Jams, Marmalades, and Preserves

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Jam making gets a bad rap for being highly technical, complicated, messy, hot, and sticky; but preserving fruit can be simple and easy.

Jordan Champagne unlocks the secrets of mouthwatering fruit sauces and butters, delicious whole-fruit preserves, and fresh-tasting jams and marmalades from the comfort of your home kitchen.

It Starts with Fruit features 73 recipes total: master recipes for each type of preserve, followed by recipes for jams, marmalade, juices, syrups, shrubs, whole fruit preserves, butters, pie fillings, and dried fruits, plus a final chapter on baking with preserves.

• Great for home cooks who want an easy and approachable guide to making jams and other fruit-based preserves
• Jordan's gentle and encouraging methods will guide you through the process of making incredible fruit preserves using seasonal produce.
• Learn inventive techniques that are more flavorful and less complicated than traditional methods—with less sugar, too!

Jordan Champagne, author and cofounder of Happy Girl Kitchen, learned how to make jam while working on a farm, trying to use up fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. Now it's your turn to learn.

Recipes include Raspberry Lemon Jam, Pink Grapefruit Marmalade, Honeyed Apricots, and Peach Rosemary Syrup, as well as baking recipes to turn your fabulous preserves into Thumbprint Cookies, Jam Bars, Fruit Cobbler, and Homemade Toaster Pastries.

• A must-have for anyone who wants to learn about making jam and other preserves, likes experimenting in the kitchen, or enjoys DIY projects
• Approachable for first-timers who feel intimidated by jam-making
• Perfect for those who loved The Noma Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi & David Zilber, The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders, and Preserving by the Pint by Marisa McClellan

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 12, 2020

39 people are currently reading
88 people want to read

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Alicia Bayer.
Author 10 books252 followers
March 19, 2020
This is a gorgeously illustrated bible of fruit instruction, with loads of fruits included and lots of ways of preparing them. Readers will learn the traditional (no added pectin, chemicals or boxed powders from the grocery store) method of preparing jam, along with juices, shrubs, baked goods and more. I love that some wild fruits are included like elderberries and mulberries, but was sorry that others are not, like gooseberries, chokecherries, pawpaws and wild cherries (tip: British cookbooks do tend to include more of these since they still tend to use "hedgerow" fruits in some of their cooking). That said, this is a fantastic resource that will be especially useful to those who are new to preserving and cooking with fruits or who want to really expand their repertoire.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
Profile Image for Sharah McConville.
719 reviews28 followers
May 19, 2020
It Starts With Fruit is a wonderful cookbook for the home cook. It contains beautiful photos throughout. There is information on canning, preserving and jam making using a variety of fruits. This cookbook showcases all the different ways fruit can be used. There are recipes for drinks, syrups, sauces, butters, chutneys, juices and pie fillings etc. With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital copy.
Profile Image for Sarah.
785 reviews45 followers
May 22, 2020
Sarah contributed this review to Really Into This

Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!

Special thanks to Chronicle Books for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

It Starts With Fruit is a really great book for someone looking to can. I'm fairly new to canning & some of Champagne's recipes will allow me to step my game up. The photos are beautiful & this is a really great book. She makes canning accessible for all with her step by step guides & clear instructions.
Profile Image for OjoAusana.
2,266 reviews
May 1, 2020
*received a free copy from netgalley for honest review* This is a really great book to have in your kitchen if you want to make your own jams or marmalades, it has some really unique recipes as well as great classics!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
321 reviews
December 20, 2020
Wow this has to be the BEST book I have ever seen about fruit, jams, marmalades, fruit spreads, and desserts. It is not only absolutely gorgeous to look at, but it is massive and informative in a readable way!

I don't usually gush about cookbooks this much. I find most of them regurgitate recipes easily found online, or else they only have a handful of recipes I'd actually make. However this book packs simply EVERYTHING that I'd want to know into one book, and I would ACTUALLY make every recipe in this book.

A hard copy of this book should be in every kitchen!

This would also make a wonderful gift for a wedding, birthday, or for anyone interested in cooking or baking, in order to take their skills to the next level. I recently started making my own jams and I can't believe I waited so long, since it is actually super easy to do!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley as a book reviewer.
Profile Image for Dee/ bookworm.
1,400 reviews4 followers
March 12, 2020
#ItStartswithFruit #NetGalley

Description
Jam making gets a bad rap for being highly technical, complicated, messy, hot, and sticky; but preserving fruit can be simple and easy.

Jordan Champagne unlocks the secrets of mouthwatering fruit sauces and butters, delicious whole-fruit preserves, and fresh-tasting jams and marmalades from the comfort of your home kitchen.

It Starts with Fruit features 73 recipes total: master recipes for each type of preserve, followed by recipes for jams, marmalade,juices, syrups, shrubs, whole fruit preserves, butters, pie fillings, and dried fruits, plus a final chapter on baking with preserves.

• Great for home cooks who want an easy and approachable guide to making jams and other fruit-based preserves
• Jordan's gentle and encouraging methods will guide you through the process of making incredible fruit preserves using seasonal produce.
• Learn inventive techniques that are more flavorful and less complicated than traditional methods—with less sugar, too!


Wonderful tool for someone just starting out, but with enough recipes and tips that even someone not new to jams can benefit from. Beautiful illustrated directions so anyone can replicate what the author is doing.

I received an advance reader copy for a fair review. These ideas are my own.
Profile Image for Doreen Prentiss Gabriellini.
551 reviews
May 5, 2020
It Starts With Fruit by Jordan Champagne is a book that has been needed for a long time. I have been canning on and off since my childhood. My grandfather was the first to show me how to use the abundance of the garden so we could have delicious preserves all year round.

The author explains in clear, concise easy steps how to take that over abundance of fruit or berries and turn it into a treat your family will love. There are recipes not only for jams. jellies and spreads but also drinks, syrups, pie fillings and butters. The depth of information given for these recipes makes it obvious that the author has researched and worked tirelessly so anyone using her book is successful. I have researched and used many books on this subject but I think this one offers the best explanations. It is hugely informative, proving there is still much to learn.

A copy of this book should be in every preservers kitchen! There are actually some recipes to make with your proceeds. This has given me the push to go back to preserving. Well Done!

I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Kristin.
580 reviews36 followers
March 22, 2020
It Starts with Fruit is a very thorough book in terms of canning and such. It has lots of beautiful photos, lots of information and due to the sections, it's easy to find whatever you're looking for.
Profile Image for Denice Langley.
4,823 reviews46 followers
April 4, 2020
For many years I have dabbled with preserving food, mostly fruit, with mixed results. IT STARTS WITH FRUIT would have been a huge help many years ago, saving me lots of frustration. Jordan Champagne explains in clear, easy steps how to take that over abundance of fruit or berries and turn it into a product your family will repeatedly ask for. There are recipes not only for spreads but drinks, syrups, just about anything you'd imagine. It's pretty obvious that the recipes have been researched and designed for success. My first batch came out wonderful and everyone loved it. Now on to the next one. I'm pretty sure I can try every recipe this growing year!!!!
Profile Image for Jenny Houle.
894 reviews10 followers
April 5, 2020
I couldn't get over the pictures in this book, as well as how easy to follow the different breakdowns were of harvesting, preserving, canning etc. of each kind were. I found the information regarding the different tools needed to use this book to the fullest extent truly interesting and helpful. There are also little helpful add-ons, such as a chart laying out which fruits go best with which herbs.
Profile Image for Annie.
4,736 reviews89 followers
May 11, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

It Starts with Fruit is a tutorial guide and recipe collection for preserving fruit by Jordan Champagne. Due out 12th May 2020 from from Chronicle Books, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The book follows a logical format. The introduction covers food safety and handling, choosing and using the correct equipment for the job, processing options, and other info to ensure a successful outcome. The following chapters introduce fruits both in general and in an alphabetical (exhaustive) herbal list including some lesser known (to North American readers) fruits such as quince, loquat, and mulberries (along with all the standard popular ones familiar to everyone). The rest of the book contains recipes and tutorials arranged roughly by category: jams, drinks, whole fruits (including pie fillings, sauces, and butters), and recipes which don't fit easily into one of the above categories for such things as candied peels, salts, pickles, chutneys, and the like.

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard with metric measures in parentheses. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. The ingredients are all easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store or farmer's market. The index is cross referenced and includes ingredients as item entries for quickly locating relevant recipes.

My one small quibble with the book is that the recipes are mostly not photographed. There are some photos, and they're clear and attractive, but they only represent about25-30 % of the recipes.

Well done. This book would make a great addition to the home cooking library. It is a nice supplement to the standard classics like the Ball Blue Book, and this one includes quite a lot of adventurous and appealing recipes (plum, cardamom, bay, and anise together in a shrub (drinkable sweetened light vinegar decoction - there are several shrub recipes included in the book and they're delicious and versatile).

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Profile Image for patrick Lorelli.
3,768 reviews37 followers
May 19, 2020
This book “It Starts with Fruit” took me back to when I was a young boy in my grandmother’s kitchen helping her with her canning. I enjoyed those days with her, for it would be just her and I none of my other cousins liked that nor did my sisters’. She would spend another day making jams but she only makes a few since the family only likes certain ones. Her pickles won many awards at the county fair. So, when I got this book I was taken back in time. These recipes are all easy to follow and besides ones for jams, canning she also gives you pie fillings, ones for drinks, butter, and syrup.
I still use my grandmother’s pie fillings, but now I need to go out to my garage and find her recipe box for her canning ones. I will say once you start making and canning the taste is better and if there are fruits you like you can them and have them when not in season. This is a fantastic book for everyone’s kitchen. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at
www.1rad-readerreviews.com
Profile Image for Really Into This.
378 reviews22 followers
May 8, 2020
I contributed this review to Really Into This

Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!

Special thanks to Chronicle Books for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

It Starts With Fruit is a really great book for someone looking to can. I'm fairly new to canning & some of Champagne's recipes will allow me to step my game up. The photos are beautiful & this is a really great book. She makes canning accessible for all with her step by step guides & clear instructions.
Profile Image for Leyla Johnson.
1,357 reviews16 followers
May 20, 2020
A very informative book, with lots of fabulous photos, and well presented information featured in chapters that include, preserving know how, type of fruit and best for, Jams, Marmalade, Drinks, uses in cooking and lastly jelly, chutney and dried fruit. This is a very encompassing book about all things good to use fruit, tomato included, by preserving.
Written modern but with a lot of traditional ideas.
Profile Image for Debra.
100 reviews
June 27, 2020
Great book for an introduction to making Jams, Jellies and Preserves. Unique combinations make it an adventure into the "out of the norm" jelly recipe. The reader will like the photos, the descriptions and the knowledge gained from the instructions given. Take an adventure into the world of fruit preserves and expand your taste horizons!!
Profile Image for Shana Pare.
913 reviews6 followers
October 24, 2020
Enthusiastically amazing!

I loved this book even though I have not made any of the recipes at this time. She has included so many tips and hints that I look forward to next season's harvest. I should be able to try some of the applesauce this year and I am going to put up some Moroccan lemons as well.
Profile Image for Rebekka Steg.
628 reviews102 followers
July 3, 2020
Excellent introduction to the world of canning and preserving in a way that's as simple as possible, uses less sugar than many traditional recipes and lets you put your own unique spin on your jams, marmalades and preserves.
This isn't just a collection of recipes, instead the author gives you templates to be used as the basis for your own creations. She does share some of her own favourite recipes, and give you options to make them your own. I love that It Starts with Fruit won't just teach you the basics, but also how to mix and match with what you have on hand.

*I received a free copy through Netgalley, but the review is my own opinion*
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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