Saving the Season: A Cook's Guide to Home Canning, Pickling, and Preserving

This cookbook by West, journalist and home-canning blogger, venerates the art of "putting up" seasonal bounty of regional hillside orchards, forests, and gardens. Southern roots and childhood memories of home canning with grandparents inspire West's passion for capturing the taste of the seasons in a jar. In an impressive practical guide rich in storytelling and culinary information, this self-described urban dweller who doesn't garden provides a thorough compendium of essential techniques for preserving the harvest. Including recipes reflecting timely produce, West instructs readers on how to make jams and jellies, pickles, canned tomatoes, and condiments like relish and salsas. Spring recipes feature asparagus and ramps, as well as sour cherry preserves made with mint and honey; summer is time for a smoky tomato jam with paprika; fall canning includes grapes, pears, and apples in jams and jellies and pumpkin or persimmon butters; winter preserves citrus in syrups, curds, and cordials and in a wide variety of marmalades. An appendix charts peak dates of ripeness and details about produce varieties. Because "nature's bounty is abundant but fleeting," West shows home cooks how to save the season through the tradition of canning. Agent: David Kuhn, Kuhn Projects. (June)