Can It & Ferment It: More Than 75 Satisfying Small-Batch Canning and Fermentation Recipes for the Whole Year is a cookbook for foodies and health seekers.
Canning food is a lost art.
Decades ago it was common for families to have shelves full of food they canned themselves in their cellar.
The Spring and Summer harvest was canned and fermented so people could eat in the Winter.
Quick and inexpensive access to food 24hrs a day moved people away that.
That’s starting to change.
Folks are realizing the tremendous damage processed foods are doing to our stomachs (and rest of our body) and are turning to “living” fermented foods because they’re loaded with healthy bacteria.
Foodies are also ushering in a canning renaissance…
Fermenting Food Gives It A Dazzling New Flavor Profile
You know how wildly different a fresh cucumber tastes from a pickle.
Now imagine fermented strawberry.
Of course, you don’t just pour pickle juice over strawberries and let them sit for a few weeks.
The canning and fermenting process are the same, but you use different ingredients which are covered in Stephanie’ book, Can It & Ferment It.
The result is a strawberry with a taste that is recognizable and competently different at the same time.
If you like to experiment in the kitchen, Stephanie’s fermented recipes will delight you with endless new flavor combination possibilities.
My personal favorites are her pickled green beans and rhubarb jam.
Stephanie’s Kimchi is what I’ll be trying next.
About The Author, Stephanie Thurow
Stephanie is a Certified Master Food Preserver.
In addition to “Can It & Ferment It” she’s also published “WECK Small-Batch Preserving: Year-Round Recipes for Canning, Fermenting, Pickling, and More”
If you’d like to get a taste of Stephanie’s writing before picking up her book, she makes regular posts on her blog minnesotafromscratch.wordpress.com
The Book Is Beautifully Illustrated
Often times what makes or breaks a cookbook is pictures.
Too many authors skimp in this department.
Lucky for us Stephanie did not!
Can It & Ferment It is filled to the brim with lovely, high-quality pictures.
Easy To Follow Step-By-Step Instructions
Another area where Can It & Ferment It delights is with its instructions.
Canning food will be new to many of you so it’s important that the instructions are easy to follow.
This book is easy to read and you won’t have any trouble teaching yourself how to can food when you follow the steps.
What You’ll Need To Start Canning and Fermenting Food
Unlike a lot of foodie endeavors, canning is (for the most part) inexpensive.
Most of the fruits and vegetables you’ll be fermenting are cheap.
The vinegar, spices, and other ingredients you add are cheap.
And the canning jars and other tools don’t cost much either!
You can get started for under $50.
Dangers Of Canning and Fermenting Food
There are some precautions you need to take with canning food.
The big risk is mold.
Your jars and tools need to be properly sanitized.
You also need to properly activate the fermenting process and be mindful of air exposure and temperature.
Can It & Ferment covers all the precautionary measures you should take to avoid mold growth.
Final Thoughts On Can It & Ferment It by Stephanie Thurow
It’s the perfect book for beginners and veteran fermentors.
It’s 184 pages long and has 75 tasty fermented recipes.
If you love exotic foods that don’t come with exotic prices this book is a must own.
Plus, fermented foods are probiotic and extremely good for you.