Review: What to do with preserves...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2013
September has arrived and with it comes some bountiful harvests!  Every year my mother goes to work canning and preserving various "yummies".  We are treated with Strawberry Jams, Crabapple Jelly, Grape Jelly, Salsa, and a variety of pickles, but what do we do with all these canned goods?  How do we use them?Since we don't like pickles all that much, they are sent over to my in-laws who scarf them down like they were chocolate and we are left a ton of jams and jellies that we have no idea what to do with.  Our first go-to way of using them is in sandwiches but there has to be more ways of using them.Rhiana Jones, author of "Cooking with Home Canned Foods - Using your food storage items to create meals for your family" has created an eBook that is a great starting point for anyone who is wondering what to do with their canned goods.Like any cookbook there were some recipes that I immediately wanted to try and other recipes that I just am not interested.  The baked beans look delicious. The recipe is very similar to one that I currently use. There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down at the supper table, surrounded by family eating baked beans and fresh homemade bread.  I didn't have a lot of success with the muffins.  Through no fault of the recipe, I found the muffins bland.  I tried them with Crabapple Jelly and they just didn't have any of the flavour I expected.One of the great things about this book is that it is a starting off point.  The author encourages you to use you to make substitutions that work for you and your family.  She wants you to tinker and make these recipes your own.  She also points out that if you don't can your own food yet, you can use preserves purchased at the grocery store.  She also includes several resources if you want to learn more about canning.I do wish that the nutritional values and serving size were included in each recipe. I also wish that there were pictures included with each recipe.  The recipes are easy to follow with step by step instructions using items found in most pantries.If you are looking for a book to help you learn how to can, then this book isn't the book for you. "Cooking with Home Canned Foods" is a good resource for anyone looking for ideas on what to do with all your preserved goods.I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.