As busy as we are in our daily lives, having pre-made foods at our disposal is a huge convenience – and a large percentage of our grocery bill. As well, many of these foods are not as healthy as we would like them to be. They have preservatives, artificial ingredients and flavoring. This also included the fast food runs we make too. To make matters worse, if you haven’t noticed, food prices are steadily increasing making it more difficult to purchase these quick fixes.
“Canned Food is the Fastest ‘Fast Food’
We are left with two choices: either continue buying chemical-laden pre-made meals and suffer the financial stress, or make your own pre-made meals. In fact, Daisy Luther notes, ” home canned food is the fastest ‘fast food’ around.” And, clearly this is a far healthier choice than the other.
That said, I would like to share a new canning resource with you today written by Ms. Daisy Luther. Many of you are familiar with Luther’s website, The Organic Prepper and the hard stance she has taken against GMO (genetically-modified) foods and her fight against the multi-national GMO conglomerate Monsanto. She believes that if you can’t grow your own food sources, you can support your community by buying locally grown foods. Her new cookbook, The Organic Canner shares that same message and emphasizes that healthy, from-scratch foods are the best foods to feed your family.
From the book:
From time immemorial, preserving the harvest was a vital preparation to face the barren winter months ahead. Different methods have been used throughout the ages and many of them, although modernized somewhat, are still used today. Canning is the perfect solution for those seeking natural food sources, for gardeners, for those seeking a more self-reliant life, and for those interested in preparedness. Declare your independence and free yourself from the toxic grocery store items that are masquerading as food. Learn to preserve the bounty from your garden and local farms, savory hormone-free meats, and nourishing meals created from your own carefully selected ingredients. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced home canner, you’ll love the easy-to-follow instructions, delicious recipes, and directions for safely preserving your own creations.
About The Organic Canner
The first thing that I noticed about the book was the amazing cover. It was simple, colorful and to the point. The hand-drawn illustrations at the beginning of each recipe were also a nice touch that really gave the book character. I loved her step-by-step approach at explaining the different types of canning. In fact, it was almost as if your best friend was reassuringly talking you through the process. Her book is very organized and has lots of charts to turn to when in doubt. I also really liked her chapter layout. At the beginning of each chapter, she broke up the recipes by page numbers for easy turning.
Luther’s down-to-earth writing style spells out everything you need to know about getting to the heart of canning. Her 230+ page cookbook shares some of her best recipes for jams, relishes, fruits and veggies, canned meals and more. She even has a section devoted to making the most of your leftovers. Afterall, canning food was our ancestors version of tupperware! If you have leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas, she’s got you covered! She even has a chapter on canning nuts – this is something I don’t normally see in many canning books. I plan on making her entire meal in jars chapter. Sadly, there are only seven recipes (I wish there were more).
Review of the Recipes
Over the years, and the time that Daisy has conceptualized this book, I have had the guilty pleasure of tasting many of her recipes on more than one occasion. So, I can give you honest feedback to how her recipes taste. One word? Amazing!
My Faves:
- Blueberry-lemon jam
- Sweet and spicy pepper peach jam
- REAL tomato ketchup
- Just peachy peach slices
- Merlot spiced pears
- Southern bell kitchen sink chow-chow
- Marinara with meatballs
For Thanksgiving, I had some small tartlet shells made out of phyllo dough and added her merlot spiced pears and some fresh whipped cream and they were devoured shortly after putting them out. I have also added her sweet and spicy pepper peach jam to baked brie and it was delicious! My kids fight over her blueberry-lemon jam to put on their lunch sandwiches. Her homemade ketchup didn’t even make it a week! My kids were putting it on everything. Seriously, the recipes are delicious!
This cookbook exemplifies the self-reliant message we all hold dear, “get back to your roots.” This book takes you down the path toward food freedom and sustaining your family with healthy foods. This is probably one of the best books you can buy if you are transitioning from a new canner to a more seasoned one. The recipes are not your everyday recipes. They are like Daisy herself, classic yet distinctive and full of personality.
I hope that all of you will support Daisy in quest towards food freedom and purchase a copy of her book today at Amazon.
This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on February 18th, 2015
