Locavore In Training

Oh, the excitement. I have been hearing about and anxiously awaiting Ashley English's first two books in her Homemade Living Series. And only a teeny tiny bit of it is my "I wanna be like her when I grow up" desire. (Let's ignore the fact that I'm mostly grown up already.) I got both her Canning & Preserving and Keeping Chickens (more on this one later) books the day they came out.

Right off the bat, the first sentence, "A movement is building, in city apartments and country kitchens, as more and more of us reconsider how food ends up on our plates" grabs me. Obviously, this book was written for me. Just for me. Thanks, Ashley!

Seriously though, as someone who is intensely interested in understanding what's in my food and where it comes from, canning is near the top of my list of things to learn. (Ice cream was first, but can you blame me?) Wanting to learn canning may also have something to do with the upcoming CSA shares (ones we had trouble consuming with 4 people in the house, and now we are 2), loot from the community garden, and an already packed chest freezer.

I had trouble getting to the end of this book. Not because it was difficult to read, but because I wanted to savor each and every page. Charming from cover to cover, she makes canning approachable. I also own the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
, and while I'm sure it will be a great resource for me in the future, it's intimidating. As in, sits next to my computer scaring me. Not Ashley's book. Her book accomplishes just what she set out to accomplish:

My sincerest desire is that this book provides you with just the right amount of instruction, creative challenge, and comfort to get you started on your own canning adventures.

No question, I'll be starting with her Strawberry Jam. Soon, so soon, they'll be in season here. And I love her suggestions about fresh herbs you can add. Strawberry Mint Jam? Um, yes, please!

Because I also see pickling as a solution to some of my upcoming produce problems (oh, woe is me, too many fresh veggies...) I'm looking forward to using her Basic, All Purpose Brine for Pickling.

If you've ever wondered about canning, go by her book right now. She also writes a really great blog. You can check out it here.

I'll report back as I put her book into practice.