First published 2017
Michael McDonald presents a comprehensive guide to preserving food at home through traditional canning methods. The book traces the practice from its wartime necessity during World Wars I and II through its decline in the abundant 1950s and 1960s, when frozen foods and improved transportation made home preservation seem obsolete. McDonald explains both water bath and pressure canning techniques with detailed safety information and illustrations. His collection spans familiar territory like fruits, vegetables, jams, and jellies, but extends to specialized recipes for hunters and fishermen seeking to preserve meat and seafood. The guide includes unusual items like kelp and prickly pear cactus alongside extensive beet preparations. McDonald connects historical context to modern motivations, showing how rising food costs, transportation expenses, and preparedness concerns have revived interest in home canning among today's households and survivalist communities.
Genres: food-preservation, food, cookbooks, how-to, food-history
Vibes: cozy, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: how-to, informative
Period: 1900s, 1950s, 1960s
124 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform