Synopses & Reviews
What grows together ... goes together
When you're fortunate enough to come across a bountiful source of chanterelles or black walnuts, or your fishmonger is displaying irresistibly fresh sardines, or you're in possession of several pounds of lean venison, chef Matthew Weingarten is ready to help you preserve what you can't eat now.
Taking advantage of every kind of preserving technique, Weingarten cans Elderberry Compote and Sweet Bergamot Marmalade, salt-cures Arctic Char Gravlax with Wild Fennel Pollen, smokes Nitrate-Free Bacon, ferments cabbage, pickles ramps and garlic scapes, and cures and smokes Garlicky Kielbasa. His methods are clearly explained in step-by-step recipes that give you the confidence to take on every preserving challenge.
Weingarten's reverence for the natural world and wild ingredients comes through in his personal stories of foraging and harvesting, tasting foods for the first time, and discovering old-world recipes wherever his travels take him. Whether you're a hunter, forager, preserving enthusiast, or farmer's market fanatic -- you'll find an abundance of delicious recipes for preserving your edible treasures.
Review
"What Matthew Weingarten and Raquel Pelzel have created on the pages of Preserving Wild Foods will make you want to grab your walking stick and get outdoors. Whether you forage in the cracks of urban sidewalks, or far out into thewild, this book will inspire you to look at your surroundings in a new way (and to create pantry items your friends will envy)! This is a modern-day culinary odyssey that will tug on the heart strings of your inner forager." Tracey Ryder, Co-founder, Edible Communities
Review
"Preserving Wild Foods" is one of those rare treasures we periodically happen upon, with somewhat the same excitement of finding a rare plant or mushroom deep in the forest."
Christopher Nyerges, Author of Guide to Wild Foods
Review
"I'm proud to say that I'm friends with Matt Weingarten, and that together we've harvested and/or prepared everything from cattail roots to squirrels to black bear. His take on wild food is refreshing and inspired." Steven Rinella, author of The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine, American Buffalo and Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter
Review
"A must read for preserving enthusiasts" AndrewZimmern.com
Review
"New York City chef Weingarten doesn't let his urban base get in the way of his passion for scavenging edibles; even sidewalk cracks are fair game when it comes to sourcing herbs. In this encyclopedia of all things cured, canned, smoked, and pickled, he shares his favorite ways to preserve the bounty." Tasting Table
Review
"A serious book for the committed forager who sallies undaunted o'er beaches, hedgerows, fields, forests and wetlands. With lovely photos and detailed recipes, the authors offer a range of pickles, preserves, smoked, brined, fermented foods." thekitchn.com
Review
"But while the book is about smoking, curing and otherwise preserving wild edibles, you can make these recipes without day-tripping upstate or getting arrested for picking lamb's-quarters in Prospect Park, because the techniques work just as well on chanterelles hunted at the Greenmarket or Union Market. Our advice? Buy yourself the book now and next year you can give everyone on your list a jar of handmade Maraschino cherries." Zester Daily
Review
"New York chef Matthew Weingarten and TT's senior food editor, Raquel Pelzel, prove that delicious wild ingredients are abundant if you know what to look for and where to find it, even in Manhattan's concrete jungle. But the book is hardly just a guide to picking plants: Find great instructions for making everything from maraschino cherries to oil-cured anchovies." Library Journal
Review
"Preserving Wild Foods is a recipe book as well as an expression of the 'wonder and joy' that comes from a connection to the seasonal, natural world. ...
Review
“A must read for preserving enthusiasts”
Edible Brooklyn
Review
"Preserving Wild Foods is a recipe book as well as an expression of the 'wonder and joy' that comes from a connection to the seasonal, natural world. ...
Review
"Weingarten uses his sensibilities as a chef to both wake up standard recipes and introduce new flavor combinations ... a valuable book for aspirational foragers, preserving geeks, and people who forage regularly and [are] serious about preserving their finds."
Review
"Will delight those looking for a new experience ... Weingarten and Pelzel take readers beyond their backyard gardens to landscapes and waters many home cooks may not have considered using to fill their pantry. A great reference for those who want to try their hand at recipes outside of the "fruit preserves box."
Synopsis
Whether you forage in the wild or at the farmers market, you ll delight in the unique preserves featured in this one-of-a-kind collection. With a reverence for the natural world and all of its edible bounty, Matthew Weingarten and Raquel Pelzel encourage you to explore the ways in which wild ingredients can be transformed into tasty foods through a range of preserving techniques that include canning, smoking, curing, and pickling. Enjoy your own delicious Duck Prosciutto, Dandelion Jelly, Crab Apple Mostrada, and more
"
Synopsis
Salted sardines with coriander and thyme. Crab apple mostarda. Instant samphire pickles. Speckled tea eggs with star anise and ginger. Dandelion jelly. Pickled chanterelle mushrooms. Blueberry-maple spoon fruit. These and dozens of other inspired recipes from chef Matthew Weingarten show you how to preserve--by curing, canning, smoking, and pickling--a wide range of wild ingredients foraged from the sea, fields, forests, and fresh water. Clear instructions make small-batch preserving techniques easy to learn, from smoking fish to putting up jam, pickling vegetables, and curing meat. Whether you forage in the wild or at the farmers' market, you'll delight in making and enjoying these unique preserves.
About the Author
Raquel Pelzel is a former Cook’s Illustrated editor and has collaborated with professional chefs on several cookbooks, including the James Beard Award nominee DamGoodSweet and Dollars to Donuts.
Matthew Weingarten is the executive chef at Inside Park at St. Bart’s in New York City, where he brings a strong sense of place and seasonality to his professional cooking. He was previously chef de cuisine at Savoy and Quilty’s, both in SoHo. At Inside Park, Weingarten fosters strong relationships with the farmers and purveyors who have become part of his food family. Interested in lost culinary techniques, he practices the art of curing meats, pickling vegetables, and preserving fruits. He enjoys giving back to the community that he has helped shape by peer-mentoring in the workplace and introducing others to a world of place and season at the dining table.
Table of Contents
Preface
Preserving and Curing: How and Why