Preserving by the Pint

Seasonal Canning in Small Bites

Marisa McClellan was an adult in a high-rise in Philadelphia when she rediscovered canning, and found herself under the preserving spell. She grew accustomed to working in large batches since most “vintage” recipes are written to feed a large family, or to use up a farm-size crop, but increasingly, found that smaller batches suited her life better. Working with a quart, a pound, a pint, or a bunch of produce, not a bushel, allows for dabbling in preserving without committing a whole shelf to storing a single type of jam.

Preserving by the Pint is meant to be a guide for saving smaller batches from farmers markets and produce stands — preserving tricks for stopping time in a jar. McClellan's recipes offer tastes of unusual preserves like Blueberry Maple Jam, Mustardy Rhubarb Chutney, Sorrel Pesto, and Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles. Organized seasonally, these pestos, sauces, mostardas, chutneys, butters, jams, jellies, and pickles are speedy, too: some take under an hour, leaving you more time to plan your next batch.

"This is truly a new way to think about preserving and canning — and that's not something that I say lightly....Because they're small-batch, this makes all the recipes in this book well-suited to apartment-dwellers, folks cooking for just one or two, or cooks who just want to can 'on the side' without the need for more elaborate canning theatrics." TheKitchn.com

The perfect follow up to Food in Jars More seasonal canning in smaller bites

If most canning recipes seem to yield too much for your small kitchen, Preserving by the Pint has smaller--but no less delicious--batches to offer. Author Marisa McClellan discovered that most "vintage" recipes are written to feed a large family, or to use up a farm-size crop, but increasingly, found that smaller batches suited her life better. Working with a quart, a pound, a pint, or a bunch of produce, not a bushel, allows for dabbling in preserving without committing a whole shelf to storing a single type of jam.

Preserving by the Pint is meant to be a guide for saving smaller batches from farmer's markets and produce stands-preserving tricks for stopping time in a jar. McClellan's recipes offer tastes of unusual preserves like:

• Blueberry Maple Jam
• Mustardy Rhubarb Chutney
• Sorrel Pesto
• Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles

Organized seasonally, these pestos, sauces, mostardas, chutneys, butters, jams, jellies, and pickles are speedy, too: some take under an hour, leaving you more time to plan your next batch.

Not many canning books have the city shopper and cook in mind: the cook who wants to work with a quart of strawberries — not a bushel. In today's world, the average household doesn't need a dozen pints of each preserve, and is more likely to want to dabble in smaller yields. Preserving by the Pint is intended to become a handbook for farmer's market shoppers who want to cook and eat seasonally — and then extend the season with jams, preserves, jellies, pickles, and more. Organized by season, the 100 recipes include Rosemary Rhubarb Jelly, Sorrel and Mint Pesto, Sweet Cherry Compote, Pico de Gallo, Maple-Sweetened Apple Butter, Caramelized Shallot Pickle, and Tangy Orange Glaze and are accompanied by beautiful full-color photography throughout. It's the perfect companion to McClellan's first book, Food in Jars.

Marisa McClellan is a former writer and editor for Slashfood, and has a masters degree in writing from St. Joseph's University. These days, she writes about canning, pickling, and preserving at Food in Jars (twice nominated by Saveur magazine for a Best Food Blog award). She lives in Philadelphia with her husband. Visit her at foodinjars.com.