Essential Food Preserving - by Julia Skinner (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The must-have reference guide to all the methods used for preserving every type of food--from canning vegetables to making fruit wines to curing meat--with more than 250 recipes and creative zero-waste options.

Featuring clear step-by-step instructions and original photography, Essential Food Preserving is organized by type of food, with multiple preservation methods for each one, so you can preserve almost anything in a variety of ways, including:

• Canning
• Fermenting
• Brewing beer, wine, and vinegar
• Pickling
• Making jams and jellies
• Drying
• Smoking
• Cold storage

Food-preserving expert Julia Skinner focuses on minimizing waste; every part is used, including the byproducts of processes. Just as important as her comprehensive approach is Julia's expert curation of the topic and creative recipes that go beyond the basics.

Review Quotes

"Discover the joy of food preservation-where tradition meets creativity.

This book is more than a collection of recipes, it's a celebration of mindful living seen through the prism of canning, fermenting, freezing, drying and beyond. With step-by-step guidance, expert tips and reflections on gratitude, sustainability and community. It offers both the confidence to master safe techniques and inspiration to experiment with flavours and ingredients. Inside you will discover timeless staples, soothing herbal teas, potent tinctures and fresh new favourites, as well as insights into Japanese food preservation traditions that balance simplicity with depth of flavour. Alongside practical instruction, you will find the encouragement to create food remedies that nourish both body and soul. Whether you are preserving summer harvest, crafting a tonic, or exploring the pleasures of fermentation, this beautifully crafted book invites you to savour the simple, sustaining art of food preservation in every season."

--Dr. Martin Ruffley, Lecturer, Galway International Hotel School

"Essential Food Preserving is extraordinary! For Julia Skinner, preserving is a way of life, a pathway to exciting new flavors, personal wellbeing, and sustainable eating. Julia shares the collective wisdom she's gleaned from ancient preserving techniques around the world while offering her own innovative spins on classic recipes, especially for fermentation. She addresses every question you might ever have about how to preserve food safely and deliciously. This comprehensive volume is destined to become the go-to reference for modern times." --Darra Goldstein, Founding Editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, and author of eight cookbooks

"A radical and delightfully readable combination of recipes and food history that tells an ancient story repackaged for modern eaters who want everything from salad-bar marinated mushrooms to homemade mead. This is what I've been saving all my jars for!" --KC Hysmith, PhD, editor of When Southern Women Cook

"As authoritative and comprehensive a text as you will find on the very human art of preserving food. While the clear instructional guidance will help you master skills for successful food preservation, the inspiring recipes and beautiful photography will hasten you to your kitchen to try all the good things in this book. Vegetables, fruits, grains, meats and fish - all are given the most delicious of treatments for extending seasonal bounties, enlivening the palate, and making the most of everything with a mindful approach to minimal food waste. This is food quite literally for mind, body and soul. A book of eminently practical magic." --Kate Ryan, Flavour.ie

"Has there ever been a more exhaustive guide on preservation? Skinner's book covers every possible method, honoring traditions across cultures and generations to maximize your kitchen today." --Casey Corn, chef and host of Magnolia Network's Recipe Lost & Found

"Julia has written one of the most useful resources for preserving food we have ever seen. She describes a very wide range of preservation methods in detail, making it easy to find answers to technique-based questions like "how do I pressure-can tomatoes?" or "what's the best way to freeze broccoli?" What makes this guide unique and truly essential are the ingredient-focused chapters, where readers can look up what they have and find an intuitive, multi-disciplinary guide to preserving specific vegetables, fruits, and proteins." --John Becker and Megan Scott, co-authors of the new edition of Joy of Cooking

"Julia Skinner's Essential Food Preserving is the new "bible" of food preservation. In these beautifully crafted pages, she distills canning, freezing, drying, and fermenting techniques with precision, clarity, and boundless enthusiasm. Julia's work elevates preserving from a practical chore into a creative, restorative experience. Her approach feels at once timeless and timely, rooted in deep historical knowledge yet designed for the modern kitchen. This guide is a trustworthy companion for home cooks and a reminder that preserving food is preserving culture, connection, and curiosity. Julia Skinner has given us a work that's at once essential and inspiring."--Christina Ward, author of Preservation: The Art and Science of Canning, Fermentation, and Dehydration

"Julia's book is a triumph! Writing with warmth and verve, her step-by-step, and picture-by-picture, guides to all the major preservation techniques feel like she is in the kitchen with you, helping expand your idea of what's possible to preserve and teaching you how to do it. Sprinkled with history, anecdotes and science, Julia's years of experience will magnify your preserving abilities and creativity. She captures the dazzling universe of preservation and abundance in a single book in a way that is both encyclopaedic and incredibly accessible. Perfect for absolute beginners through to seasoned preservers and professional cooks." --Dr. Johnny Drain, chef and author of Adventures in Fermentation

"Thorough and rich, Essential Food Preserving encompasses multiple methods of food preservation in one book. It is bound to become a treasured resource for anyone looking to preserve their abundance." --Kirsten K. Shockey, best-selling author of Fermented Vegetables

"Until now, most preservation guides have lived at opposite poles--either dry, scientific manuals or collections of family and cultural recipes that lacked the rigor to ensure safety. In Essential Food Preserving, Julia Skinner brings these worlds together in a way that feels both revolutionary and deeply human. The result is a book that's as rich in scientific knowledge and curiosity as it is in cultural wisdom and sensory joy. As the Culinary Director of a free community kitchen, I am especially moved by Julia's understanding of preservation as not just a skill, but a means of building both community and food security. Beyond her wealth of expertise, Julia is an extraordinary teacher--one who invites readers to revel in their senses, trust their intuition, and find wonder in the cyclical magic of the seasons. Brimming with diverse recipes, voices, and perspectives, this is a book that belongs in every preserver's kitchen and will hold a permanent place on my shelf." --April McGreger, chef, writer, author of Preserving the South on Substack

"Wildly comprehensive, Essential Food Preserving is an accessible one-stop guide to the entire universe of stocking up, putting by, and squirreling away. It is certain to become a classic resource for anyone with an inclination to extend the life of their food and make something delicious." --Marisa McClellan, Food In Jars

About the Author

Julia Skinner, PhD is an award-winning food writer and culinary business owner, writing coach, fermentation and culinary educator, and food historian. Her book, Our Fermented Lives, won a silver Nautilus Award and earned her the title of Finalist for both Georgia Author of the Year and the IACP Cookbook Awards. Her latest book, The Fermentation Oracle, was a gold Nautilus Award winner. Skinner is the owner of Root, a fermentation and food history company, which offers classes, consulting, research services, and a food-focused newsletter. She also owns the Culinary Curiosity School, offering unique and playful culinary courses, and Roots + Branches writing and creativity coaching. She has a PhD in Library & Information Science, a graduate certificate in Book Art and Book History from the University of Iowa Center for the Book, and lives between Atlanta, GA and Cork, Ireland.