We may not give much thought to the boxes in our freezers or the cans on our shelves, but behind the story of food preservation is the history of civilization itself. The development of portable, preserved food enabled the great explorers to travel into the unknown and gradually map the planet, facilitated the conquest of new territories, and created routes for the expansion of trade and the exchange of knowledge and culture that opened up our world. In "Pickled, Potted, and Canned, " author Sue Shephard weaves together the stories of the inventors -- and inventions -- in a lively and richly detailed narrative that spans centuries and continents. It is a tale filled with extraordinary characters, old legends, and new revelations: how Attila the Hun and his men "gallop cured" their meat; how cooks became chemists and chemists became cooks and how some even lost their lives, like seventeenth-century statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon, whose death was caused by an experiment with a frozen chicken.

From the primitive techniques of drying and salting to the latest methods that have allowed us to feed men in space, "Pickled, Potted, and Canned" gives us fascinating insights into the histories, cultures, and ingenuity of people inventing new ways to "cheat the seasons."

"This book is about my relationship with jam, my soul, music, and the world in which I live. When I make jam I slow down, my actions become rhythmical, my thinking clear. The repetitive motions of washing, stirring, pouring, and labeling allow me the space to think about my life -- what it means to be starting over and how I can embrace this stage of my life with vitality and joy."

With warmth and love, Joan Hassol takes us on an evocative journey through raspberry patches, in search of beach plums, down memory's lane, and ultimately to her bed-and-breakfast on Cape Cod, where her jam business, Well Preserved, is in full operation. In over seventy easy-to-prepare recipes -- none of which requires special equipment -- she reveals how to create such goodies as blueberry, wild cherry, and concord grape jams, five-fruit marmalade, pear with frangelico jam, and green tomato chutney, as well as breads, muffins, and cakes to complement the preserves or to serve on their own.

Well Preserved is a jam-making hymnal, a vibrant celebration of nature's rich bounty, as much about the soul as cooking.

. . . a book that will appeal to everyone who has ever choked down the pre-packaged, bargain-basement camp food (or gone bankrupt buying the good stuff).
--Canoe & Kayak

. . . if youre on the lookout for a way to bring real meals to the field, [this book] might have the answer.
--Field & Stream

Life in the outdoors revolves around food--cooking it, eating it, packing it, carrying it. We even fantasize about it, especially after a week of eating store-bought provisions. This book is all about fulfulling those food fantasies and avoiding those expensive disappointments. Trail Food tells you how to remove water from food, to make it lighter and longer-lasting, without removing its taste. Learn to plan menus and prepare meals just like the ones you left behind, using fresh foods from your garden or market, prepared and seasoned the way you like them.

Why fantasize when you can have the real thing?

This comprehensive book contains all you need to know to make your own jam and other preserves. Whether you're a novice preserver or an expert jam-maker, this book provides the principles of successful jam making as well as recipes, not only for the usual fruit and vegetables but for more unusual combinations of flavours. The recipes in this book are reliable and have been formulated by much research and experimentation in the author's kitchen, and from recipes for proven value from skilled housewives over many years.

This book will show you how to preserve our wonderful spring, summer and autumn harvests, so that you can enjoy nature's bounty even in the sparser months. From drying, bottling and freezing to simple jams, jellies, curds, cheeses, relishes, syrups and chutneys, all you will ever need to know is explained simply and clearly in this comprehensive guide to home preserving.

This is a biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.

Take an increasingly health-conscious era, add an economic downturn, and what do you get? A revitalized interest in local, seasonal foods and in producing better food for less all year round. "Knack Canning, Pickling & Preserving "makes time-honored methods to this end easier than ever with simple, step-by-step instructions and stunning four-color photos. It includes everything you need to know about canning, pickling, freezing, and drying--tips, techniques, and equipment--as well as hundreds of recipes for jams, jellies, pickles, relish, sauces, meat jerkies, and more. That's not to mention great gift-giving ideas for the holidays!""

With this book, A. D. Livingston combines a lifetime of Southern culinary knowledge with his own love of authentic home smoking and curing techniques. He teaches how to prepare smoked and salted hams, fish, jerky, and game - adapting today's materials to yesterday's traditional methods. As the author writes, 'you can smoke a better fish than you can buy, and you can cure a better ham without the use of any chemicals except ordinary salt and good hardwood smoke.' This book shows you how, and includes complete instructions for: preparing salted, dried fish; preparing planked fish, or gravlax; building a modern walk-in smokehouse; constructing small-scale barbecue smokers; choosing woods and fuels for smoking; and salt-curing country ham and other meats, together with over 50 recipes such as Country Ham with Redeye Gravy, Canadian Bacon, Scandinavian Salt Fish, Venison Jerky, and many others. (5 1/2 X 8 1/4, 168 pages, diagrams)