Preservation Society

Every summer I have grand ambitions to preserve everything from our garden or the farmer's market. Maybe I'm just trying to retain that small bit of sun and fun for the dull winter months. And my ambitions are often bigger than my abilities.

I am a whiz at making pepper jelly and I love to can pickles. But I have to admit to some major messes. Example? Well there was the time I ruined my friend Julie's pots when we were making peach jam. That stuff tastes good when you do it right. Mess it up, though, and it is like burning charcoal that permanently adheres to anything it touches. 

Food in Jars, by food blogger Marisa McClellan, comes to the rescue with recipes that make canning easy by focusing on small batches that don't intimidate. Adding unique ingredients also spices things up (so to speak) for those who've canned before.

Make the most of summer fruits with chapters dedicated to jams, jellies, marmalades, and chutneys. Or, if you have an overabundance of one particular plant like me, there is an entire chapter entirely dedicated to tomatoes. Just as an example.

With over 100 recipes, there's enough here to help anyone keep their bit of summer on a shelf ready to cheer up the colder days ahead.