The Gentle Art of Preserving
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley November 7, 2013
Author Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi
Distributor:
ISBN: 978-0-85783-092-0
Publisher: Kyle Books
Release Date:
Website: http://www.simonandschuster.com.au
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One could be forgiven for thinking the art of preserving is long gone, but thankfully it does seem to be enjoying a resurgence, which makes compete sense, as there is a considerable move away from commercial foods to the more natural produce, which not only tastes better but is often cheaper to buy.
The Caldesi’s, have a great love of foods and focus on the traditional way of preserving foods, by pickling, freezing, drying and the entire gamut of food storage as practiced by people down through the centuries.
They have spent considerable time and effort to create this comprehensive set of instructions, because it is definitely not a cook book, on how to preserve just about anything. Chapters talk about Salting, Fermenting, Smoking and so many other aspects of preserving foods in clear detail which gives you good instruction on what foods preserve well, which is most of them, and how to go about achieving the best results.
Some of the content is specific to the Britain or parts of Europe, as the Caldesi’s are based in Europe, though books of this style are global, simply adapt the instructions to suite your country or region.
I live in Australia so pickling Herring is not my thing but producing Rhubarb Wine definitely is, something I have tried over the years but never perfected, but will try again following the recipes as detailed in the chapter Alcohol, along with some of the other recipes such as Damson Wine and Apple Cider. The result will be preservative free booze for Christmas in our house!
The more you trawl, because that is what you do, the chapters you realise carrying out this traditional art in whatever style you choose, does not take all that much time and the results can only be positive, let alone a taste sensation.
With so many people allergic to many of the chemicals used to preserve mass produced goods, reverting back to homemade has to be a better health option.
You also realise you don’t have to be a master chef or even a particularly good cook to create a fab range of foodstuffs; you just need to be able to follow the instructions!
Once you have preserved your way through the seasonal produce, tucked away in the pages are a collection of recipes for you to use with your new found, super yummy foods, preserved by you.