Cookbook giveaway: Marisa McClellan’s ‘Food in Jars’

I’m very excited to be giving away a copy of “Food in Jars,” the new cookbook by small-batch canning expert (and local Philly girl) Marisa McClellan. I’ve had my copy of the book for two days now, and I can’t stop pouring through the pages, planning what I’m going to make first (Rhubarb Chutney is in the lead right now).

Now, don’t go thinking, “I’ve never canned anything so I wouldn’t know what to do with this book.” Marisa spends the first few pages of the book explaining the tools needed (not as many as you’d think), the whys of processing food, and, most importantly, how to process. And, since her book is dedicated to small batches, the whole thing is very manageable. Dare I say, if you’re only making three or four jars of something, you could even skip the hot water bath if you keep your finished jars in the refrigerator and eat everything up before it spoils. But, I think this book might just inspire people who have never canned (who me?) to finally boil some water on the stove top and plunk a few jars in.

I interviewed Marisa for my Mother Nature Network blog, and she told me this about the recipes she includes in “Food in Jars.”

For this book, I wanted to create recipes that produced yields for a modern home. So I built these recipes to yield just three or four pints. Smaller batches means less chopping, peeling and mashing, less cooking down vast cauldrons of jam and far less time in the kitchen. Sticking to small batches takes a great deal of the tedium out of canning and helps make it simply fun and satisfying.

Modern homes… small batches… less tedium in the canning process… Yep, this is the book for us modern foodies who want to spend some time in the kitchen making good, real food, but not all our time in the kitchen. C’mon, you know you want “Food in Jars.” Here’s how you can win a copy.

• Go to Marisa’s Food in Jars blog and find a recipe that looks like something you’d like to make (it may or may not be in the cookbook – that doesn’t matter). Then come back here and leave a comment about what recipe appeals to you with a link back to it.
• You can increase your chances of winning by tweeting these exact words from your Twitter account:
  @rshreeves is giving away a copy of @marusula ‘s new small-batch canning cookbook “Food in Jars.” http://bit.ly/LSaJEF #giveaway
  Then coming back here to South Jersey Locavore and leaving a link to the tweet.
• Only two entries per person.