Twelve Months Harvest

This book has been a mere insperation for me. Eversince i bought it, I have been making my own Whole Wheat Bread, and have managed to live more suffiencent with the harvest that i bring in from my own Garden. Granted this is more of a what to do afterwards book rather than a gardening book, but it is really helpfull. Mrs Dewey has a great writing style that is easy and simple to understand. I would absolutley recommend this book to anyone that wants to do more with their garden than just bring in Strawberries in June and Tomatoes in August.

This book is a concise collection of ideas for gardening and preserving food for year-round food self-sufficiency. It includes chapters on garden planning, canning, freezing, drying and smoking, juicing, cheese making, grinding grains, gathering wild fruits, camp foods, decorative drying, and kitchen planning. There are quite a number of interesting and useful recipes, from rose petal syrup to candied cactus to acorn bread. In addition to recipes, the authors provide instructions for canning and for building special equipment like a food dehydrator, or a fruit press. The book is illustrated throughout with color photographs. End material includes a glossary and index. Although the book includes some tips from a grower in Michigan, much of the material comes from families in California, so there is quite a bit of advice for mild climate Western gardeners, and not much information for gardeners who face extremely cold conditions. The gardening advice seems mostly sound, although it doesn't stick to strictly organic methods, and includes a few recommendations for chemical applications. The food preservation techniques focus on canning, freezing, and drying, and barely mention root cellaring. Nevertheless, if you only have room on your shelf for one slim volume about food preservation, this is a good choice because it includes information on such a wide variety of topics.