Author: Jennifer Megyesi
Photography: Geoff Hansen
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing 2010
Eating vegetables straight from the garden really does taste different (and better) than eating vegetables bought from a grocery store.
In my opinion, people who strictly eat vegetables that are shipped from California or Mexico may find the taste of homegrown carrots, tomatoes, lettuce and onions almost an oddity at first. They are so used to the taste of waxes and preservatives that their palates would have to get used to the flavor of real fresh food from a garden.
But it's worth it.
Whether you grow your own fruits and vegetables, or purchase them from a local farmer, preserving the local harvest is well worth the time and effort it takes to can, freeze, smoke or dry it.
The Joy of Keeping a Root Cellar by Jennifer Megyesi is an excellent guide to preserving almost any fruit, vegetable or meat. It is clear, concise and informative and the photography is excellent. The pictures allow your imagination to take you right into an underground root cellar. You can almost smell the dirt.
There are a number of recipes (See Pickled Eggs below), informative sidebars (I like the one on Corn Types) and Comprehensive Tables. Table 2 on Root Cellar crops tells you what to plant, when to plant and when to harvest along with the recommended storage temperature, humidity and time. If you like to can fruits and vegetables Table 3 tells you How Much Fresh Food Will Yield When Canned.
You don't have to have, or even want a root cellar to benefit from the information in this book. The recipes and harvesting tips are worth the read.
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