(Part 2) Best canning & preserving books according to redditors

OP's book/media suggestions, formatted with links:

• People start with Ruhlman's Charcuterie, but quickly learn it's heavy on salt.
  
• For some slightly more esoteric recipes, check out In the Charcuterie by Taylor Boetticher and Levonia Miller. I absolutely "butchered" those names, btw.
  
• Also, get a book called Pig Perfect by Peter Kaminski... Not a lot of recipes, but it will enamor you with all things pig.
  
• Show... There's a series on BBC called <Time Period> Farm]... Edwardian, Victorian, Jacobean, etc... Where a group of historians run a farm for a year by the standards of the time period. It's cool and they do some pig stuff.

This selection of books (from the titles I can read) really shows the polyglot nature of the protests:

We've got (and note, in my descriptions, I'm trying not to editorialize):

• Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life: A book about a turn of the century anarchist.
  
  
• The Obama Syndrome: Surrender at Home, War Abroad: Why Obama is the same as George W. Bush.
  
  
• Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge--And Why We Must: The title editorializes itself...
  
  
• I'm With the Bears: Short Stories from a Damaged Planet: a book about the climate change crisis
  
  
• Simply Living: The Spirit of the Indigenous People: a book about how some people are maintaining a "tribal" connection by living more simply.
  
  
• A copy of something which either has Karl Marx or Frederick Douglass on the cover, but that's just a guess.
  
  
• Animal Farm
  
  
• Meltdown: The End of the Age of Greed: a book purporting to explain the 2008 financial crash written by man trained as a musician who later became a journalist.
  
  
• de Tocqueville's Democracy in America
  
  Since this is only a very small sample of potential opinions in a place like this, I can't really make any generalizations. What I will say is that I'm not very impressed. To me this selection of books shows someone has a vague feeling that something is wrong and doesn't have much besides anger to throw at it. The 2008 crash is much more complex than Mr. Mason portrays it (he blames it completely on policy), Obama is not the same as Bush, there is not much Emma Goldman can tell us on how to solve this situation, and like it or not, personal consumption expenditures made up over 70% of GDP in 2010 and the figures weren't much different back in, say, 1948. I am very liberal and I am as unhappy as anyone about the past 30 years of policy and politics. What do we do once we've destroyed the "establishment" though? Any cursory look at the history of liberal reform shows that the greatest strides were made when liberals were the establishment.
  
  Edit: Added polyglot, which should have been there in the first place.

The sub r/mealprepsunday has some great suggestions for (usually) healthy foods that you can make ahead of your week, and (usually) gives you a breakdown of how much each meal costs per serving.

I have been using this book for a while now and I really like it. I tweak some recipes but it’s a great way to plan.

Buying grains and stuff in bulk is good because you can get them cheap and they last a while. Obviously avoid processed sugars and stuff if you are trying to buy pre made stuff.

I also like making smoothies and shakes. There’s a book my fiancée has, I think it’s called “Blender Girl” that has a lot of very simple and healthy smoothie recipes. They taste great and you can make them in about 5 minutes the night before, blend them the next day, and take them to work.

Remember to try and eat your heart out with vegetables, and drink lots of water. I lost a lot of weight by cutting carbs and replacing them with veggies, and drinking water when I started getting “snacky”. Also, check out “intermittent fasting,” it’s a great way to cut a bit of weight without making huge lifestyle changes.

Good luck and have fun with it!

IF you already have a bug-in kit covering serious first aid, not just bandaids and Tums, water filtration, fire and cooking without power, etc......

The first two titles assume that you have at least some yard with reasonable sun access, or the potential for access to a community garden. (Could presently be a community park, a church lot, neighbor's land, whatever.) Books are presently roughly in the order that I'd replace them if my copies were lost. Buy used when you can. Some of these are available used for not much more than standard shipping.

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times

Where There Is No Doctor

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

If you have no comprehensive cookbooks that cover a wide range of garden veggies and game recipes, something like Joy of Cooking is probably in order. The point being that one way or another you may have to get used to enjoying whatever can be had, from an abundance of zuchinnis to rabbit, to acorn meal.

If you are not (yet) handy, find an old copy of something like Reader's Digest How to Fix Everything in a used bookshop for maybe $4.

A regionally appropriate guide to edible and medicinal plants such as A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America

Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation

optional, but cheap, Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis

My first pick always is the Marinski Books....


Charcutier. Salumiere. Wurstmeister - Francois Paul-Armand Vecchio
http://www.amazon.com/Charcut.../dp/0615720846/ref=sr_1_1...

The Marinski Books : http://www.amazon.com/.../e/B001JRXURI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

In the Charcuterie from The Fatted Calf: http://www.amazon.com/.../dp/B00C0AO18U/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Pig Perfect - Peter Kaminski: http://www.amazon.com/Pig.../dp/1401300367/ref=sr_1_1...

Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery - Jane Grigson : http://www.amazon.com/Charcut.../dp/B004SHJJ44/ref=sr_1_6...

The Art of Charcuterie - John Kowalski: http://www.amazon.com/Art.../dp/0470197412/ref=sr_1_sc_1...

Professional Charcuterie: Sausage Making, Curing, Terrines, and Pates - John Kinsella & David T. Harvey: http://www.amazon.com/Profess.../dp/B0032UXZ4S/ref=sr_1_1...

Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing - Rytek Kutas : http://www.amazon.com/Great.../dp/0025668609/ref=sr_1_1...

Bruce Aidells's Complete Sausage Book: http://www.amazon.com/Bruce.../dp/B007WKE2J6/ref=sr_1_1...
Patés & Terrines: http://www.amazon.com/Pat%C3.../dp/0688038964/ref=sr_1_2...

Hank Shaws Page: http://www.amazon.com/Hank.../e/B004OBEILI/ref=sr_tc_2_0...

I meant Charcuteria, by Jeffrey Weiss, concerning the Spanish tradition, not the more popular ruhlman book. The Spanish panceta in it is not that far off the Italian mark, but it includes garlic and a pimenton rub-down before casing.

It's recipes are far less safety-oriented than Ruhlman's, too. It's a great cookbook.

By which I mean they won't make salt-lick.

This one seems to be fairly popular.

The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from around the World https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083JQCF2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZkX5Bb67HJ1CK

1. Dig pit
   
   
2. Mash fresh yams and sugar cane. Grow them yourself, because the kind in the supermarket will have most of the natural yeasts washed or irradiated away. Alternatively, you could add yeast.
   
   
3. Put mash in pit
   
   
4. Cover. Look at it every day. When it stops bubbling, you're ready to get drunk on paste!
   
   But actually, if you're interested in this sort of thing I highly recommend the book The Art of Fermentation. It's super cool, the author explains things in a very simple, straightforward way, but doesn't neglect to explain the science behind it either.

$2200 Corny kegs

$1300 Two Conical Fermenters

$3000 This is the total the Brew store I go to has me at. I asked a while ago why they were taking my name every time I bought something. They said this was to track purchases. I then asked if they have a total of how much I spent. This was it. That includes all ingredients over the past couple years.

Books.

Homebrewing Guild by Dave Miller Link to Amazon

Starting your own brewery Link to Amazon

Not sure if they are non-standard but those are what I have been using as reference. Along with this forum and a lot of google.

I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie, so I have a bunch to recommend. I'm interpreting this as "good cookbooks from cuisines in Asia" so there are some that are native and others that are from specific restaurants in the US, but I would consider these legit both in terms of the food and the recipes/techniques. Here are a few of my favorites:


Pan-Asian

• Asian Dumplings - the masterpiece on all things dumpling
  
• Asian American - Dale Talde's (Top Chef) book with lots of Asian cultures' food in the US
  
• Asian Pickles - pickles and fermented foods from throughout Asia
  
• Lucky Rice - recipes from the Asian festival of the same name
  
• The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook - traditional cooking passed down to American cooks
  
  Burmese
  
  
• Burma:Rivers of Flavor - good focus on difference in Burmese cuisine from other regional
  
  Cambodian
  
  
• Num Pang - Cambodian sandwich restaurant in NYC
  
• Cambodian Cooking - GREAT book on Cambodian cuisine, supporting refugees
  
  Chinese
  
  
• Ken Hom Complete Chinese Cookbook - great primer for cooking Chinese food using ingredients commonly available in US
  
• China Moon - classic SF Chinese restaurant food
  
• Feeding the Dragon - modern culinary journey through all of China
  
• Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking - omnibus focused on the home chef
  
• Breath of a Wok - focus on wok technique at home
  
• Every Grain of Rice - wonderful Sichuan food for home cooks
  
  Indian
  
  
• Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking - actually, any of her cookbooks are wonderful for Indian cooking
  
• Savour Mumbai - looks at Indian cuisine as a melting pot in Mumbai
  
• The Indian Family Cookbook - modern South Indian food
  
• Indian Harvest - Vikas Khanna's family cookbook
  
• Made in India - classic Indian food, from street to home
  
  Indonesia
  
  
• The Food of Indonesia - everything you need for a rijstaffel!
  
  Japanese
  
  
• Japanese Farm Food - authentic rural Japanese cooking
  
• Preserving the Japanese Way - how to make awesome Japanese pickled vegetables
  
• Sushi Chef - not strictly speaking a cookbook, but "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" book in English
  
• The Japanese Grill - authentic hibachi and Japanese grill recipes
  
• Japanese Comfort Food - lots of traditional Japanese recipes
  
• Nanban - Japanese "soul food"
  
• Tokyo Cult Recipes - hip modern urban food from Tokyo
  
• Yum Yum Bento Boxes - updated modern take on bento boxes
  
• Ivan Ramen - traditional ramen for a Western audience
  
• Izakaya - traditional Japanese pub food & small plates
  
• Nikkei - emigrant Japanese food culture in South America
  
• Donabe - traditional Japanese hot pot recipes
  
• Kyotofu - very unique Japanese dessert cookbook
  
  Korean
  
  
• K Food - modern take on Korean street food
  
• Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking - great resource for Korean cooking in a non-pro kitchen
  
• Traditional Food - omnibus of four regions of Korean food
  
• Koreatown - authentic, approachable guide to Korean food in a US context
  
• Smoke & Pickles - Edward Lee's fusion of his Korean heritage and southern barbeque
  
• The Kimchi Cookbook - many, many recipes for kimchi...
  
  Malaysian
  
  
• Malaysian Cooking - good overview of Malay cooking
  
  Middle Eastern
  
  
• The New Persian Kitchen - modern Iranian food
  
• Ottolenghi - Israeli-Palestinian collaboration
  
• Persiana - dynamic modern recipes from throughout the Middle East
  
• Zahav - modern Israeli food
  
• Sweet Middle East - traditional and modern desserts
  
  Philippine
  
  
• Filipino Homestyle Dishes - good intro to classic Filipino dishes
  
  Russian
  
  
• Mamushka - focus on Ukraine
  
  Sri Lankan
  
  
• Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka - beautiful photo-cookbook on Sri Lankan cuisine
  
  Taiwanese
  
  
• The Food of Taiwan - um... food... from Taiwan
  
  Thailand
  
  
• Nong's Thai Kitchen - she beat Bobby Flay in pad thai
  
• Pok Pok - Portland's most AWESOME Asian restaurant
  
  Turkish
  
  
• Istanbul:Recipes from the Heart of Turkey - lovely focus on urban Turkish food
  
• Anatolia - wonderful approachable approach to Turkish cuisine
  
• Essential Turkish Cuisine - focus on history and evolution of Turkish food
  
  Vietnamese
  
  
• The Slanted Door - great Vietnamese restaurant cookbook
  
• Vietnamese Market Cookbook - focus on simple Vietnamese from fresh ingredients
  
• Into the Vietnamese Kitchen - traditional Vietnamese home cooking
  
• The Banh Mi Cookbook - the greatest sandwich in the world!
  
• Vietnamese Home Cooking - another great overview
  
  (edit: screwed up a couple links)

Thank you for the shoutout.

/u/StanMikitasDonuts should start out with some light reading. Get yourself Charcuterie, by Ruhlman and Polcyn, In the Charcuterie by Boetticher and Miller, and maybe a simple recipe book like Cured by Charles Wekselbaum. That will give you a really strong foundation of recipes to work with.

Most people will start off making Duck Breast Prosciutto (Prosciutto D'Anatra) because it requires only duck breast, salt, and 7-10 days of waiting... and does not require a curing chamber. Beyond that, bacon is a popular and fairly foolproof early project. Fresh and hot-smoked sausages are a good foray into charcuterie as well.

Once you get into whole muscle curing (like OP's pork loin idea) and fermented sausages like salamis, et al, you start needing to account for more ingredients, more processes, and more equipment. A curing chamber is essential for anything that is going to hang for long periods of time. You'll need lacto cultures and mold starters. None of it is difficult or particularly expensive (especially compared to buying these products retail)... but it does become a more immersive hobby once you've got appliances dedicated to making meat logs.

BrewChem 101 (http://www.amazon.com/Brew-Chem-101-Homebrewing-Chemistry/dp/0882669400) suggests keeping the lid open about a quarter's width. This allows all the stuff you want to burn off to burn off, but also allows a good drip back into the beer. He does also say to keep the lid on for about 5 minutes after hop additions, and after you turn off the burner.

Adding on to this, the book Put 'em Up! uses Pomona's Pectin in all the recipes that call for pectin. Great book.

edit: And her other book Put 'em Up FRUIT also uses Pomona's Pectin exclusively. Haven't bought it and tried any of the recipes yet but it's on my list.

I've done it with good effect with 5 small batches, and only one went bad. Here's my method for making Wild Fermented Dandelion Wine.

It can definitely be a gamble, and if you are seeking consistency between batches and a known finish, it isn't the way to go. I'm a bit more of a mad scientist than most brewers I know!

Most of my methods align with those expressed in Make Mead Like a Viking by Jereme Zimmerman.

Here's a recipe for corn salsa that I like from "Put 'em Up" by Sherri Brooks Vinton. I have the Kindle version (It was on sale for cheap), so I'll copy and paste it here. I think this falls under fair use, but if it doesn't, mods: give me a message and I'll take it down.

EDIT: Makes about 8 Pints

INGREDIENTS

12 ears corn, shucked

3 cups distilled white vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon salt

5 pounds tomatoes, diced

1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

PREPARE

1. Bring a large nonreactive stockpot of water to a boil. Add the corn and boil for 5 minutes. Drain.
   
   
2. When the corn is cool enough to handle, stand the cobs on end and slice vertically to cut off the kernels, being careful not to cut into the cobs. Empty and wipe out the stockpot.
   
   
3. Combine the vinegar, sugar, cumin, and salt in the stockpot, and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, jalapeños, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and corn kernels, and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, to allow flavors to blend. Stir in the cilantro and return to a boil. Remove from the heat.
   
   
   Refrigerate: Ladle into bowls or jars. Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
   
   Can: Use the boiling-water method. Ladle into clean, hot half-pint or pint canning jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Release trapped air. Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands. Process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
   

Why not the River Cottage Curing book instead of just the meat one?

Ruhlman's Charcuterie is indispensible.

I'd also recommend Fatted Calf's In the Charcuterie.

Prague Powder. Basic pink curing salt.

Sausage stuffers can run $100-200, but the old fashioned type still works great for $35. Same goes for meat grinders. There are expensive electric grinders, but a decent manual grinder works just fine for $25. Of course, if he owns a Kitchenaid mixer, you can just get the grinding and stuffing attachments for that.

I messed up the title. Here it is on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Japanese-Way-Traditions-Fermenting/dp/1449450881

I haven't tried the Sofrito recipe yet (it's on my list for this year), I've done well with other recipes from this book:
Put 'em Up! https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1603425462/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fy30Cb5M5NYYR

This has long been one of my favorites for simple Japanese pickling. Quick & Easy Tsukemono: Japanese Pickling Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/488996181X/

I don't think you can water-bath or pressure can ginger, likely for the reason that Yossarian33 says: it would lose its crispiness. I have the awesome book The Joy of Pickling and all the recipes for pickled ginger, including the sushi-restaurant style, are for refrigerator pickles.

You might want to reference the Theodore Payne Foundation website. They specialize in drought tolerant, California Native plants and should have some edibles in their mix.

Would have to do some research, but perhaps some Mexican Elderberry or prickly pear cactus, both native to California.

Also, check out this book. Has lots of info on California Native plants that can be eaten as food.

I got this book this week and I'm pretty stoked to try out some new rib recipes. He has a Beijing rib recipe in here that had me and the wife salivating. I plan on smoking something just about every weekend for the next 6-8 weeks before I'll probably put my smoker away in November.

if you want heavy science, read my uncle's book:

http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Millers-Homebrewing-Guide-Great-Tasting/dp/0882669052/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331346904&sr=8-1

otherwise papazian and palmer are good reads.

I use this setup to smoke primarily. Depending on the meat somewhere between 200 and 300, which I know is more grilling at that point, but I still get a great smoke flavor. The timing is all dependent on the temperature and the cut of meat. I have been using the Steven Raichlen Project Smoke book. https://www.amazon.com/Project-Smoke-Steven-Raichlen/dp/0761181865/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1

Fire is built on the bottom front, meat set on the rack towards the back. I use hardwoods and applewood.

Airflow is controlled by the front fire door. I also have 2 of the cinder blocks turns so the holes face the meat and move a piece of wood into place when it's too windy.

I basically modified this guys design: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FcTamq3OAE

My husband got me this book off of Amazon Fiery Ferments for Christmas and there is a lot of helpful information in there.

Food scale

Electric pressure cooker ($$, though I got mine used on FB marketplace) but as a second much more affordable choice is a slow cooker.

Cookbooks

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook: Easy and Wholesome Meals to Cook, Prep, Grab, and Go https://www.amazon.com/dp/162315944X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_dGUeAbB8DZPFZ

Sheet Pan: Delicious Recipes for Hands-Off Meals https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681881373/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sHUeAb5XA7288

Fix-It and Forget-It Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook: 150 Whole Food Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1680992104/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_PIUeAb59505DQ

Books. You need them.

http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Salting-Smoking-Revised-Updated/dp/0393240053

http://www.amazon.com/Salumi-The-Craft-Italian-Curing/dp/0393068595

http://www.amazon.com/In-The-Charcuterie-Sausage-Confits/dp/1607743434

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Sausage-Recipes-Meat-Curing/dp/0025668609

Is this the one? http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Fatted-Making-Sausage-Confits/dp/1607743434/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464038066&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=father+calf+in+the+charcuterie ? I was searching initially for Father Calf as the author thinking he's some monk that does nothing but make carcuterie in his monestary. I'll definitely give that a read, thanks!

In The Charcuterie: The Fatted Calf's Guide to Making Sausage, Salumi, Pates, Roasts, Confits, and Other Meaty Goods
Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing

Can recommend both.

I'm really enjoying Fiery Ferments right now.

Sandor Katz's the Art of Fermentation is good, but wordy. I started out with Real Food Fermentation because it's got pictures to demonstrate the steps.

I have these. It's really not much more than how the nipple works on a baby bottle:

6-Pack Waterless Airlock Fermentation Lids for Wide Mouth Mason Jars, Mold Free, Food-Grade Silicone Easy Fermenting Lids for Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pick https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079NSKRHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apap_PJsAkbk1UN3Cd

I did buy the knockoffs. Masontops makes another version, but I had a hard time with the price for a silicone mold.

I'd referenced that Noma book. There's also the gold standard of the Art of Fermentation although there's no shortage of recipes and ideas on the web: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/sitb/B0083JQCF2?sib_dp_aw_kd_udp

Tremendously thoughtful gift. Nicely done.

https://www.amazon.ca/New-Wildcrafted-Cuisine-Exploring-Gastronomy/dp/1603586067

This is a very traditional way of doing things and very valid. If I were you, I'd read up on traditional meadmaking and look into some pitchable kveik strains (or other traditional strains that will give you this ability):

• Info on Kveik strains
  
• Imperial Organic Kveik strain, might use that for your first batch
  
• Make Mead Like a Viking
  
• Sandor Katz' book, a great reference to have on hand

Under $10

Under $20

$$$ I have this guy on my own wishlist! It's good for canning low-acid items like green beans and beets and etc.

As a bonus, here's a fun book: Put 'Em Up. I have it and it's great! Also, you can make things like jam with little sugar by using pectin, or if you aren't into jams and preserves, you can pickle things and can sauces. It's just generally awesome.

I've never tried anything of the sort, but maybe look for a book on the subject? Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen sounds like it could be of interest.

> [...] Recipe methods range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi (Salted Sour Plums), Takuan (Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran), and Hakusai (Fermented Napa Cabbage)— to the modern: Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji, Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums, and Small Melons in Sake Lees. Preserving the Japanese Way also introduces and demystifies one of the most fascinating ingredients to hit the food scene in a decade: koji. Koji is neither new nor unusual in the landscape of Japan fermentation, but it has become a cult favorite for quick pickling or marinades[...]

(Note that I haven't read it and this isn't an endorsement, just the results of a quick search.)

I bought Brew Chem 101 a while back and refer to it occasionally. It says that it's nontechnical but the author goes so far as to diagram the molecular structure of things that create off flavors and aromas in beer.

I make the corn salsa from Put 'em Up!, and it is sooo good; spice to taste!

I often mush up an avocado and then stir in the salsa; easy guac!

Online version.

For books, I highly recommend Fermented Vegetables and Fiery Ferments. The Kindle editions of both go on sale regularly. In fact, Fermented Vegetables is currently $2.99.

For lids, I assemble my own. The new Ball Leak-Proof Storage lids aren't leak proof, but they're better than the old-style white ones. Sturdier too. Buy them at your local grocery store—they'll be way cheaper than Amazon. You'll also need 3/8" x 5/8" rubber grommets, which you can find in your local DIY store in the electrical section—you want ones that have a 3/8" inner hole and fit into a 1/2" hole, with an outside diameter of 5/8". Finally, 3-piece airlocks, which are going to be cheapest at your local homebrew store (they should be a $1, maybe $1.50). 3-piece are easier to clean than the 1-piece. From there, you just drill a 1/2" hole in the lid, insert the grommet, and then insert the airlock. Support the lid around the hole as you insert the airlock so you don't crack the plastic.

Other equipment:

• Sauer Stones are my favorite glass weights. Right now they're $10.95 for four. I think I have 20 or 24 of them at this point. They work great in conjunction with a cabbage or horseradish leaf to keep everything under the brine.
  
• You can never go wrong with having a couple of food-grade 5-gallon buckets kicking around for mixing kimchi, or salting large batches of sauerkraut, or even fermenting in. Again, these are cheapest at your local DIY store. Get a lid with a gasket, and make sure you grease the gasket with food-grade grease.
  
• Jars. Stop at garage sales, thrift stores, and rummage shops. You'll occasionally find a good deal on mason jars, or a unique Fido jar, or who knows what. The more you ferment, the more you're going to end up in situations where you need odd-sized jars. If you come across Fido jars with bad or missing gaskets, these work really well.
  
• More jars. If you need larger jars or want to buy new, Fido jars from EverythingKitchens.com by way of Google Express is the cheapest I've found them. Free shipping for buying a certain amount, sometimes you get a discount from Express for your first order, blah blah blah.
  
• Even more jars. If you need gallon sized jars that you want to fit with an airlock, this is the cheapest I've found them. Get the plastic lids, then see the instructions above. If you need extra lids (for storage), these fit and are of good quality. The 1-star review is from some dumb-dumb who ordered the wrong size.
  
• Oh. One more thing. Pouring things out of mason jars sucks. They always dribble, etc. But they're also the best way to store, say, fermented cordials, or to mix up your brine (cap and shake the shit out of it). These lids do not come cheap, but they are well worth the purchase price. Leak-proof, with a removable rubber gasket, we use them for everything from drinking to storage. And they pour like a dream. Easy to clean too.
  
• Actually, one more one more thing. Get yourself a good strainer/filter/funnel set. This one is, again, not super-cheap, but I got rid of all my other ones and use it exclusively. It disassembles, screws to wide-mouth mason jars, has a plastic strainer for the first stage and a fine-mesh filter for the second stage, the narrow bottom part is silicone and is removable, and you can put a coffee filter in the fine-mesh filter portion if you need to.
  
  One last thing. I see folks suggesting sanitizer. It's absolutely pointless for lactic fermentation. You're not sanitizing the vegetables that go in, or your hands, so there's no point in using anything more than soap and water on your equipment. If you're talking about brewing beer or cider or wine or something where you're looking to introduce a specific strain of bacteria, yeast, or fungus, then you need to sterilize.

I learned a lot from the book "Make mead like a viking".

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Mead-Like-Viking-Wild-Fermented/dp/1603585982

A good place to start is this book. I had a lot of weird old translated notes/recipes from this old woman's mother who lived in France. I guess that this kind of cellaring was really common over there in Provence. Its been great for us because we get produce pretty much only in season and preserve for the whole year. From what I can tell, by varying the methods of preservation we can balance what kind of nutrition loss we experience. I love some of the oil, vinegar, fermentation storage methods because the food comes out tasting pretty close to fresh stuff. I ate some 1 year old carrots the other day that were still crisp and awesome. :)

I'm a fan of [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Salting-Smoking-Revised-Updated/dp/0393240053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420214600&sr=8-1&keywords=Charcuterie) and this

It's a Japanese Pickle Press. Excellent for quick pickles but anything going more than a day or two I'd use a ceramic crock. This is the book I use with my press. You can, obviously, use any recipe with it though.

First that comes to mind is The Rebel Sell by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter.

I remember reading this book when it came out in 2005 and it really pushed me over the edge from the anti-capitalist, hard left perspective that I'd been attached to for many years. It was particularly important because it argued directly against Adbusters and their Culture Jamming practices that I thought were potentially, if not actually effective.

The way they described the cyclical nature of counter culture growth and co-option by mainstream commercial culture was something that I had noticed in the background of my mind but had never seen laid out so clearly.

I had also just finished reading Kalle Lassn's Culture Jam and Micheal Albert's Parecon prior to this. Those two books by people I really respected were so badly thought out and so obviously written without critical input that I was already starting to move away from their ideas anyway. The Rebel Sell was the catalyst that let me see how pointless and silly some of that stuff was and let me completely break away.

That looks wonderful. A charcuterie trip to Spain is definitely on my bucket list. What got me thinking about it was reading this book Charcuteria: The Soul of Spain. It's a truly wonderful read if you're into this kind of thing.

I've heard that this is a pretty good source on what you're asking.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083JQCF2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

I'm reading his other book before I dive into this one.

There’s a tested version of this recipe in Not your mamas canning book FYI.

https://www.amazon.com/Not-Your-Mamas-Canning-Book/dp/1624142613/ref=nodl_

I bought this book last year and love it!

Quick & Easy Tsukemono: Japanese Pickling Recipes

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/488996181X/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_5Gwdub17ZSM1N

Palmer's How To Brew is essentially mandatory reading if you want to be able to get consistent results (that aren't consistently bad at least). If you've got a good handle on that, and want to get into the meat and potatoes of how the bugs do their work and what does what in a beer, Janson's Brew Chem 101 is another good resource if you've got a good handle on high school level chemistry.

What people usually refer to as "quick pickles" are pickles that are not water bath preserved, but rather refrigerated. Because you usually aren't "cooking" these by soaking them in boiling water, they tend to come out crisper than a water bath preserved pickle. You usually boil a vinegar based brine with some salt and spices in it and then add it to the vegetables. You let them cool to room temp and then stick them in your fridge (or, if your brine has an acceptable acid level, process them via boiling water bath... these are not longer "quick pickles," but processed via boiling water bath.) There are also directions for a lower temp (like 180degF) pasteurization process that I have never played with. These supposedly result in crisper pickles. You are adding acid in the form of vinegar to create a safe environment for food preservation for these pickles.

Fermented pickles are cured in a brine (usually a room temp) for a lengthy period of time, usually from a week to a few weeks, depending on the vegetable and your final goal. You are creating an environment that favors a certain type of bacterial growth which causes (hopefully) predictable changes in the taste of the pickle. These bacteria out-compete everything else and create an environment hostile to other bacteria that are dangerous for you to eat. The by product of the bacteria you are trying to grow is lactic acid, which lowers the pH enough to create a safe environment- instead of adding vinegar to make a safe environment, you are "growing your own" acid. Obviously, this can be a tempermental process. It's a world onto it's own, with lots of variations steeped in culinary history of different areas of the world. Check out /r/fermentation for some more info on this process.

My suggestion is to ask yourself what you love in a pickle. Sharp "dill pickle" flavor? (probably fermented) Super crisp, fresher tasting? (quick pickles, most likely) Stable, room temp storage and a predictable process? (boiling water bath pickles) These are broad generalizations of course, but those are my opinions of the strengths and characteristics of each style.

Some resources: The Joy of Pickling for an array of styles and anything by Sandor Katz for the fermented styles. I also loved Asian Pickles by Karen Solomon for a whole new range of pickles unfamilar to a lot of people.

https://www.amazon.com/Not-Your-Mamas-Canning-Book/dp/1624142613

I've seen Brew Chem 101: The Basics of Homebrewing Chemistry in stores, but I haven't read it. It seems very sciencey.

Otherwise, I recommend Designing Great Beers.

I have these three that I like quite a bit:

Japan: The Cookbook

Preserving the Japanese Way

The Gaijin Cookbook

http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Pickling-Flavor-Packed-Recipes-Vegetables/dp/1558323759

I like the book Dave Miller's Homebrewing guide It's very informative and will help you get a grip on easy and complex topics.

Also, I write for a blog about beer, but have a lot of recipes up there and try to explain why I changed/did certains things in the recipes. Feel free to ask questions/poke around.

in addition to the video if you have a few bucks to throw around this book is excellent and shares a lot of practical knowledge about fermentation in general.

constant air flow + pork + salt

​

I think this book is great

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607747871/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You would enjoy this

The Maybard Books:

Secrets of a Bacon Curer (Good storys/recipes by one of the best)

The Adventures of a Bacon Curer (more)

Manual of a Traditional Bacon Curer (Smoked/Cured hams, Sausages, Salamis and other recipes/guides in this book)

also:

Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing (for me, this is the "bible" of sausage making and meat curing)

Charcutería: The Soul of Spain is an astounding book.

I bought a healthy meal planning cookbook last year to get some ideas for things to meal prep, and this one is great because it not only shows you recipes but it also shows you exactly what you'll need to have on hand in order to make the meals each week. I agree with /u/MotherFuckingCupcake though, eventually you get a sense of ingredients to have on hand and foods you can make in order to use whatever's left over.

It’s inspired by a recipe in this book but in my profile it should show I have posted my personal changes to the recipe before here. I canned this batch but I have made it as a fridge pickle also. PM me if you can’t find the recipe and I’ll send it to you.

The most life changing thing on my list would be this cookbook. We are trying every way possible to save money and be healthy. We inherited a chest freezer, so to be able to make freezer meals like this would save us a lot of money as well as help us to not get fast food all the time because meals would already be prepared in the freezer :-) . . . Plus, we could help people more often such as if there is a new baby or illness or death in the family, we can provide dinner for them without the extra expense and time because, hey it's already in the freezer!

https://www.amazon.com/Brew-Chem-101-Homebrewing-Chemistry/dp/0882669400

I'm an Adidas girl

I'm trying to eat healthy

I wish I would have had some good sneakers on today. I've been on my feet too much today in flip flops. But I got some lunches prepared for this week.

I personally boycott all advertising, it is evil shit the lowers the quality of everyone's life. Read Culture Jam. When you see an ad pay no attention. When a commercial comes on TV, mute and ignore.

https://smile.amazon.com/Project-Smoke-Steven-Raichlen/dp/0761181865/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1LXUKBC8A2Q4N&keywords=meathead+the+science+of+great+barbecue+and+grilling&qid=1567472152&s=gateway&sprefix=meathead%2Caps%2C394&sr=8-6

https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Pickling-Flavor-Packed-Recipes-Vegetables/dp/1558323759

I like sander katz's wildfermentation book and blog, but he's more of an explorer of the world of fermentation rather than someone who refines and perfects specific recipes.

I read Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide, which was a gift from a very kind friend. Also, I google random beer questions I have. Tons of information out here on the web for free. Reddit is always a wonderful resource.

Sure!

The River Cottage Curing and Smoking Handbook is what I used as a reference. It's great.

I'm going to have it in my basement for the winter where it is cold and dry. I'm the spring I'll probably move it to my in-laws basement which doesn't get humid in the summer. I'm just going to source meat hooks on Amazon, there are a bunch.

As to sourcing the leg, I'm lucky in that living on the Vermont/NH border there E many organic farmers around. And I'm lucky enough to have one that will do this stuff with me. I would probably start with farms in your area and then move to butcher shops. Ask for rear leg with the trotter attached.

Brewing mead or wine is the laziest hobby ever with the best results! Start with this book, an open mind, and a good local source for your honey.

This tsukemono book is pretty good.

Brew Chem 101 by Lee Janson
Even if you didn't pay attention in high school chemistry you should be able to grasp this read. Very well explained, and mostly thorough. Best thing is that it's well-referenced, so that when you finish you can get some more in-depth texts.
http://www.amazon.com/Brew-Chem-101-Homebrewing-Chemistry/dp/0882669400

>Do you cook for a living already?

No, I don't. I just like trying new recipes and experimenting.

On my most recent Skyrim play through I have been noticing more the food/cooking element in the game, which I usually ignore (unless I'm dying and need to scarf down a dozen wheels of cheese). Most of the foods are things that already exist in real life (like beef stew or garlic bread), but some things would take more experimenting. Either way, eating like in Skyrim appeals to me (My stomach belongs to the Nords).

My brother, who is more of a nerd than I am, has actually tried making his own mead and I know there are books on the subject. So that shouldn't be too difficult to try.

A number of the alchemy ingredients have real life equivalents too, but obviously it would be too dangerous (and stupid) to try to reproduce those recipes! (Also, where would one even find Vampire Dust or Giant's Toe?!)

>I love the way kitchens are set up in Skyrim. The way they have organic spices hanging up to dry, and barrels full of grain, etc. I would love to have the same set-up in my kitchen.

Ditto. I'm not sure it would be the more ideal storage for some foods, but I love the thatched cottage look of some Skyrim homes.

On a similar note, and not entirely related to Skyrim, during Witcher III I entered one of the homes in Oxenfurt and immediately fell in love with the style and decor. I really wish Skyrim had more homes like that in it. The exterior is very Tudor-esque, but the interior would not be out of place in Skyrim.

Okay, so I'm reporting back. No picture because I'm lazy. But I have general success to report. I made the g/f angel food cake, following it exactly EXCEPT for two variations:

1. I used Bravetart's caramelized granulated sugar from a recent post on SE. I "toasted" 4 lbs of granulated sugar at 300 F for about 3 hours during the week, and it got a nice ivory with a bit more gold toward the pan's edges. I used this sugar in the recipe.
   
   
2. I did use tapioca and corn starch at the recommended weights, but did not use white rice and coconut flour. Rather, I used the same total weight (70 g) of Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour blend, which is what I use for all my general baking. I like its performance and the price I can get on Amazon Prime
   
   So I followed the recipe, and actually went for a run while it was baking. My sous-chef, a house cat, monitored things. After 45 minutes, it was only about 185 F according to my thermometer, so I left it in the oven for ultimately another 15-18 minutes to reach 206 F. It actually rose over the top of the pan!
   
   I did leave it for 2+ hours to cool, inverted on an empty mezcal bottle, and used a slim spatula to free it. By the time it had cooled, it had shrunk down to about 1/4" above the rim - perfect. Upon removing it, I found that there was a considerable air bubble on one side, but nothing that being a little more careful couldn't have resolved. The flavor is right on.
   
   --
   
   And what did I do with a dozen yolks? Well, I've started curing them in a 50:50 mix by weight of kosher salt and the caramelized granulated sugar. They'll be a week in the dredge, then another 5-7 days hanging. Used as a garnish. Got the recipe from Charcuteria.

Culture Jam

The 2 books I recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Guide-Grilling-Barbecue/dp/0936184868/
and
http://www.amazon.com/Project-Smoke-Steven-Raichlen/dp/0761181865/

If your really interested in the art of charcuterie I suggest purchasing this charcuterie book. It will explain everything, it's an amazing book.

http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298


As for pickling veg. It is very easy. Another book for that with ligitimate recipes is

http://www.amazon.com/The-Joy-Pickling-Flavor-Packed-Vegetables/dp/1558323759

Also really good book with great recipes. In the book she refers to pickling salt in almost all recipes. Just use kosher.

I'm reading a book right now on cured meats including how to make your own which was written buy the people at The Fatted Calf which is a great SF butcher that makes their own.

https://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Fatted-Making-Sausage-Confits-ebook/dp/B00C0AO18U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504125848&sr=8-1&keywords=charcuterie+fatted+calf

I am a fan of Steven Raichlen, who just published a real master piece called Project Smoke

This guy is my hero!

I'm a little late to this thread, but buy this book. We have a freezer full of ready to cook meals, and it's a great time saver with two kids under 5 yo.

I checked this ebook out at my library and got some great ideas. You prepare the meals ahead of time freeze them in gallon bags then cook later. This book specializes in recipes using items sold in bulk at Costco.

Fix, Freeze, Feast: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603427260/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_rfaKwbAFPQY2C

I've not personally read this book, but I've heard that others here have enjoyed it and I believe it covers how to use naturally occurring yeast:

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Mead-Like-Viking-Wild-Fermented/dp/1603585982

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01L83TS7S/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=