Home food preservation expert, Marisa McClellan, whom I am delighted to call my friend, has once again revolutionized the field, this time with her latest book, Naturally Sweet Food in Jars. Featuring over 100 recipes for jams, jellies, sauces and more, all sweetened with natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar and dried fruit, Naturally Sweet Food in Jars is a must-have tome for any canner. None of the other canning books on your shelf offer the variety and flavors of naturally-sweetened recipes that Naturally Sweet Food in Jars does.
If you are already a fan of Marisa’s work, you will be happy to learn that this book contains both updated versions of some of her previous recipes — updated to use natural sweeteners, that is — as well as many, many new and exciting recipes that incorporate global flavors and current food trends. And if you have resisted diving into the world of home food preservation because you thought that it required you to use cup after cup of white sugar, this will be the book that changes your mind and exposes you to a new type of canning, one that relies on these natural sweeteners, some of which are Paleo and Whole30-friendly, to enhance, not mask, the flavor of the ingredients.
Normally, I like to try out a few recipes before writing a cookbook review, but due to my crazy work and travel schedule this summer to promote my own book, Food Swap, I have not yet had a chance to make any of the preserves in Naturally Sweet Food in Jars. Luckily, my friend Gena has made several of the recipes from the book, including the Whole Fruit Meyer Lemon Jam, the Almond Butter and Jam Bar Cookies (Sunflower Seed butter variation), the Fruit Butter Granola (made with apple butter) and the Dried Apricot Chutney, and has enjoyed them all.
I have at least read the book cover-to-cover, as one does with a new cookbook, and have already bookmarked a long list of recipes that I want to make as soon as I have some time to play around in my kitchen. Recipes like Rhubarb Parsley Syrup, Gingery Fig Butter, and Apple Meyer Lemon Chutney, all made with honey; recipes like Strawberry Maple Butter and Cranberry Butter, both made with maple; Apricot Barbecue Sauce with Gochujang, Carrot and Daikon Pickles (an update of a previously published recipe that is a favorite of mine) and Stone Fruit Mostarda, all made with agave; and Strawberry Cocoa Jam made with coconut sugar. Indeed, all of the recipes in the book are organized by the type of sweetener used.
Moreover, just from reading Naturally Sweet Food in Jars, I have learned so much about how to use natural sweeteners in my preserving and why I might want to. While there are some downsides to using these natural sweeteners, such as a shorter shelf life and a softer set to your spreads, the advantages are numerous. Not only are these types of sweeteners healthier, they also add their own unique flavors to your preserves. Marisa has accounted for the additional flavors that the natural sweeteners in all of these recipes provide to ensure that the fruits, vegetables and spices pair well with whatever sweetener she uses.
Marisa also offers some important tips to ensure that you will have success when canning with these less-common sweeteners, such as to measure by weight, not volume — I think we have all had the frustrating experience of trying to scrape sticky honey or maple syrup from a measuring cup — and to avoid the use of traditional copper confiture pans when using these kinds of sweeteners because of the possibility of metal leaching into the final product. Indeed, Marisa has lots of helpful advice on canning equipment as well as a review of safe canning procedures in the introduction.
I am also excited to say that Marisa will be coming to the Chicago area this week to do a number of appearances to promote Naturally Sweet Food in Jars. Be sure to come see Marisa when she is near you. I have attended several of her demonstrations in the past and they are great fun as well as being informative.
Here is Marisa’s schedule for the week:
- Monday June 6 at 6:30 pm – Canning demo and book signing at the Fremont Public Library in Mundelein.
- Tuesday June 7 at 6:30 pm – Canning demo and book signing at the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee.
- Wednesday June 8 at 6:30 pm – Canning demo and book signing at the Ela Public Library in Lake Zurich.
- Thursday June 9 at 11:30 am – Luncheon to benefit Canning for Kids and the Ferrer Foundation in Northbrook. Buy your ticket here.
- Also on Thursday June 9 at 6 pm – Canning demo and book signing at Local Foods in conjunction with Read it and Eat. (Free but sign up in advance.)
- Friday June 10 at 5:30 – Canning demo and book signing at The Chopping Block in the Merchandise Mart.
I can’t wait to start making my summer and fall preserves with natural sweeteners!
Full disclosure time: I received a press copy of Naturally Sweet Food in Jars for the purposes of writing a review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Marisa says
Thanks so much, Emily! I so appreciate your kind words!