Put 'Em Up! Fruit: Review and Giveaway

Disclosures: There are Amazon affiliate links from which I may make a commission. The giveaway prize is provided courtesy of Storey Publishing, who also provided me a review copy.

Hey, you already have a copy of Sherri Brooks Vinton's seminal work Put 'em Up!, right? Of course you do. It has become one of the most-cited books among members of the Punk Domestics community, a truly invaluable resource for home preservers everywhere. 

Well, I've got news for you. She's baaaaack. And better than ever. 

Put 'Em Up! happily traipsed through a wide array of home food preservation projects, from pickles to relishes to fruit chips. In Put 'em Up! Fruit, Vinton digs deeper specifically on fruit, offering an amazing and inspiring array of treatments for all manner of fruits. 

This is not just another book of preserves recipes, though there's no shortage of things to put in jars. Each fruit gets remixed into a variety of treatments: Chutneys, curds, gastriques, ketchups, salsas, leathers, liqueurs and more. And, as with the first book, she goes further to include recipes on how to use these marvelous creations, so your pantry full of home-preserved goods doesn't just turn into a jar graveyard. Click here to check out the video trailer, and to see Sherri in action, making blackberry gastrique, and then use it with pan-roasted chicken. Yum!

I fell in love with this book on first sight, when I happened to flip directly to the section on lemons and saw two recipes that opened my mind completely. In one, Vinton describes a technique for making limoncello that involves suspending whole lemons in cheesecloth in a large, sealed container over a small amount of high-octane alcohol. As the alcohol evaporates and condenses on the lemons, it pulls out the aromatic oils from the zest, pulling it into the infusion as it drips back to the bottom. I've made a lot of limoncello, but never like this. 

In another, she salt-cures boiled lemons until they are completely dark and desiccated, a technique commonly used on limes in Middle Eastern cooking. This is the kind of DIY project that gets me really, really excited, and I can hardly wait to give it a try. 

Because I'm nice like that, I'm going to give this book to you. Yes, you! Well, one of you. Why would I do such a beneficent thing? It's not just because I've met Sherri, and she's a marvelous, sweet person -- though that would be reason enough. 

It's not because she asked me to blurb her book, though I was obviously deeply flattered and honored to be asked. 

It's not because she also sent me three jars of her own hand-made preserves to thank me for blurbing her book, though, hey, not complaining!

No, it's because, very simply, you need this book. So here's what we're gonna do. 

You're going to scroll down and leave a comment, describing one of two things: Either a story about learning a new technique that changed the way you cook or preserve; or an example of one way you used home-preserved food that was innovative or clever. Don't be intimidated; I know you're a smart cookie. 

And here's a way to get more chances to win: Click here to tweet about this post, or pin this post on Pinterest (make sure the book cover image gets pinned so we can find it). All comments, tweets and pins must be logged by midnight PDT, Saturday, April 13 to qualify for entry. US residents only. (Sorry.)

Congrats to commenter Robin on winning the book!

But wait -- there's even more chances to win! Head on over to Food in Jars for a chance to win on her site, and then keep your eyes peeled on these other amazing sites, all upcoming stops on the virtual book tour. 

April 10: Autumn Makes & Does
April 11: Local Kitchen
April 12: Mission: Food
April 15: What Julia Ate
April 16: Tigress in a Jam
April 17: Daily Dish Recipes
April 18: Shockingly Delicious
April 19: The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking
April 22: From Scratch Club

What are you waiting for? Hop to it!