About this item
Andrea Weigl defines the year by her canning sessions. In the winter, she makes bright yellow Jerusalem Artichoke Relish from her backyard crop. In the spring, she conjures up sweet red Strawberry Preserves. In the summer, its savory Yellow Squash Pickles and peaches, pickled, brandied, or as a thick butter. And in the fall, she folds her Fig Preserves into a cake famous on North Carolinas Outer Banks. Todays revival of pickling and preserving, which became widely popular in the South only after the Civil War, when sugar was easier to obtain, is part of the booming interest in do-it-yourself kitchen craft, farmers markets, and gardening. Blogs are devoted to canning, cooking schools offer classes, and canning jar manufacturers report surging sales. With complete, easy-to-follow instructions and troubleshooting tips, Pickles and Preserves highlights the regional flair that southern cooks bestow on this traditional art of survival in preserving the Souths bountiful harvest.
About the Author
Andrea Weigl has been the food writer at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. since 2007. She has won awards from the Society for Features Journalism, the Association of Food Journalists and The Society of News Design. Her stories have been reprinted in such anthologies as "Best Food Writing," "Cornbread Nation," and "27 Views of Raleigh.""Pickles and Preserves," is her first cookbook. Andrea's year is defined by canning sessions. In the winter, she makes a batch of yellow Jerusalem Artichoke Relish from her backyard crop. In the spring, she cooks up sweet red Strawberry Preserves. In the summer, it's savory Yellow Squash Pickles and peaches -- pickled, brandied, or as a thick butter. And in the fall, figs from her front yard are transformed into preserves that serve as the base for Ocracoke Fig Cakes.Andrea grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., where she developed a love of pierogies, Primanti Bros. sandwiches and good Italian bread. She came came to the South in 1998 and came to love pimento cheese, shrimp and grits, and biscuits and gravy. She lives in Raleigh with my husband, Matt; toddler, Josephine Pearl; and a basset hound/beagle mix named Mr. Early.
