Killer Canning, or How to Choose Safe Canning Recipes and Avoid Poisoning Anyone

Valerie Taylor — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:44:56 +0000

Home canning is all the rage. Eating locally is in, and doing so year-round pretty much requires some kind of food preservation. No one’s freezer space is unlimited, and home canning is a great way to preserve the harvest. It seems every food blogger is canning and offering recipes for the foods she’s canned.

Unfortunately I’m seeing a large number of unsafe canning recipes posted on various food, recipe, and local eating blogs, and we aren’t talking about just the kind of unsafe canning that gives you a few days of gastrointestinal misery. We’re talking serious neurotoxins, botulism, paralysis, and death.

Here are a few key bits of knowledge, useful whether you’re canning yourself or are the recipient of a home-canned gift.

Green Food Blogs Satisfy Picky Eaters

Kelli Best-Oliver — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:37:15 +0000

America is becoming a land of foodies. From the popularity of the Food Network and shows like Bravo’s Top Chef, to the popularity of cooking gear stores like Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma, more and more of us are finding out how sublime and satisfying preparing and eating dishes at home can be. Just yesterday I lingered over a bowl of perfectly-ripe tomatoes from the farmers market, dressed simply with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, purple basil from my garden, and a little bit of grated parmesano-reggiano cheese.

My favorite part of the foodie-fueled kitchen craze? Food blogs. I love the democracy of blogging, the connecting with people passionate about cooking, the recipes tested by real! live! people!, and the sumptuous photos of prepared dishes. There’s a ton of food blogs out there, so many that it can be quite overwhelming. For those of us in the know about how our diets impact our environment, there is a thriving community of online bloggers focusing on vegetarian, vegan, organic, seasonal, and local foods. We’ve got great recipes coming from our writers every weekend, but if you’re looking to expand, check out my favorite in greener-eating blogs.

Mighty Foods
According to their site, Mighty Foods is about "natural foods, organic ingredients, fair-trade products, veg-friendly recipes, sustainable farming, whole grains, organic wines, ingredient spotlights, news, profiles, reviews, gift ideas, new product information, culinary travel ideas, studies and trends - information and inspiration, all wrapped up in one food-loving bundle." It’s a mouthful, but it’s a comprehensive blog with information about all areas. A great starting point for food blogs that is updated often.

What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat Anyway
These are the gourmands of the vegan world. If you’re really into food, here’s where you get vegan ideas. Full of gorgeous photos, the recipes can be skeleton, but this is a great site to be inspired by vegan cuisine.

VeganYumYum
Again with the mouth-watering photos! Lolo’s blog features recipes for a variety of vegan dishes from a wide range of cuisines.

Vegetarian Cookster
Chronicling the life of a vegetarian who is trying to experiment more with vegan and vegetarian cooking, this candid blog highlights quality food that amateurs can prepare without fear.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
Finally, if anyone needs any convicing that vegan foods, particularly vegan baking, can be devastatingly, addictively tasty, look no further than Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s Vegan Cupcakes blog. I can’t say enough good things about the recipes from the authors of a cookbook of the same name, and I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of cupcakes. Great links, too.

Green Options » food blogs

Killer Canning, or How to Choose Safe Canning Recipes and Avoid Poisoning Anyone

Green Food Blogs Satisfy Picky Eaters