Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom
Techniques and Recipes for Living a Simpler, More Sustainable Life
Mem. Ed. $18.99
Pub. Ed. $24.95
You pay $1.00
Bonus Content
Homemade Fruit Liqueurs
It is easy to make fruit liqueurs using apricots, black currants, lemons, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, nectarines, peaches, plums, and raspberries.
1 pound (450 g) berries or fruit
3 cups (700 ml) 70-proof vodka (or 11⁄2 cups [350 ml] pure grain alcohol plus 11⁄2 cups [350 ml] water)
11⁄4 cups (275 g) granulated sugar, plus extra to taste
1 Wash the berries or fruit. Cut fruit into small pieces and remove any pits.
2 Place in a 2-quart (2-L) jar, and add the vodka or grain alcohol and water mixture. Cover and store in a cool, dark place.
3 Stir once a week for 2–4 weeks.
4 Strain and discard the fruit. Transfer the unsweetened liqueur to a glass bottle. Add the granulated sugar. Let age for at least 3 months.
5 Carefully pour into a clean bottle. Add more sugar to taste, if necessary. If your liqueur is too sweet, add a mixture of vodka and water (1:1).
6 The flavor will continue to improve. Most fruit and berry liqueurs should be stored for at least 6 months for maximum flavor, although lemon liqueurs should be stored for only 1 or 2 months.
7 Sip after dinner or pour over ice cream for a quick, colorful dessert.
Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom
Thank goodness for Andrea Chesman’s Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom for keeping time-honored self-sufficiency skills from extinction—one step at a time!
Andrea makes her guide stand out from others of its kind with step-by-step instructions and illustrations broken into bite-sized bits. Brew beer, make wine and preserve produce with two types of canning methods in 10 to 12 steps. Six steps (or less!) is all it takes to make ricotta cheese, fruit liqueurs, old-fashioned soft drinks and a compost tea that improves soil quality and suppresses weeds without harmful chemicals. From planting a kitchen garden to setting up a bee colony and raising chickens, learning to live simply has never been simpler! Color illustrations.
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Reader's Digest ( February 18, 2010 )
Item #: 56-8454
ISBN: 9781606520567
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.75 x 0.0 inches
Product Weight: 30.0 ounces
what purpose?
August 25, 2010
Sorry felt like this book had absolutely no purpose. Actually, probaly the worst book I have tried to read in a long time. Not worth shipping cost so its in the yard sale this weekend!! Might get .50?
Reviewer: Shannon H
good book
July 19, 2010
this book has alot of helpful tips
Reviewer: jessica
Way too elementary
July 19, 2010
I returned this book also as a big disappointment in content. I am an experienced gardener, cook and canner, etc. and I could find very little that provided enough detail to hold my attention. For a beginner it might be of value, but they would soon be looking for more.
Reviewer: Elizabeth S
Love it!
May 01, 2010
This book is an excellent source for basic wisdom, tips, and tricks of preparing, canning, freezing, or drying food. Plus lots of extra tips on keeping chikens or bees, and the likes. I loved this book. It was everything I hoped it would be. Easy layout, easy read, nice photos, helpful sidebars, just a really good buy.
Reviewer: Organicgurl
A primer of basics, but well thought out
April 15, 2010
This book if full of well thought out info with clear instructions on the most basic "kitchen Wisdoms". If you learned anything at your Mothers/Grandmothers side in the kitchen, this book will hold little that is new for you. However, it is nice to have all the basics laid out in an easy to read quick reference format for the little reminders that we all sometimes need. It is also a wonderful beginner's guide to the basic info needed to start the return to a more sustainable fulfilling way of life.
Reviewer: Heather
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