I had bought it back in the late 1970's, when we used to dream of self sufficiency. It followed us to Arkansas, where we lived on 34 acres of land in the 1980's.
We had three gardens on our land, and a lot of our summer (when we weren't working at paying jobs) were spent growing, harvesting, and preserving. Sometimes, at the height of summer, we would be up to midnight, canning, freezing or refrigerating.
We made mustard pickles, pickled eggs (from eggs laid by our hens), jardiniere, marinated mixed vegetables, and carrot pickles. We made (and still make) salsa. We never did make the pickled fish, though.
Now, it was over 30 years later.
My spouse and I were decluttering - going through our library to see what we should dispose of.
My spouse put the book in a pile for the garbage. I took it out. It had been years since we had made any of the recipes, but there were too many recipes in the book.
I don't know if we will ever do anything with the book again, but I did look it up online, hoping to get a better copy. It turns out the book has been out of print for many years. I saw some sellers offering the book for $70 (or more), so it is unlikely we will ever be able to replace it.
I don't know if all the recipes would be considered safe, using current canning guidelines. And, pickling recipes are just an internet search away.
But this book is a part of my life, and I just can't throw it away.
Yet.
Have you ever thought that way about an object?
Yes!!! And by the way, they do a lot of pickling in the Middle East and Egypt! Pickled carrots, beets, and radishes. I have a set of reddish and black clay salsa pots from Colombia and a clay tray that it sits on, which I brought back with me from Colombia in 1986. I now use them for salt and pepper. I love them!
ReplyDeleteYes, especially if it is gifted by someone who you value or look up to.
ReplyDeleteNo! Don't throw away that much loved, much used book. I can always tell which books have served me well by the worn, stained covers and inside pages. These are the best ones. Great post. Have a blessed weekend.
ReplyDeleteI remember the days back in the early 80s, when we hippies tried to do everything ourselves. That precious book must be kept.
ReplyDeleteAnd I sold pickled duck eggs in our craft shop, along with knitted garments from homespun wool from our own sheep. Just recently, I've made Japanese pickles, which are kept in the fridge and eaten soon after. Yum.
ReplyDeleteAlana,
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. There are some items that aren't items at all, but treasured memories. Unfortunately, my family of four all have that vision. There is a chance one of us will one day appear on the reality show Hoarders.
When we moved to the farm, I literally brought nothing at first. Literally.
Bought new furniture that I could afford. Had it delivered. Then went to the old house (we still own) and picked up the pieces that would fit that we couldn't afford to buy new. Moved nothing else.
Next we moved only one weeks worth of clothes each. We never moved completely. I still need to finish cleaning out that house as people contact us regularly wanting to rent it. Nor have I cleaned out the storage shed we rent from the "forced" move prior to that, or the shed and garage on the property we were forced to move from, and we have no room here to move any of our precious "memories" to.
That probably should have been my goal for the year, but I get so overwhelmed that I just shut down.
We've canned our own tomatoes, but never done any pickling. Really should try it I guess - we do have all the equipment already!
ReplyDelete