The ultimate canning guide for cooks—from the novice to the professional—and the only book you need to save (and savor) the season throughout the entire year "Gardening history, 18th-century American painters, poems, and practical information; it's a rich book. And unlike other books on preserving, West gives recipes that will goad you to make easy preserves.” — The Atlantic Strawberry jam. Pickled beets. Homegrown tomatoes. These are the tastes of Kevin West’s Southern childhood, and they are the tastes that inspired him to “save the season,” as he traveled from the citrus groves of Southern California to the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts and everywhere in between, chronicling America’s rich preserving traditions.   Here, West presents his findings: 220 recipes for sweet and savory jams, pickles, cordials, cocktails, candies, and more — from Classic Apricot Jam to Green Tomato Chutney; from Pickled Asparagus with Tarragon and Green Garlic to Scotch Marmalade. Includes 300 full-color photographs . A Look Inside Saving the Season Click here for a larger image Click here for a larger image With the present obsession among consumers for locally grown fruits and vegetables, the practice of putting up foods has undergone a renaissance. As West points out, the real goal of home canning, pickling, and preserving is to retain for future enjoyment the special flavors of foods freshly plucked from the earth or snatched from trees and vines. West’s recipes, clearly written, cover everything from dill pickles to complex marmalades. Antique fruits appear as well as fiery kimchi. In addition to his recipes, West has scattered through the text reminiscences, anecdotes, and reflections on personalities associated in some way to the world of canning and preserving. As is the case with any discussion of canning, West takes great pains to be sure his readers appreciate the critical importance of safe technique to avoid any risk of contamination and food-borne illness. For those with the requisite access, storage space, equipment, and motivation, West’s guide will prove invaluable. --Mark Knoblauch One of The Atlantic ’s Best Food Books of the Year • A Los Angeles Times Holiday Gift-Giving Pick “Contains both simple formulas and more sophisticated recipes like cocktail onions and peach-passionfruit jam. . . . Practical.” — The New York Times “West approaches his topic—home canning and preserving—with a reporter's attention to detail and a poet's sensibility; it's less a canning tutorial and cookbook than it is a collection of absorbing personal essays, literary excerpts, explications of culinary history, and friendly advice, all of which happens to be punctuated by appealing, easy-to-follow recipes.” —Saveur “Unlike other books on preserving, West gives recipes that will goad you to make easy preserves.” — The Atlantic “As pleasurable (and useful) for the somewhat experienced canner as it is for the novice. . . . West’s instructions are clear and precise. . . . He’s got a good cook’s curiosity, always wondering why things work the way they do and constantly on the lookout for new ideas.’” — Los Angeles Times “I’ve never had the subject [of pickling] so thoroughly explored as in Kevin West’s Saving the Season , his deep dive into the world of pickling, preserving, and home canning. . . . The breadth and depth of his knowledge about preserving is impressive, and I began to feel like I was understanding some concepts for the first time.” —Amanda Cohen, chef/owner of Dirt Candy “ If you buy only one preserving cookbook this year, or perhaps even in your lifetime, promise me you'll make it this one.” —The Kitchn “Traditional and quirky alike, Saving the Season is an endearing, romantic, and most of all practical resource for everyone . . . I, for one, am inspired and obsessed!” —Christina Tosi, author of Momofuku Milk Bar “Kevin West possesses a poet's mastery of language, and uses it to create vignettes that capture the essence of a fruit or vegetable's brief peak season as effectively as his recipes do. . . . [His methods work] time and time again, with little hoopla and ideal economy. . . . Little harmonies loft this book from eccentric to essential, and from my kitchen to my nightstand.” —Kat Kinsman, Eatocracy “[West’s] bio alone made me want Saving the Season, but now that I’ve got it I’m buying a copy for everyone I know.” — Edible Manhattan “Part cookbook, part manifesto, and part crypto-memoir . . . literate and lyrical and fanatically well researched. . . . The kind of cookbook you can read for pleasure.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan, Lucky Peach “Kevin West’s enthusiasm is infectious and his recipes seductive. Whether you are at work in the kitchen or savoring it in your armchair, great pleasures await within in the pages of Saving the Season .” —Scott Peacock, co-author of The Gift of Southern Cooking “Because ‘nature's bounty is abundant but fleeting,’ West shows home