For though bread baking has its sourdough, brewing its lambic ales, and pickling its wild fermentation, standard Western cheesemaking practice today is decidedly unnatural. In The Art of Natural Cheesemaking, David Asher practices and preaches a traditional, but increasingly countercultural, way of making cheese—one that is natural and intuitive, grounded in ecological principles and biological science.This book encourages home and small-scale commercial cheesemakers to take a different approach by showing them:•    How to source good milk, including raw milk;•    How to keep their own bacterial starter cultures and fungal ripening cultures;•    How make their own rennet—and how to make good cheese without it;•    How to avoid the use of plastic equipment and chemical additives; and•    How to use appropriate technologies.Introductory chapters explore and explain the basic elements of cheese: milk, cultures, rennet, salt, tools, and the cheese cave. The fourteen chapters that follow each examine a particular class of cheese, from kefir and paneer to washed-rind and alpine styles, offering specific recipes and handling advice. The techniques presented are direct and thorough, fully illustrated with hand-drawn diagrams and triptych photos that show the transformation of cheeses in a comparative and dynamic fashion.The Art of Natural Cheesemaking is the first cheesemaking book to take a political stance against Big Dairy and to criticize both standard industrial and artisanal cheesemaking practices. It promotes the use of ethical animal rennet and protests the use of laboratory-grown freeze-dried cultures. It also explores how GMO technology is creeping into our cheese and the steps we can take to stop it.This book sounds a clarion call to cheesemakers to adopt more natural, sustainable practices. It may well change the way we look at cheese, and how we make it ourselves.

    Fill jars with canning classics such as Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Crunchy Dill Pickles, and discover new classics like Salted Caramel Pear Butter, Bing Cherry Barbecue Sauce, and Sweet Thai Chili Chutney. With fresh ideas for every season, you’ll want to keep your canning pot handy year-round to make delicious jams, jellies, marmalades, pickles, relishes, chutneys, sweet and savory sauces, and jars of homemade pantry favourites.In addition to year-round recipes, The Canning Kitchen includes all the basics you’ll need to get started. Boost your canning confidence with straight-forward answers to common preserving questions and find out about the canning tools you need, many of which you may already have in your kitchen. Get tips on choosing seasonal ingredients and fresh ideas on how to enjoy your beautiful preserves. Use the step-by-step checklist to safely preserve each delicious batch, leaving you with just enough jars to enjoy at home plus a little extra for sharing.

    Accessible overviews of fundamental fermentation techniques and step-by-step recipes provide the basic skills you will turn to again and again as you experiment with nourishing ferments at home. Work your way through a wide range of do-it-yourself fermentation projects with: • 100+ recipes to make your own sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, kefir, yogurt, vinegar, kombucha, hard apple cider, and more • Recipes ranging from beginner to advanced to put your skills to the test • Detailed troubleshooting guides to ensure fermentation success • Insider tips and anecdotes from fermentation experts • Step-by-step illustrations to stay on track • A bonus chapter integrating homemade ferments into everyday cooking Enjoy all the health benefits and delicious flavors of naturally fermented vegetables, fruits, dairy, beverages, breads, condiments, and much more with this invaluable guide to unleash your inner DIYer and master your fermentation skills.

    Speaking from their own experiences, while also sharing examples and ideas from other libraries around the country, the authors present a librarian's start-to-finish guidebook for creating a local history reference collection that your community will embrace and use regularly. Written in a to-the-point manner that facilitates easy implementation, this book shows why a local history reference collection is important, how it fits into a library’s mission statement, and offers tips for getting stakeholders on board. By using materials already in your library or easily available to you, creating a local history reference collection can be easier than you think, and this book shows you how.

    Well, unless you're growing fruits, vegetables, or grains for brewing that is. Gardening for the Homebrewer is an introduction to the wide variety of plants that you can use for fermentations or infusions. Learn how to tell if your yard is a perfect site for barley or whether it's better suited to a fragrant collection of herbs. Learn how to grow, dry, and store fresh hops. Or go off the beaten path and grow everything you need for your first gruit, cider, perry, or fruit wine. Have just a balcony or a windowsill? No problem! A variety of plant recommendations will suit gardeners of all types, even ones with limited space.

    From Japanese Tsukemono to Korean kimchi, from German sauerkraut to Indian chutney, pickling is part of a long and rich tradition of food culture around the world, and with DIY Pickling, making delicious sweet, sour, spicy and fermented pickles in your own kitchen has never been easier. Included are the fundamental pickling techniques that you’ll turn to again and again in your pursuit of pickling perfection. Work your way through a wide range of pickling projects with: • Over 100 step-by-step pickling recipes • Detailed troubleshooting guides to ensure pickling success • Insider tips and anecdotes from pickling experts • Chapters dedicated to fermented pickles and Asian pickles • Instructions for canning and storing your pickles • A bonus chapter about how to integrate pickles into your everyday cookingWhether you are new to pickling or looking to go beyond the basics, DIY Pickling will give you the tools and tips you need to unleash your inner kitchen crafter and master your pickling skills.

    It is an essential guide to the recognition of insect, rodent and bird pests with advice on the practical steps required to prevent and control damage to collections. While presenting the latest information on the trapping and detection of pests, the author explains the advantages and disadvantages of physical and chemical control measures including concerns about the use of pesticides and their effects on staff and the environment. In addition he demonstrates that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is not only a safer option but also a more cost-effective solution to the complex problems of pest control. This book offers comprehensive guidance for the treatment of any pest problem likely to be encountered in museums, archives and historic houses. Contents: Chapter 1: Introduction to Integrated Pest Management in Cultural Heritage - What is Integrated Pest Management?; Key components of Integrated Pest Management; Developing a strategy; Preventing pests; Recognising pests; Assessing the problem; Solving pest problems Implementing Integrated Pest Management Chapter 2: Insect pests - Why are insects pests?; What are insects?; What are the Pests?; Pests which attack wool, fur, feathers and textiles; Herbarium collections, dried food etc.; General detritus feeders, mould feeders and scavengers; Woodborers; Termites; Mites Chapter 3: Insect detection and monitoring - Where do insects come from?; What to look for?; Insect traps; Pheromones; X-rays and incubation Chapter 4: Prevention of insect infestation - Exclusion; Environment; Hygiene; Storage; Quarantine Chapter 5: Control of insects - Options for treatment; Insects in buildings; Cooling; Humidity; UV traps; Biological control; Insecticides; Insects in objects; Physical Control; Freezing; Heating; Nitrogen; Oxygen scavengers; Carbon dioxide; Radiation; Insecticides; Fumigation; Damage to objects by chemical treatments; Residues and risk from past treatments Chapter 6: Rodents and Birds - Rodents as pests; Rodent lives; Detection; Preventing infestation; Rodent control; Birds Feral pigeons, sparrows and starlings; Management of birds; Repellents and deterents; Other vertebrate pests; Bats Chapter 7: Implementing Integrated Pest Management - Pest Control Strategy; Museum Practice; Risk zones; Resources; Collection Policy, Museum Objectives & Functions; Interaction with Other Museums; Insect problems in tropical climates; Age of Collection and Buildings and Special Constraints; Training and Communication; Pest control contractors; The future References and further reading; Glossary; Index.

    Documentary-quality photo essays reveal the local Japanese communities that support these long-established preservation practices. It is by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, author of Japanese Farm Food.Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen offers a clear road map for preserving fruits, vegetables, and fish through a nonscientific, farm- or fisherman-centric approach. An essential backdrop to the 125 recipes outlined in this book are the producers and the artisanal products used to make these salted and fermented foods. The more than 350 arresting photos of the barrel maker, fish sauce producer, artisanal vinegar company, 200 hundred-year-old sake producer, and traditional morning pickle markets with local grandmas still selling their wares document an authentic view of the inner circle of Japanese life. Recipe methods range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi (Salted Sour Plums), Takuan (Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran), and Hakusai (Fermented Napa Cabbage)— to the modern: Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji, Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums, and Small Melons in Sake Lees. Preserving the Japanese Way also introduces and demystifies one of the most fascinating ingredients to hit the food scene in a decade: koji. Koji is neither new nor unusual in the landscape of Japan fermentation, but it has become a cult favorite for quick pickling or marinades. Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community, seasonality as the root of preserved food, and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today. “In Japan, pickling, fermenting, and salting are elevated as a delicious and refined art form, one that Nancy Singleton Hachisu has mastered.  This is a gorgeous, thoughtful—dare I say spiritual—guide to the world of Japanese pickling written with clarity and a deep respect for technique and tradition. Nancy understands that salting cherry blossoms and drying squid aren’t just about preserving foods—it's about preserving a way of life.” —Rick Bayless, author of Authentic Mexican and owner of Frontera Grill   “In her first gorgeous book, Nancy delved into the soul of Japanese country cooking.  In this stunning new volume, we are introduced to the myriad ways of preserving and fermenting that, like the writing and photography, highlight the gentle elegance and beautiful patience of Japanese cookery.”   —Edward Lee, author of Smoke & Pickles and owner of 610 Magnolia   “Even if you never yearned to make your own miso or pickle your own vegetables, this beautiful book will change your mind. It’s almost impossible to flip through these pages without wanting to join Nancy Singleton Hachisu in the lovely meditation of her cooking. This book is unlike anything else out there, and every serious cook will want to own it.” —Ruth Reichl, author of Tender at the Bone and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine