Review - The Jamlady Cookbook by Beverly Ellen Schoonmaker
Contributed by: Jennifer Wickes
The Jamlady Cookbook is a very thorough reference guide for canners,
gardeners, chefs and new cooks. It provides mouth-watering
photographs, hundreds of recipes for jams, preserves, jellies, and
many other homemade products.
The author, Beverly Ellen Schoonmaker Alfeld, was raised by parents
who ran a commercial greenhouse. Later, as an adult, she received her
Bachelor's Degree as well as two Master's degrees. She completed
training through the Food and Drug Administration. Using her teaching
skills, being an educator for over 23 years, she has dedicated her
life to educating home cooks on how to can safely. This is her first
book.
This book is so nice. There are over 400 recipes, color photographs
deliciously displayed, and a lot of information. The book is very
easy-to-read; the recipes are easy-to-understand and a wonderful book
for anyone, especially gardeners who are looking for new ideas to can
their bounty!
Some of the information you will find in this book are: processing
methods and trouble shooting; definitions of jams, jellies,
preserves, butters, marmalades, conserves, spreads and chutneys;
recipes for jams, jellies and preserves, including sugar free
versions; a recipe section on how to bake with your new "jams"; many
butter recipes; and an excellent appendix showing the pH of foods and
measurements.
Some of the wonderful recipes you will find in this lovely book are:
Wine Jelly, Orange Marmalade, Hot Mango Jam, Pumpkin Butter, Cherry
Vanilla Preserves, and Red Pepper Marmalade. I was so impressed with
the unusual recipes and tantalizing combinations! I plan to try the
Cantaloupe Conserve next.
The Jamlady has her own website. There you can purchase some of her
creations. She offers recipes, and locations to find her if you would
like to purchase her products in person. She even gives her email
address if you have any questions. Some of the products you can
purchase through her site are; Hot Crocodile Chutney, Strawberry
Butter, and Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.
This cookbook is well worth the price of $35.00. I would highly
recommend it to anyone. Having this book inspired my creativity and
made me want to try all the recipes. In fact, after getting this
book, I plan to buy it as Christmas gifts this year, and start a
small garden next year so I can try more recipes with my own produce!
The Jamlady Cookbook
Beverly Ellen Schoonmaker Alfeld
Pelican Publishing Company; July 4th, 2004
Hardback: 288 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.01 x 10.26 x 8.08
ISBN: 1589802357
Originally published at Suite101.com:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18036/110680
Jennifer Wickes is the editor at "Cookbook Reviews" and "Cooking With
The Seasons", which has been voted to be one of the Top 100 Culinary
Sites on the Internet! For more information about Jennifer Wickes
or her columns, please go to:
http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/CulinaryJen
