Gaye Levy
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Today I share the next author interview and giveaway in the current Backdoor Survival Spring 2014 Book Festival. Sharon Peterson, the author of Simply Canning: Survival Guide to Safe Home Canning, is joining us for an interview and is also providing one lucky reader with a free copy of her book.
Now here is the thing. It was my pleasure to meet Sharon a year ago at a Ready Set Prep Summit in Dallas. She is a smart, delightful and talented lady and I am so happy to feature her book today. Not only that, the timing is perfect since I am attending my first canning class today! Talk about serendipity!
Enjoy the interview and be sure to check out the details of this week’s giveaway below.
![Simply Canning - Backdoor Survival[46]](http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Simply-Canning-Backdoor-Survival46.jpg "Simply Canning - Backdoor Survival[46]")
An Interview with Sharon Peterson
1. Tell me about your book, Simply Canning. What is it about?
The title says it all! Simply Canning, Survival Guide to Safe Home Canning. In addition, from my website I offer a printable companion pdf: Pantry Journal, A Home Preservers Notebook System.
2. What type of research did you have to do while writing your book?
The site itself started out as a hobby site and grew and grew. I had people requesting the information in book form so they would have access offline. That is where Simply Canning the book was born.
The Pantry Journal is a tool I’ve developed for myself. When I realized others would benefit I took a hard look at my own notes, made some improvements and added things to make it even better and easier to understand.
3. How long did it take to write?
Goodness, Simply Canning the book took months and months. I don’t have an exact time frame. The Pantry Journal was much quicker. I was already using the notebook system, I just prettied it up and organized it for others.
4. Every book, fiction and non-fiction, includes a message. What message do you hope my readers will take with them after reading and using your book?
Home Canning and/or home preserving is a skill that anyone can master.
It may be essential in the future but it is also fun! It is a lot of work, so don’t get the wrong idea. But home canning is one of those things you can learn a little as you go. It is not hard, but it IS an exacting process for many foods.
You MUST use proper methods for safety. It is also a rewarding task. There is something about providing your own food for your table. I am blessed to be able to grow much of my own, but even if you don’t have the space to garden you can still provide for yourself healthier foods through farmers markets, local fruit orchards and other local sources.
5. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
I am married 19 years to a great guy who works hard for his family. I’m a homeschool mom to 4 sons. Two are grown and left the nest so my dinner table is shrinking. I love to read, and garden. I love skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. I don’t get out nearly as much as I’d like!
6. As an author in the survival, prepping and/or homesteading niche, what are you personally preparing for?
For unexpected events. Mostly I have this strong desire for a simpler life.
7. Do you have plans for another book?
Honestly, I don’t know. I have much to share! Maybe I will.
The Book Giveaway
A copy of Simply Canning has been reserved for one lucky reader. Here is today’s giveaway question:
What is your favorite food preservation tip?
To enter the giveaway, you need to answer this question by responding in the comments area at the end of this article. The deadline is 6:00 PM Pacific next Wednesday with the winner notified by email and announced in the Sunday Survival Buzz. You will have 48 hours to claim the winning book.
Note: If you are reading this article in your email client, you must go to the Backdoor Survival website to enter this giveaway in the comments area at the bottom of the article.
The Final Word
As I mentioned in the beginning, we are attending a hands-on canning class today. It is so exciting for me to be able to surround myself with experienced canners who will give me the confidence to get started on my own. I still need to purchase a pressure canner to replace the one I ordered last year that was too darn tall to fit under the hood over my stove. That said, I am committed and Sharon’s book, as well as her website, Simply Canning, are going to guide me to success!
I hope you will enter the giveaway to win your own copy of Sharon’s book!
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Spotlight Item: Simply Canning: Survival Guide to Safe Home Canning
Do you know the most important information for safely home canning? Simply Canning the book… will lead you step by step through the most important canning safety information for both Pressure Canning and Water bath Canning. This book also includes canning directions for most basic foods.
Learn how to can tomatoes, green beans, canning meat and fruit. Then have fun and create jam and jelly, marmalade and fruit butters.
Learn what canning equipment you really need, why a pressure canner is imperative in some situations, and when waterbath canning is perfectly acceptable. Home Canning can be fun and rewarding. Do it right and you will be providing a pantry full of safe healthy foods for your family. Canning Methods, Canning with a pressure canner and a waterbath canner. What is botulism? How can it be easily avoided. Canning Vegetables, canning meat and more.
Bargain Bin: Today is all about books. Listed below are all of the books in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival. There are both fiction and non-fiction titles and a bit of something for everyone.
And if not, at the very least pick up the free Kindle app so that you can read Kindle books on your PC or favorite electronic device.
Spring 2014 Book Festival #5 – Fiction
Brushfire Plague: Reckoning
Through Many Fires: Strengthen What Remains
Flight of the Bowyer
The Jakarta Pandemic
The Perseid Collapse
Leaving The Trees
Fury of the Fifth Angel
Fugitives from Northwoods
Phoenix Island: A Tale of Disaster, Survival, and Rebirth
Spring 2014 Book Festival #5 – Non-Fiction
The Prepper’s Complete Book of Disaster Readiness: Life-Saving Skills, Supplies, Tactics and Plans
Simply Canning: Survival Guide to Safe Home Canning
The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster
The Prepper’s Cookbook: 365 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals
Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure: A Prepper’s Book for Kids
The Pantry Primer: How to Build a One Year Food Supply in Three Months
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No list of books would be complete without my own e-book, The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage.
The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage is a book about food: What to store, how to store it and best practices. It is a roadmap for showing ordinary citizens that long-term food storage is not something that will overwhelm or burden the family budget. It is based on my own tried and true experience as someone who has learned to live the preparedness lifestyle by approaching emergency preparedness and planning in a systematic, step-by-step manner.
Whether you simply want to prepare for natural disasters or whether you believe the world is headed toward a major food crisis, this book is for you. It covers basic tips and techniques you can use to stock your food storage pantry so that you can be assured that your family will have food to eat, no matter what.
59 Responses to “Spring 2014 Book Festival: Simply Canning + Interview with Sharon Peterson”
I’m new to food preservation so I don’t exactly have a tip, however, I would say to just get started if you’re new to it or are experiencing anxiety about doing it. I’ve started with dehydrating and so far my family is loving everything to the point that what I’ve dehydrated isn’t lasting long! This summer I’ll begin my foray into canning. Would love to win this book to help me on my journey.
I just learned that after using and opening a food saver bag you can reuse it by turning it inside out and washing it in the dishwasher on the top rack so that it gets hot enough, then place in on something like a wine bottle or A water bottle to dry for a few days. After which time it may be reused with your Food Saver. And, as said earlier practice, practice and more practice. I am learning to can jams without useing store bought pectin, there is most definitely a learning curve. I am interested in canning books. If anyone knows of canning books that have recipes for: gravy, things like mushroom wine simmer sauce, mandarin orange simmer sauce, sauces like tavern style pot roast sauces. Safeway select and campbells have these types of sauces for sale, if they can CAN these convenient concoctions so can we.
I love to can! The tip I would like to share is “DON”T KEEP IT TO YOURSELF”! As you can your fruits and vegetables, teach someone else. It’s very important these days to pass along this knowledge.
Don’t have a tip but would like the book…
My tip is to keep your jars sorted! I keep mine sorted by size ( pint, quart, jelly) and by mouth size ( regular or wide mouth). When canning is in full swing you can easily get the right size for what you are making.
My basic food preservation tip is; I let my wife do it. She does a pretty good job canning. I think she gets better at it every year. I am involved by helping with gardening and harvesting. I am looking forward to this year’s garden and all the canning she will be doing when the harvest comes in.
Be versatile! I’ve canned grape jelly and fig preserves, frozen my basil pesto and dried the rest of my herbs.
Don’t forget to rotate every you preserve so you always have the best shelf life.
i have never canned and always wanted to learn……… the only thing i did learn was making jam/jelly……tip…make sure when picking ‘wild’ berries in the woods they are edible ones for humans…….if not you get really sick 🙁 !
Label everything! It’s so simple & can make a huge difference.