Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry

To some people, canning may look like an old-fashioned activity. It has gone out of fashion for quite a while, until the soaring food prices and ‘back to nature’ attitude of people changed all this. Nowadays, more and more people choose to (and enjoy) making their own jams, chutneys etc. If you have a large garden brimming with fruit and vegetables, canning is a fantastic way of having delicious jams all year round. If you don’t have enough fruit in your backyard, then buying fresh fruit from your local farmers markets is a great alternative.

‘Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry’ is a lovely recipe book by Liana Krissoff. The book is divided into seasons and season-appropriate recipes. The recipes cover more traditional products, such as Classic Peach Jam, Grapefruit Marmalade, Kosher Dill Pickles and Pickled Beets. However, you’ll find other more different and ‘exotic’ recipes, like the Creole-Spiced Pickled Okra, Pear, Clementine and Pecan Preserve to Quince and Plum Jelly or Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips. If you are a bit adventurous, you’ll love the more than 150 different recipes this book has to offer. The recipes also include pickled, dried and frozen food ideas. And in case you are a complete canning novice, the book covers canning techniques and information to get you started.

I would certainly recommend this absolutely mouth-watering canning book for the modern man or woman. In addition, you’ll never run out of gift ideas anymore, as I am sure everybody would love to receive a home-made preserve, made from local food.

Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry

More and more people turn to juicing to improve their overall health. Juicing doesn’t have to be boring either, there are so many options for you and your family to try and enjoy. I am sure that you’ll soon find many favorites.

I particularly like ‘The Big Book of Juices’. It is jam-packed with delicious and healthy fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and other thirst-quenching drinks. All told, there are over 400 recipes. It’ll show you that you can pretty much juice any fruit and vegetable: from celery to broccoli, kale and passionfruit and mango. If you don’t have a juicer yet, now is the time to invest in a good one, as most recipes in this book require a juicer. However some of them can be made in a blender.

The book is divided into different chapters: Juice basics, Making Juices, Making Smoothies, Making Quenchers and Juicing reference. In addition, each recipe is graded on five different areas: Detox, Immunity, Digestion, Skin and Energy. This gives you an idea on how a particular drink helps your overall wellbeing. The photographs in this book are absolutely gorgeous and very appetizing. I am sure that you’ll want to get juicing right away.

Overall, this is a beautiful juicing book full of delicious drinks. I would certainly recommend this to anybody who is new to juicing or people who are already juicing but need inspiration.

The Big Book of Juices: More Than 400 Natural Blends for Health and Vitality Every Day

September and back to school isn’t too far away and you might already be thinking of all the things that your children will need. From clothing, school books to lunchboxes. When is comes to lunchboxes, they should be – in my opinion- practical, but also eco-friendly.

The Kids Konserve Lunch Kit is a good choice if you are thinking of providing your kid with a solid and good quality lunch kit. It includes a recycled cotton sack for the two stainless steel food containers and stainless steel beverage bottle. It also includes a cloth napkin and a reusable, BPA-free, food kozy for your delicious sandwich or bagel. It comes in three designs, Butterflies, Caterpillars and Logos.

Overall, this is a great eco-friendly lunch kit idea, which I would certainly recommend if you are looking to invest a bit more money into a waste-free lunch kit solution. Yes, it isn’t cheap, but you can be assured that you will get a high quality and safe product that should last for a long time and will help to reduce wastage. I am sure your growing kids will be proud to be helping the environment in such a way.

Get the Kids Konserve Lunch Kit

By the time you buy your fruit and vegetables in the store, they will have gone through many hands. Pesticides and bacteria could be lurking in the fruit/vegetable skin. Even if the pesticide levels are considered “safe” for humans to consume, you might want to think about using a safe fruit and vegetable wash to get rid of most of these chemicals.

Environne Fruit & Vegetable Wash

The Fruit and Vegetable Wash is made of ingredients that easily rid vegetables and fruit of any remaining dirt, fertilizers, bacteria or molds that might still exist even though they are, invisible to the eye. Sometimes, just washing fruit and vegetable with water alone, isn’t enough to enjoy a clean apple, orange etc. The Fruit and Vegetable Wash is a Kosher certified product, is easy to use, and you will soon notice that your fruit will taste cleaner and better.

So, next time you make a delicious pitcher of fresh lemonade on a hot summer’s day, don’t forget to wash your lemon/lime with the Fruit and Veggie Wash for peace of mind that your citrus fruit is safe to eat.

Overall, this is a good product at a good price.

Environne Fruit & Vegetable Wash

Yogurt is a great way to incorporate calcium, protein, vitamin B12 and riboflavin into your daily diet. It helps towards a healthy digestive system and it also keeps your bones strong and improves your body’s natural defenses. Yogurt is not only delicious on its own or with fresh fruit, but it can also be used as a healthy alternative in everyday cooking. For example, use yogurt instead of mayonnaise when making a salad dressing, make dips with yogurt instead of sour cream etc.

If you want to make your own yogurt, the Yogourmet Electric Yogurt Maker is a good product. You can enjoy making healthy yogurt anytime with your preferred milk type. The appliance comes with a precision thermometer in Celsius and Fahrenheit to tell you exactly when your yogurt is ready. The container that sits inside the yogurt maker is dish-washer safe and comes with a lid, to keep your homemade yogurt fresh and delicious. Another added bonus of this product is the addition of a cotton bag which allows you to make your own yogurt cheese. The included instruction booklet will give you all the information you need to start making your own fresh and healthy yogurt and yogurt cheese.

Overall, if you enjoy yogurt on a daily basis and would like to make it yourself, the Yogourmet Electric Yogurt Maker is very good value for money. It is easy to use and makes delicious and healthy yogurt in no time at all.

Yogourmet Multi Electric Yogurt Maker with Yogurt and CBA Starter

Want a great tasting, healthy, organic choice of food for your baby
that is also incredibly convenient? Until now, the only alternative for
organic baby food-to-go has been packaged in breakable glass jars and has
tasted bland, at best. Personally, after using that kind of food a few
times, and having my baby more or less reject it out of hand, I gave up and
started packing up the food I made for him in little containers to take
along. Nice, I suppose, but not very handy!

Preparing for a trip out of town led me to search for a portable
alternative to my homemade fare that my baby would like. Enter Sprout Foods
from Sprout Baby.com!

Packaged in shelf-stable, resealable pouches, Sprout Foods are the epitome
of convenience. Unlike glass jars, these little packages are safe to carry
around, and they are easy to heat by just immersing them for a few minutes
in warm water.

The real wonder is in the taste. The unique and delicious combinations of
organic fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains are fresh and delicately
seasoned to bring out the optimal flavor of the food. I tasted them myself
and was tempted to keep one or two for my own breakfast! Best of all, my son
liked them and almost always finished each package I offered him in one
sitting! When he didn’t, I just zipped the pouch closed and popped it in the
refrigerator where it would remain fresh for up to three more days.

Go to Sproutbaby.com and check out all their great combinations like Sweet
Baby Carrots, Apples and Mango or Roasted Bananas and Brown Rice or Summer
Squash, Yukon Potatoes and Parmesan. The pouches are sold in 12-packs and
you can choose the variety you want, customizing your order to your baby’s
unique tastes.

Once you try Sprout Foods, I think you’ll agree that they can’t be beat for
great take-along meals!

Curious Chef

If there were one company who understood the importance of getting kids in the kitchen, it would be Curious Chef. All of their products are developed with kids in mind. What starter chef wouldn’t love to have his or her chefs’ hat or apron? Couple that with a set of knives and some mixing bowls and you will be able to sit down while your little one waits on you with sheer delight.

The three-piece nylon knife set from Curious Chef is a big winner with younger kids. The ergonomic handles are easy to grip, slip resistant and made of durable materials. The blades are serrated so they do not need to be sharp. These knives will cut through tough vegetables but are safe on skin. Letting children learn valuable life skills by assisting with the chopping is a great way to let them savor a feeling of accomplishment.

The entire line of Curious Chef products is fun, bright and easy to use. Curious Chef went above and beyond in designing these kitchen tools to be fun and inspire creativity in children. So pull up a step stool and let your kid help you in the kitchen.

George Foreman Grill

Ok, not everyone will agree that giving a child a portable indoor grill would be a good idea, but I beg to differ. Of course, teaching heat safety is a great idea and this should not be provided to extremely inexperienced children, but having an easy way to cook is great for kids.

Great dinners can be made from a simple George Foreman Grill. For instance, why not use it as a sandwich press? Make hot sandwiches with tons of melted cheese and don’t worry about trying to figure out how to flip the sandwich. The heated top and bottom do all of the work for you.

Great for hotdogs, grilled veggies and even hamburgers and steaks, for the more experienced chef, the George Foreman Grill is a cinch to get meals done. Not only is the George Foreman Grill easy to use, it is easy to clean up. With the non-stick surfaces, just wait until it cools, remove the trays and wash them by hand.

Bubble Scrubber

Who would have thought that cleaning up could be so much fun. As important as learning to cook, learning to clean is a big part of being in the kitchen. The makers of Bubble Scrubber have a great idea when it comes to getting kids to clean up their mess. This great nylon scrubber has a hole in the middle, which allows for kids to, you guessed it, blow bubbles while cleaning. This innovative bubble wand will have kids fighting over who gets to do the dishes.

With simple to use designs and new gadgets coming out all the time, there is no reason kids should not be in the kitchen. From every aspect of prep, cooking and cleaning, kids should be a part of learning their way around the kitchen. Go pick up these useful tools and let your kids show you what they are made of.

If you love your specialty coffees and like to make them at home, then the Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable Espresso Maker is a good investment. You can treat yourself to delicious and perfect lattes, cappuccinos or even a sip of espresso to keep you going.

The espresso maker is very easy to use, but if in doubt, the included Instructional Cuisinart Espresso Maker DVD can help you. Use your preferred espresso coffee or espresso pods and press the appropriate button (single shot or double shot). The machine automatically gets the right amount of water and you can enjoy a perfect cup of espresso.

The espresso machine also comes with various tools, such as tamping tool and measuring spoon, and a stainless steel jug to make frothing milk a breeze. The machine is easy to clean due to its removable trays and covers. The included drink booklet gives you recipes/ideas how to make different coffee drinks just like a professional barista.

All in all, if you like your various speciality coffees in the comfort of your home, the Cuisinart Espresso Maker offers great value for money. In no time at all, you will be able to enjoy a tasty morning latte or a refreshing after-dinner espresso.

Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless Steel

Nutiva Hemp Oil is another superfood, packed with high quantities of Omega 6 and Omega 3 essential fatty acids and very advantageous to our health. These essential fatty acids are important to our health, but need to be ingested as specialty foods, such as hemp oil, as our bodies don’t produce them.

Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids provide many benefits to our health as it increases the healing processes; keeps our heart healthy, improves vitality, smooths skin, reduces arthritis, helps brain development in children, increases immune system resistance, fights infections and encourages calmness.

Hemp Oil (Nutiva) is made from the best raw and certified organic Canadian hemp seeds and cold-pressed for superior quality. You can use it in salad dressings, mayonnaise, dips, smoothies or energy bars. Hemp oil is not suitable for frying as this would diminish the many health benefits it otherwise has.

Buy Nutiva Hemp Oil online or listen to an interview with the founder of Nutiva here.

I am always on the lookout for special gifts that don’t cost the earth, but are unique. I really like the look and the idea of The Gourmet Sea Salt Sampler which comes with 16 different gourmet sea salt samplers in individual containers. They come in an attractive and reusable box.

Salts of the 7 Seas is a company that offers pure, unadulterated and natural sea salt.

Sea salt is essential for our healthy bodies since it contains up to 90 trace minerals and important nutrients. This is totally different from the refined table salt most people use and overuse on a daily basis. Common table salt is mostly made from sodium chloride, with added anti-caking agents and important minerals removed. As we all have heard many times in the press, common table salt is bad for our health and can cause many health issues.

The 16 sea salt samplers look stunning with their different colors. There is the grey looking Cyprus Onyx flaked sea salt, the reddish Pele Red Hawaiian gourmet sea salt, the brown Porcini Mushroom sea salt, the purple Sel de Sauvignon (sauvignon wine infused) gourmet sea salt, the Tibetan Rose gourmet sea salt and other salts with exciting sounding names.

All in all, I think that this product would make a fantastic gift to any of your foodie friends (or as a special treat for yourself). You might even get an invitation to their next dinner party to sample some of the food enriched with these amazing salts.

THE GOURMET SEA SALT SAMPLER