Includes growing, storing, freezing, and cooking instructions, along with 200+ recipes and serving ideas, for 19 fruits and berries Today, fruit is available in abundance, nearly year-round, from the supermarket. But there's something wonderful about stepping out your back door to pick crisp, juicy apples from your tree or tangy-sweet raspberries from bushes planted with your own hands. For one thing, growing your own means harvesting your fruits and berries at just the right time, at the peak of flavor. It also means controlling exactly what kinds of pesticides or other additives go into your produce. Plus, growing your own fruits and berries is easy and very enjoyable! Suitable for both beginners and experts, this book is the perfect resource for anyone engaged in gardening or homesteading. Not only do you learn how to grow your own fabulous fruits and berries, The Farmer's Wife Guide will tell you what to do with all the produce you harvest! In the garden you'll learn how to: Find space for fruits and berries, even on your patio in pots Select the right varieties for your tastes, climate, and property limitations Plant and care for each type of fruit or berry Espalier fruit trees into unique shapes Repel deer and other pests using inexpensive, reliable methods For each fruit and berry included, you'll know: When to expect the first harvest How to pick the fruits and berries How much yield to expect How to store and/or freeze the fresh produce How to prepare it for eating or cooking In the kitchen, you'll have hundreds of fast, easy, and absolutely delicious recipes for serving your harvest. For each type of fruit or berry, you'll get recipes for: Ice creams that take only 20 minutes from start to serving, including low-fat variations Ices (like sherbet or sorbet without any dairy products) Butters and sauces--old farm staples at every meal Pies from scratch using generations-old farm wife recipes Cobblers, biscuits, crisps, and more! Nothing can match the fabulous flavor of homegrown fruits and berries--and this book will have you eating your own in no time!
