With the return of short, cold days, it’s time again to steep some warming tea, bury in under the blankets, and grab a book from that teetering reading pile.

One of my current browsing companions is Sue Shephard’s Pickled, Potted and Canned or How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World (Simon & Schuster, 2000). It’s relatively light reading, as nonfiction goes, and it’s perfect for the occasional one- to two-chapter dose of entertaining and anecdotal food history.

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