It Starts with Fruit is what every canner needs on their modern day shelf. Easy to follow instructions, gorgeous photos, and intriguing combinations. This cookbook can and will be used for years!

Excellent introduction to the world of canning and preserving in a way that's as simple as possible, uses less sugar than many traditional recipes and lets you put your own unique spin on your jams, marmalades and preserves.
This isn't just a collection of recipes, instead the author gives you templates to be used as the basis for your own creations. She does share some of her own favourite recipes, and give you options to make them your own. I love that It Starts with Fruit won't just teach you the basics, but also how to mix and match with what you have on hand.

Great book for an introduction to making Jams, Jellies and Preserves. Unique combinations make it an adventure into the "out of the norm" jelly recipe. The reader will like the photos, the descriptions and the knowledge gained from the instructions given. Take an adventure into the world of fruit preserves and expand your taste horizons!!

One of my favorite thing about this book is that no pectin is required for the recipes. I loved the explanations and tips for each recipe. It is a very thorough book which could be overwhelming for some. Overall it provides a good basis for the preparations.

This is the perfect recipe book to inspire you to make homemade jams from scratch, it is perfect timing right now to read it with so many amazing summer berries in season. Will definitely be referring back to this one often!

73 wonderful fruity recipes you just can't do without!! A must-have for every kitchen and cook! Jams, marmalades, preserves, syrups, sauces, butter, and more packed into this delightful book! Well written and beautifully photographed you'll reach for this often!

As the title says, this is all about fruit - from preserving and canning it to cooking and baking with it.

To really get started with the preserving process you will need some basic equipment, but the process is explained in detail and covers all the fruit you can think of.
You will learn different types of preserving including making jams, drinks and marmelade and also how to use the fruits of your labour - pun intented - in bakes and desserts.
Very interesting for preserving, but also for your cooking and baking is the list of fruits and spice pairings which may give you some ideas.

A very informative book, with lots of fabulous photos, and well presented information featured in chapters that include, preserving know how, type of fruit and best for, Jams, Marmalade, Drinks, uses in cooking and lastly jelly, chutney and dried fruit. This is a very encompassing book about all things good to use fruit, tomato included, by preserving.
Written modern but with a lot of traditional ideas.

This book “It Starts with Fruit” took me back to when I was a young boy in my grandmother’s kitchen helping her with her canning. I enjoyed those days with her, for it would be just her and I none of my other cousins liked that nor did my sisters’. She would spend another day making jams but she only makes a few since the family only likes certain ones. Her pickles won many awards at the county fair. So, when I got this book I was taken back in time. These recipes are all easy to follow and besides ones for jams, canning she also gives you pie fillings, ones for drinks, butter, and syrup.
I still use my grandmother’s pie fillings, but now I need to go out to my garage and find her recipe box for her canning ones. I will say once you start making and canning the taste is better and if there are fruits you like you can them and have them when not in season. This is a fantastic book for everyone’s kitchen.

It Starts With Fruit is a wonderful cookbook for the home cook. It contains beautiful photos throughout. There is information on canning, preserving and jam making using a variety of fruits. This cookbook showcases all the different ways fruit can be used. There are recipes for drinks, syrups, sauces, butters, chutneys, juices and pie fillings etc. With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital copy.

It Starts with Fruit is a tutorial guide and recipe collection for preserving fruit by Jordan Champagne. Due out 12th May 2020 from from Chronicle Books, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The book follows a logical format. The introduction covers food safety and handling, choosing and using the correct equipment for the job, processing options, and other info to ensure a successful outcome. The following chapters introduce fruits both in general and in an alphabetical (exhaustive) herbal list including some lesser known (to North American readers) fruits such as quince, loquat, and mulberries (along with all the standard popular ones familiar to everyone). The rest of the book contains recipes and tutorials arranged roughly by category: jams, drinks, whole fruits (including pie fillings, sauces, and butters), and recipes which don't fit easily into one of the above categories for such things as candied peels, salts, pickles, chutneys, and the like.

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard with metric measures in parentheses. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. The ingredients are all easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store or farmer's market. The index is cross referenced and includes ingredients as item entries for quickly locating relevant recipes.

My one small quibble with the book is that the recipes are mostly not photographed. There are some photos, and they're clear and attractive, but they only represent about25-30 % of the recipes.

Well done. This book would make a great addition to the home cooking library. It is a nice supplement to the standard classics like the Ball Blue Book, and this one includes quite a lot of adventurous and appealing recipes (plum, cardamom, bay, and anise together in a shrub (drinkable sweetened light vinegar decoction - there are several shrub recipes included in the book and they're delicious and versatile).

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Special thanks to Chronicle Books for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

It Starts With Fruit is a really great book for someone looking to can. I'm fairly new to canning & some of Champagne's recipes will allow me to step my game up. The photos are beautiful & this is a really great book. She makes canning accessible for all with her step by step guides & clear instructions.

This book is a fantastic guide for someone new to canning and making home preserves. So many yummy recipes that I can't wait to try!

It Starts With Fruit by Jordan Champagne is a book that has been needed for a long time. I have been canning on and off since my childhood. My grandfather was the first to show me how to use the abundance of the garden so we could have delicious preserves all year round.

The author explains in clear, concise easy steps how to take that over abundance of fruit or berries and turn it into a treat your family will love. There are recipes not only for jams. jellies and spreads but also drinks, syrups, pie fillings and butters. The depth of information given for these recipes makes it obvious that the author has researched and worked tirelessly so anyone using her book is successful. I have researched and used many books on this subject but I think this one offers the best explanations. It is hugely informative, proving there is still much to learn.

A copy of this book should be in every preservers kitchen! There are actually some recipes to make with your proceeds. This has given me the push to go back to preserving. Well Done!

I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*received a free copy from netgalley for honest review* This is a really great book to have in your kitchen if you want to make your own jams or marmalades, it has some really unique recipes as well as great classics!

Anyone who loves fruit, and making jam will welcome Jordan Champagne’s It Starts with Fruit: Simple Techniques and Delicious Recipes for Jams, Marmalades, and Preserves. This excellent cookbook has all the basics for making your own jam, marmalades, and preserves, as well as recipes for using those homemade concoctions in treats such as thumbprint cookies, fruit cobbler, Jam Bars, and pies. There are even some gluten-free options for those on the gluten-free bandwagon. Also included are fruit juices, fruit syrups, and fruit shrubs. There are also recipes for preserving whole fruits and pie fillings. If you’ve tried to purchase middle eastern preserved lemons, and found how expensive they are, you will want to make your own from this cookbook. She has also included some excellent marmalade recipes; good marmalade is hard to find in the US, so her mouthwatering marmalade flavors were the first things I made from this book. Yum!

The explanations are concise and easy-to understand. She has included step-by-step photographs of everything novice jam makers need to know, such as how the mixture should look when doing the gel test. She has followed the same formula throughout the cookbook in choosing fruit and going through the process of making luscious foods, and anyone who follows her instructions will be pleased with perfect results. It’s nice to just follow the directions of someone who has already made the mistakes and has become a real expert. It’s fun to learn. The final products are also fun to eat.

Reading this cookbook makes one want to go immediately to the farmer’s market and pick up lots of fruit to spend a day doing nothing but creating treats that everyone will love.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Several new books on canning/preservation have been released this year. This one focuses on jams, marmalades and a few other fruit preservation techniques. It is decorated with beautiful photographs of fruit and its products. It distinguishes itself by having a greater proportion of fruit to sugar (i.e., less sugar in most of the recipes). There are some recipes in this book that I've not seen elsewhere, and might be good for someone who loves to experiment with jams; for example: Raspberry Lemon Jam, Blueberry Mint Jam, White Nectarine with Habanero Jam, I also found the photos of gel tests for both jams and marmalades very helpful. Written instructions are one thing, but these photos of various types of result were very easy to understand. Definitely a great book to add to your collection if you are really into making fruit preserves.

Wow this has to be the BEST book I have ever seen about fruit, jams, marmalades, fruit spreads, and desserts. It is not only absolutely gorgeous to look at, but it is massive and informative in a readable way!

I don't usually gush about cookbooks this much. I find most of them regurgitate recipes easily found online, or else they only have a handful of recipes I'd actually make. However this book packs simply EVERYTHING that I'd want to know into one book, and I would ACTUALLY make every recipe in this book.

A hard copy of this book should be in every kitchen!

This would also make a wonderful gift for a wedding, birthday, or for anyone interested in cooking or baking, in order to take their skills to the next level. I recently started making my own jams and I can't believe I waited so long, since it is actually super easy to do!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley as a book reviewer.

What a breath of fresh air to read this book during the Covid 19 lockdown. It made me eager to get picking fruit or sourcing in from the farmer's market. That time will come! I particularly enjoyed the tips throughout the book. such as choosing the right size pot to make your jam in - simple but it could make all the difference. I can't wait to try some the recipes once I can get hold of produce.

This book has a large variety of jam, preserves, marmalade and pie filling recipes. The pictures are beautiful and very helpful. There are examples of when a jam is not ready yet and then how it looks when it is done. This is for all the various types of preserves. The drawings are great, and very clear. It's a great book for somebody who wants to start making fruit based preserves.
This was an ARC copy from Netgalley.