Well-written instructions that are easy to follow. I would suggest that the publisher consider making the watermarks less intrusive for other books. They made it very difficult to read the book and nearly impossible to cook the recipes.

I couldn't get over the pictures in this book, as well as how easy to follow the different breakdowns were of harvesting, preserving, canning etc. of each kind were. I found the information regarding the different tools needed to use this book to the fullest extent truly interesting and helpful. There are also little helpful add-ons, such as a chart laying out which fruits go best with which herbs.

For many years I have dabbled with preserving food, mostly fruit, with mixed results. IT STARTS WITH FRUIT would have been a huge help many years ago, saving me lots of frustration. Jordan Champagne explains in clear, easy steps how to take that over abundance of fruit or berries and turn it into a product your family will repeatedly ask for. There are recipes not only for spreads but drinks, syrups, just about anything you'd imagine. It's pretty obvious that the recipes have been researched and designed for success. My first batch came out wonderful and everyone loved it. Now on to the next one. I'm pretty sure I can try every recipe this growing year!!!!

Seemingly easy to follow, the recipes inside make the mouth water. If you are like me, you jump to the recipes and then backtrack to the helpful tips. I mean, why wade through the technical parts if there is nothing I want to make, right? Well, after paging through the recipes, I went back to the technical info. There are helpful tips and a few photos to show us amateurs how to get a perfect jam or jelly, or marmalade for that matter. Don't worry, though, there technical part is just enough to get the jam maker going without giving the reader a history of everything to do with jam making.

Gorgeous imagery, clear instructions, and easily digested (no pun intended) techniques made this the perfect guide for a newbie like me. I'm looking forward to giving this as a gift for some friends and family members that I know will love it, too.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

It Starts with Fruit is a very thorough book in terms of canning and such. It has lots of beautiful photos, lots of information and due to the sections, it's easy to find whatever you're looking for.

This is a gorgeously illustrated bible of fruit instruction, with loads of fruits included and lots of ways of preparing them. Readers will learn the traditional (no added pectin, chemicals or boxed powders from the grocery store) method of preparing jam, along with juices, shrubs, baked goods and more. I love that some wild fruits are included like elderberries and mulberries, but was sorry that others are not, like gooseberries, chokecherries, pawpaws and wild cherries (tip: British cookbooks do tend to include more of these since they still tend to use "hedgerow" fruits in some of their cooking). That said, this is a fantastic resource that will be especially useful to those who are new to preserving and cooking with fruits or who want to really expand their repertoire.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

#ItStartswithFruit #NetGalley

Description
Jam making gets a bad rap for being highly technical, complicated, messy, hot, and sticky; but preserving fruit can be simple and easy.

Jordan Champagne unlocks the secrets of mouthwatering fruit sauces and butters, delicious whole-fruit preserves, and fresh-tasting jams and marmalades from the comfort of your home kitchen.

It Starts with Fruit features 73 recipes total: master recipes for each type of preserve, followed by recipes for jams, marmalade,juices, syrups, shrubs, whole fruit preserves, butters, pie fillings, and dried fruits, plus a final chapter on baking with preserves.

• Great for home cooks who want an easy and approachable guide to making jams and other fruit-based preserves
• Jordan's gentle and encouraging methods will guide you through the process of making incredible fruit preserves using seasonal produce.
• Learn inventive techniques that are more flavorful and less complicated than traditional methods—with less sugar, too!


Wonderful tool for someone just starting out, but with enough recipes and tips that even someone not new to jams can benefit from. Beautiful illustrated directions so anyone can replicate what the author is doing.

I received an advance reader copy for a fair review. These ideas are my own.

It Starts with Fruit is definitely very thorough in explaining anything and everything about canning, preserving, and making marmalade, preserves, etcetera. I think it would be great for someone who wants and needs to know all of the ins and outs of the process and more, but for me it was a bit overwhelming and intimidating with the overabundance of information given. I did quite enjoy all of the lovely photographs though.