A New Book Lets You Stock Your Larder With Homespun Staples

The DIY movement has been taking over the country one hand-knitted scarf at a time. It was inevitable that a compendium of recipes for enterprising home cooks would follow. Enter Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It.

This new cookbook by Karen Solomon includes 75 straightforward, economical recipes. Some, like watermelon popsicles or Senior Mints–a fancy-pants take on the movie-theater classic–are whimsical. The rest are for items so fundamental (bacon, hot sauce and pasta among them) that you might become a stranger at your neighborhood grocery store.

With both authority and a lighthearted touch, Solomon explains how to craft ketchup that outshines the supermarket staple, lemon curd that will become breakfast's new best friend, and (our favorite) homemade butter that requires no more than high-quality cream, a jar with a lid and a whole lot of arm action. Take that, economic downturn.

Click here for the recipe (pdf).