Excerpt from Chapter 1.

One of the greatest joys of growing your own produce is to stand in your garden as you are harvesting in the midst of all your labor and eat a just-picked tomato still warm from the sun. Nothing compares whether because of the time you've put into it the experience of seeing something grow out of almost nothing or the incomparable flavor and juiciness. The same is true of harvesting strawberries and other fruit sun-sweet ripe and ready for shortcake. The flavor and nutritive value of just-picked garden vegetables are far superior to those of that produce you encounter in most supermarkets and the goal of preserving food you've grown yourself or purchased from a local farmer is to lock in that flavor so that you can enjoy it during off seasons.