Feeling the Heat in the Alaskan Kitchen

Picklin’ Parson Cookbook, Feeling the Heat in the Alaskan Kitchen,
Recipes & Stories About Befriending Earth The Picklin’ Parson has found Alaska to be a place of solace and inspiration, in the company of his dear friends, Tracyann and Andrew George, as well as their sons Owen and Parker. This book features friendships made with gardeners on the domes of Fairbanks, Alaska and fishers of the fish camps on the Yukon River. The stories shared are about these newfound friends and the sagas they tell from their experiences with the land, water, plants, and creatures with which we all share Earth. Whereas his first two cookbooks shared the creative art of water bath canning, this cookbook shares the technique of pressure canning low acidic vegetables and fruit, as well as meat, poultry, and fish. Since 2019 the Picklin’ Parson has earned 107 Texas state fair ribbons from the State Fair of Texas, East Texas State Fair, West Texas Fair and Rodeo and the North Texas Fair and Rodeo.

In 2020, Stan was concerned with the conversation going on in our country communities and churches. The divisions were becoming starker and people seemed to be talking about one another, at each other, or not talking at all. The question he pondered was “How do we get people talking about important matters of the day that
impact our life together in a meaningful way and actually listen to one another?” Being a parson, the sequel question he holds dear is, “How does our faith inform our beliefs and impact our conversation?” This cookbook addresses matters concerning the environment and conservation—befriending the Earth. Instead of trying to
tackle the larger issues related to what is global warming, and being overwhelmed, and perhaps feeling defeated, he turns the attention to what is in our control. The focus is on what we as individuals in community can do to be better friends of Earth and one another with some practical suggestions and hopefully some inspiration as
well. When addressing hot topics, like why are the King Salmon not swimming up the warmer Yukon to spawn, perhaps our best visiting can be done around a cookbook, or better yet, a canner. There is something therapeutic about taking a deep long breath and relaxing into peeling and cutting up vegetables, or preparing meat or fish to go into a jar in a canner and come out as a meal. Perhaps the book will persuade
the reader to take some of the pressure off life, and even our beloved earth, by pressure canning jars of goodness with a friend or two.