Now that I have a toddler, a cookbook saves me so much time from having to come up with recipes or worrying if I have enough time to make what I want. I loved this cookbook.

A good collection of recipes. Not my go-to in the pantry but some interesting things particularly for the beginning chef.

A beautiful cookbook that is also quite practical. Although many of these meals I have not attempted, it was quite clear how they can be made and it was a joy to read. Those I attempted it worked out well. Mary Bryant Shrader did a wonderful job with "The Modern Pioneer Cookbook".

This one just wasn’t for me. I do like making as much from scratch as possible but the tips and things in this book won’t fit my life.

It was a beautifully done book.

I really enjoyed this book! The recipes seem simple and easy to follow. Sometimes the pictures in recipes books can intimidate me into trying new things but with the great instructions I felt great trying them. Highly recommend this cookbook!

Four words. No- six words. I love this book. Buy it!

So many cookbook tout getting back to basics, but this one actually did it. For the first time, I have a logical explanation of why sourdough bread gets so stinky AND a remedy for that smell and taste. I put it on my list to try.

Broth: there are more considerations than just beef, chicken, or veg? Who knew? More to add to my list.

I kept adding and adding to my list and realized that I was actually working my way through the book, not “creating a list”.

This book is fantastic. I’ve never heard of the author despite the fact she has been making videos on YouTube for years. The title and blurb and appealed, so I thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did. Five stars all the way to my kitchen.

The Modern Pioneer Cookbook is a treasure trove of information, of which the actual recipes are only a part. Most chapters begin with a “Getting started with…” section and an FAQ page that provide tons of background information for someone who may be new to the chapter’s topic. The sheer volume of information packed into each chapter is amazing. Once the reader has an understanding of the topic, they then get a chance to see that information put to use through the recipes contained in the chapter. I love that these recipes truly teach me skills that used to be well known in most households, but through time, these skills have been lost to most households. Through this fantastic book, Mary Bryant Shrader teaches us the way the skills of old play an important role in the modern-day kitchen. This is so much more than just another cookbook!

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
I really enjoyed this cookbook. It is full of really good recipes and they all are very well written with easy instructions. The photos are beautiful. Highly recommend!

I loved this book! So many great techniques to get anyone started on their journey in the kitchen. Looking forward to making my own ginger bug and trying out so many of these recipes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

Such a helpful cookbook!! It has categories that I am always looking for. Canning/pickling, basics like butter and other dairy foods. She has so many helpful tips on each recipe. It makes it easy and so doable. Sometimes, it is easy to be intimated by recipes. She presents everything in such a way that makes it beginner level and approachable! I loved this!!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this cookbook. The recipes were easy to follow and didn't require any ingredients that were hard to find.

I enjoyed reading the recipes for this cookbook. Some of them look very delicious. The layout is good and instructions are easy to follow.

I love this cookbook! Lots of information about ingredients, techniques, and how to cook from scratch besides the over 85 amazing recipes. I love homemade everything and I’m so excited to try the recipes in this book. There are detailed instructions and lots of tips. There recipes for bone broths, fats, dairy (butter, cheese), pickling and fermenting, baking (breads, sourdough), sprouting. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This book is such an incredible wealth of information. As a mom that tries to do as much from scratch cooking as she can, it is beyond anything I could ever imagine. With that being said, for someone that is just starting out, the pure amount of information that is there could be overwhelming so it is sifting through to figure out what would best work for them and building on it. The photos that are throughout add to the overall appeal of the book and encourages me to try new things that are out of my comfort zone. A wonderful cookbook that would be benficial to any collection!

This is a lovely, accessible, and kind resource for making slow food.

I was not familiar with the Mary's Nest blog or channel, but from reading this book, I can see why she has such a large following. Mary approaches this cookbook as she's writing to a dear friend.

I loved learning more about her and her perspective on slow food.

She has great recipes and approaches to a range of foods, such as multiple kinds of broth, rendered fats, dairy products (such as butter, yogurt, cream cheese, kefir, etc.), pickles and ferments, baked goods, and sprouting.

I am familiar with many of these approaches already, so it's a less useful book for me (especially since I need to eat gluten free, and a large section of the book is related to gluten-full baking. But I would absolutely recommend it to beginners or those who want to have a resource with all kinds of useful information in one place (rather than relying on google searches).

Overall a lovely book with a great message about how to create our own nourishing foods!

Thank you to Netgalley and DK publishing for the opportunity to review this book!

This will be a great resource for people who want to learn traditional, healthful cooking. Shrader does a great job explaining how to do things like fermenting, canning, using raw milk, cooking homemade stuff, etc for those who are new to it. I’ve been doing most of this for years but there were still tips and recipes I made notes of. It’s definitely suited more for those with traditional diets (meat and wheat) but there’s good info on lots of fun stuff like how to make a ginger bug and homemade soda, and stuff like that. There are favorite recipes for each section but not hundreds of them. Nutritional information is not provided but most of the recipes contain a photo. Much of the book is information, not just recipes. Recommended for anyone looking to learn how to make these traditional, healthy meals.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

If you have nothing better to do than make everything from scratch, you’ll want to pick up Mary Bryant Shrader’s cookbook, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes From a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This cookbook has recipes for all sorts of things most of us don’t have time to make; it’s like going back 100 years and skipping all the modern techniques that have made our cooking easier.

Shrader includes chapters on pickling and preserving, condiments, sourdough, sprouting, and other grass roots techniques that most of us don’t have much desire to do. There are a few good recipes for main dishes, but most of the recipes probably won’t appeal to the mainstream cook or baker.

Most of the recipes are time consuming – very few are quick, and they will remind readers of tree huggers and environmental types. The cookbook includes beautiful, professional photographs of many of the recipes, as well as a picture of the author at the beginning of each chapter (overkill?). The recipes are written in the traditional manner with a list of ingredients followed by step-by-step instructions. There are also comments at the beginning of each recipe.

This is grass roots cooking – something you’d expect from a great grandmother living on a farm. Readers who like this kind of thing will love this book; those of us who like doing things the modern way with modern gadgets, not so much.

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

I’m OBSESSED with this book. OBSESSED.

If you’ve ever been interested in transitioning to more traditional foods and less processed, then YOU NEED THIS BOOK.

Mary is like the mother, aunty, or grandma everyone wants. She gives you tips, tricks, and trades of pioneer living. From kitchen and pantry staples to broths, fats, dairy, pickling, baking, condiments. She explains what Superfoods are, how to preserve, and gives recipes for some sweet desserts and fulfills meals.

This isn’t just a cookbook, y’all. It’s a whole new way of living and I can’t wait to use this book as a guide.

THE MODERN PIONEER COOKBOOK by Mary Bryant Shrader, a Texas hill country cook, offers "Nourishing Recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen." Shrader focuses on techniques like canning and drying; in fact, there is an entire section on Bone Broths and another on Homemade Dairy. As she points out, that "may seem a bit unfamiliar, almost intimidating. But [she continues] not to worry! You will be creating a kitchen rhythm ... you will begin to develop a system of soaking your beans or grains before going to bed, feeding your sourdough starter, leaving your milk out on the cold counter to culture and 'burping' your jars of vegetable ferments as they bubble away in a corner of your kitchen." Shrader goes on to describe the importance of eating seasonal foods. Many of her recipes do seem complex, but flavorful (e.g., Spicy Fermented Ginger Carrot Coins). Curious readers may have fun re-creating Oregon Trail Pioneer Brown Bread, too. She will be speaking at the Lake Travis Community Library on September 27th at 7pm. More information about the author, her favorite recipes, and other suggestions are available on her YouTube channel, Mary’s Nest.

Relevant links:
http://laketravisreads.org/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCepVey5oiinAQGgT06r-h5A

Mary Bryant Shrader
Mary Bryant Shrader
Author Mary Bryant Shrader is a proponent of cooking from scratch because it is easier and less expensive, I would add it tastes so much better. When you are preserving your own food, you know what is in it, NO preservatives. The author has a website and YouTube channel where she goes by Mary’s Nest. If you think cooking from scratch is too hard, think again. The author offers how to’s along with 85 recipes. There is a wide range of recipes; they are easy to make, just follow the simple directions. She offers a list of equipment and appliances that would be nice to have as well as a list of equipment you will probably already have. Her section on the Four-Corners Pantry is wonderful. The working pantry is where you store nonperishable food that you use on a daily basis. The Refrigerator and Freezer is easy to understand, and the fourth corner of your Pantry is the Extended “prepper” pantry is where you store backup nonperishable food for restocking your working pantry. She includes a list of foods that have been categorized.
Did you know there is a right way to roast a chicken? Author Mary Bryant Shrader shares the correct way to cook a chicken…slowly. Don’t try to cook it fast. The temperature of the oven should be 350. Your vegetables should be under the chicken which has lots of herbs. You should allow about 25 minutes per pound. She even shares what you can do with the leftovers. In the pioneer’s kitchen there are no leftovers for there is a use for everything. The bones and pan drippings can be cooked to make broth or gravy. Leftover chicken can be used to make chicken tacos, chicken pot pie or soup.
This book is invaluable for cooking delicious, healthy foods for you family.