On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Bruce Weinstein, food writer and author of 40 books, 38 of which are cookbooks. His latest, written with husband and frequent collaborator Mark Scarbrough, is “Cold Canning: The Easy Way to Preserve the Seasons Without Hot Water Processing.”

“Cold Canning” offers a primer on easy, safe, budget-friendly preservation. The book has 425 recipes for small-batch jams, jellies, chili crisps, pickles, krauts, kimchis, and more that will safely keep for months to years in the refrigerator or - with the exception of pickle-like foods - in the freezer.

“One of the things that I love about doing this small batch and no processing is that I can use less sugar because I'm not trying to make it shelf stable,” Weinstein explains. “That's a huge difference in taste and in health.”

“Do I think that we should all take all the sugar out of our diet? No, because then life would not be enjoyable at all,” he continues. “Everything in moderation.”

The duo met after Weinstein completed his first book (“We both loved food and we both loved to cook,” he says.) They both had other careers before diving into the food space. Weinstein went to culinary school and then worked in advertising for 20 years before becoming a food writer. Scarbrough was an English professor; he still teaches literature.

Weinstein’s eating philosophy: cook, share food, enjoy.

“Eat real ingredients. … It'll make you feel better,” he says. “[You’ll be] easy to get along with and people will like you.”

Bruce Weinstein shares what led to his love of cooking, his professional journey, and his favorite Jewish foods. He also talks about the joy and ease of cold canning, some of his early cookbooks and two non-cookbooks, and his recipe for blackberry conserve, which you can get at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more about at CookingwithBruceandMark.com. Follow @CookingwithBruceandMark on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and @CookingWithBruceMark on YouTube.

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