Renee Pottle

A frugal Yankee at heart, I first learned to can as a child; hanging out in my Nana's kitchen while she and her sisters gossiped and put up jars and jars of pickles.

Before I knew it I was a wife and mother with a kitchen of my own. A slim wallet and a child who couldn't tolerate food additives set me firmly on the food self-reliance path more than 30 years ago.

Since then I've been planting, foraging, cooking, and preserving, and turning my little ¼ acre house lot into a family food Eden.

My passion for food preservation, and the science behind it, eventually led me to an exciting and multifaceted career as:

* Home Economist/Family and Consumer Scientist

* Master Food Preserver/Food Safety Adviser

* Food and Nutrition Writer, Educator, and Consultant

My husband and I live in Washington's beautiful Mid-Columbia region, where our sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren visit often to raid the canning pantry!