Preserve with confidence, cook with joy, and grow with curiosity

Author holding jars of home canned chickpeas, sauces, and fruits.

Welcome to Old World Preserves

This site is for gardeners, home cooks, and curious minds who want to preserve what they grow, savor the seasons, and learn something new along the way.

Here, you’ll find science-based, experience-backed guidance on German-style water bath canning – a traditional method used for over 120 years to safely preserve soups, vegetables, and more using boiling water, time, and care.

Though still widely practiced in Germany, it’s not really been described in depth for English-speaking audiences. Until now.

Explore the site

Not sure where to start? This site is organized around three connected passions: preserving food the German way, cooking seasonally from what’s on hand (or in the jars), and tending my garden while paying attention to the little curiosities it reveals.

Homemade jars of pink rhubarb juice cooling on a wooden table next to a stainless steel water bath canner, set on a patio with a garden in the background.

German water bath canning

Preserving low-acid foods without a pressure canner – yes, it’s possible. Learn the science, technique, and tradition behind this trusted method.

How it works

Butternut squash being prepared in a kitchen: peeled and halved squash on a cutting board, a bowl of peels, a bowl of seeds, and kitchen utensils on a countertop.

Recipes from my own kitchen

Simple and satisfying meals from my kitchen using my own preserves, fresh picks from my garden, and whatever’s in season.

What’s cooking?

Purple basil plant growing in a garden bed with a ripe cherry tomato and marigold flowers, surrounded by lush green foliage.

From the garden and beyond

Follow along as I grow food in my backyard garden, observe nature, and explore the curiosities that spark my scientific brain.

Dig deeper

ulie, a backyard gardener, tending to blooming pea plants in her garden.

Science writer, backyard gardener, and canning enthusiast

Meet Julie

Hi, I’m Julie – an American living in Germany, a former molecular biologist, and the creator of Old World Preserves. My canning journey truly took off several years ago when I was swimming in homegrown produce, the freezer was overflowing, and I needed a better way to preserve the harvest. My curiosity about how Germans can food safely without pressure canners led me somewhere unexpected.

What I discovered challenged everything I’d been taught about canning food at home – and I want to share it with you.

Learn more about me