Meet the creator of Old World Preserves
Hi, I’m Julie Kaiser – an American biologist and science writer who’s made a home in Germany. My free time revolves around three core passions: gardening, cooking, and the science of preserving what we grow. This blog, Old World Preserves, is where I explore the intersection of traditional German preservation techniques and modern microbiology. Here’s a little more about the different hats I wear.
Julie the home canner
I grew up in a family that preserved food. From a young age, I knew the word botulism and understood that home canning required care. In the U.S., the USDA sets the rules, and that shaped my early ideas about what’s “safe.”
So when I moved to Germany and saw people water bath canning foods the USDA says you shouldn’t (like meats and vegetables), I was confused. And skeptical. But I was also curious. How could a modern, safety-conscious country like Germany rely on a different method and not get people sick?
Once I started digging into the science behind it, I couldn’t stop. That’s why I started Old World Preserves: to document what I found, and to help others can food with confidence, without fear, and without pressure (pun intended).
Julie the gardener
Gardening was also part of life growing up – both sets of grandparents always had a big garden. I wasn’t all that interested in it as a kid, but later something clicked, and I couldn’t wait to start my own. As soon as I finished grad school and had access to a community garden plot, I jumped in.
Since then, I’ve grown vegetables and fruit in Connecticut, California, and now in Germany. I took a break while living in an apartment for a few years, and had to make do with a few containers on the balcony, but I’m so happy to have my hobby back.
These days, I grow most of what we eat in a small but productive backyard plot in the Lower Rhine region. I don’t have a farm, a greenhouse or fancy raised beds – just healthy soil, good compost, and a lot of trial and error. But it works, and it brings me joy.
This hands-on connection to the harvest is the starting point for everything I preserve, providing the fresh, high-quality ingredients essential for safe and delicious results.
Julie the cook
I’ve been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the stove. I don’t often make anything fancy. I certainly could, but I just can’t be bothered most days.
Usually, you’ll find me throwing something together for a quick, delicious, and reasonably healthy meal from what we have on hand. That often means grabbing something from the garden or pulling a jar from the pantry and building dinner from there.
Julie the scientist
My approach to food preservation is guided by one non-negotiable principle: safety comes first, and safety is grounded in science. My professional training is the bedrock of this blog.
- Education: I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a master’s in Microbiology and Immunology.
- Experience: I spent over a decade working in molecular biology and microbiology research: first in virology drug discovery, and later in national security research.
Science taught me how to ask critical questions, follow the evidence, and respect microbes. That foundation is what makes me take food safety so seriously – and it’s what gives me the tools to understand the German canning method on its own scientific terms.
Photo by Randy Wong, Sandia National Laboratories
Julie the writer
These days, I work as a freelance science writer for biotech and pharmaceutical companies. It’s my job to take complex information, dig into the data, and explain what matters. If you’re curious about that side of my work, you can find more over at Science Inbound.
Writing is how I bring science into everyday life. Here at Old World Preserves, I use those skills to translate the microbiology of canning into clear, practical guides that empower you to preserve safely.