The Modern Pioneer Cookbook

Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes

Cooking traditional foods from scratch is easier and less expensive than you might think. In simpler times, people cooked from scratch using seasonal ingredients and traditional techniques like canning, fermenting, and drying to preserve the harvest. Mary Bryant Shrader follows these principles to create delicious, nutrient-dense meals that are affordable, budget-friendly, and additive-free. Now you can learn why so many people are big fans of the Mary’s Nest website and YouTube channel. In The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, Mary shows you how to master the basics of pioneer cooking to make over 85 delicious recipes that are all simple and incredibly nourishing. She shows you how to make cultured dairy, nourishing bone broths, fermented vegetables, sourdough starters, and sourdough bread, as well as traditional home-cooked recipes. You'll also learn how to soak and sprout grains, prep ingredients, stock your pantry, and shop for other essential ingredients.

Here's what you'll find inside:


Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes for bone broths, cultured dairy, ferments, home-baked breads, including sourdough, as well as recipes for chicken, meats, fish, vegetables, desserts, and much more.
Beautiful photography, including detailed pictures that will help you learn traditional cooking techniques.
Detailed instructions and cooking guidance that will help readers of all abilities cook like a pioneer, using traditional techniques.
Tips for sourcing ingredients and stocking and equipping your own traditional foods kitchen.


Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.