About Y0-Pickleit

Y0 is "Y-naught" which translates to Why Not. 

Why Not Pickle It is a member page of the Y0 family of businesses. 

Y0 is a woman-owned business. 

About Y0

bookphoto

Y0 is the brainchild of M. Marshall, advancing the idea of self-sufficiency in all situations. I believe in living with as light a footprint on the earth as possible. This includes using as little power from the grid (and fossil fuels) as possible, and/or saving all food possible from the harvest.

I named the company Y0 because I was a mathematician early in my working life.  Y is the horizontal plane in geometry, the horizon. Zero (0) is my base, the foundation on which I stand, and my starting point for everything in life.

Having been a homemaker, avid gardener,  and partial homesteader since the early 1970s, I know how overwhelming it can be to save food in a hot kitchen in early fall, when the harvest is coming in from the fields faster than it can be processed.

"It was the time of the "Back-to-the-land" movement. 

I read all the Foxfire books I could find because I wanted to homestead in the Yukon Territory. Mother Earth News became my bible.

Then, I broke my back in 1978, and my body wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. Still, I had all this knowledge in my head, so I did what I could where I was, with what I had. I began gardening, baking, and making jams and jellies. It became a family joke that people would get jars of jam at the holidays. Later on, I started making pickles and fermenting.

It became a way of life.

If I couldn't garden, I would go to the Farmers' Market and get everything I needed to make pickles and ferments. Soon, I had a pantry full of delicious food and a shortage of jars!

It was an obsession.

I kept my family fed, the pantry full, and ate well.

I still love this way of life, over 40 years later."

I made the decision early on to begin pickling and fermenting food as a way to stop being dehydrated during those long, hot days of canning and processing food while standing over the stove, and to avoid wasting the harvest by not being able to process it fast enough. 

I pass on these time-saving, energy-sparing ideas, recipes and techniques to you here, with a little folklore and fun stirred in along the way.


I invite you to become as self-sufficient as you can, wherever you are.

The techniques and methods discussed on this website and in accompanying books are not limited to the homestead. Apartment dwellers and farmers alike can use these ideas and techniques to save money and energy, preserve the harvest, and stock the pantry.

All you need is a little equipment and some imagination to feed your family in times of financial uncertainty. It will become second-nature to you with a little practice.

Many of these recipes and ideas go back to simpler times.

I welcome you to contact me with any questions, concerns, or ideas for additional recipes. 

Business or advertising inquiries can be sent by using the advertising form.



Y0 utilizes affiliate marketing, which means that when you, as a visitor, place an order from one of the advertisers on this website, or purchase a recommended product, there may be a small commission paid by the company to Y0. This does not affect your relationship with the seller in any way, and your price will not increase. It is a way for Y0 to pay its overhead costs. 

There are some products that relate specifically to Y0 as a business, and when you purchase these, any profit from that product pays the management for continued participation in the business.

All taxes due and payable to the United States IRS are paid in accordance with laws applicable to Tennessee, USA.  Sales taxes are collected on each sale at the time of purchase, based on the tax rate at the shipping destination, in accordance with local authorities. All books are available digitally, for worldwide distribution. At this time, shipping is limited to the North American continent.


I wish you good health and happy pickling for many tasty meals to come!


A crispy, crunchy pickle is the best pickle ever! 

Join now to get our special guide to make your pickles the most crispy, crunchy pickles you can make.