Celebrate the culture of agriculture & share skills (Growing! Cooking! Eating!)

What's your favorite book available on canning (or food preservation in general)?

I'm going to have quite a bit more food (I hope) than I can eat this fall, and need a good read for the summer to get me primed. I hope to have plenty of peppers, tomatoes, pole beans, zucchini, lemon cucs, carrots, radishes, onion, and plenty of fresh herbs. Ideas?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Magpie Ima on June 25, 2011 at 7:58pm

I don't love the Ball Blue Book because of the huge amounts of sugar and chemical pectin which make jams taste pretty much like store bought to me so why bother? That's my philosophy anyway.

I read every new preserving book our library gets but the one I bought last summer is Canning for a New Generation and I love it for its wide range of seasonal recipes (both fruit and veg). The recipes are a nice combination of familiar classics and more exotic options. The author also makes suggestions about how to use those canned items which I love.

I am also fond of Ellie Topp's Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving and a great old book called Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty. Our library has a huge selection of canning books--try a few out before you buy!