Canning Books

I DO have the Blue Ball 100th Anniversary book that you can buy pretty much wherever canning supplies were sold this past year.

I am looking for something WAY more comprehensive as a resource for info and recipes. Any recommendations?

I liked my old Rodale Stocking Up - I don't know if there's an updated version available. 1986 was the latest version I could find.

Here are several for you to look at.

http://www.pickyourown.org/canningbooks.htm

So, I'm thinking of taking up canning and was perusing Amazon to find some good books. Here's what I found. Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Book-Small-Batch-Preserving-Year-Round/dp/1554072565/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2VPT9QJ55DKCB&colid=2Y2MTJJS25573

http://www.amazon.ca/Canning-New-Generation-Flavors-Modern/dp/1584798645/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2OS6SWYWQMUCO&colid=2Y2MTJJS25573

http://www.amazon.ca/Fresh-Girls-Guide-Canning-Preserving/dp/0760338469/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3SBCVB8OTY5M8&colid=2Y2MTJJS25573

I have collected several different revisions of the Ball Blue Book, it certainly is tried and true. Rodales stocking up is great too. You could find about anything you desire for free by Googling it too. Most Agricultural schools have extensive food preserving information online. I buy most of my books used online thru Abe Books or Albris Used books and save huge on them. Amazon does not like to but will list used books to you. Sometimes though you mite want to compare the ISBN numbers if revision is important.

There are several books listed in this thread ~~~>Canning and Preserving 101

This one: http://www.amazon.com/Put-Up-Comprehensive-Preserving-Creative/dp/1603425462/ref=pd_sim_b_11

Looks fantastic. I'm about to order it. If you scroll down to the reviews there is a video review of the book. It looks amazing.

Not just a canning book but also for freezing, drying, smoking, & preserving the Harvest, is a book I got yesterday called "The Joy of Keeping A Root Cellar". Oh how I want a root cellar.

I also saw a hardback book by Ball with TONS of recipes for canning, check your local library.

FarmerValerie wrote:Not just a canning book but also for freezing, drying, smoking, & preserving the Harvest, is a book I got yesterday called "The Joy of Keeping A Root Cellar". Oh how I want a root cellar.

I also saw a hardback book by Ball with TONS of recipes for canning, check your local library.

A shovel will get you there eventually, but this might be helpful...

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-underground-Root-Cellar/dp/0882662902/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301429478&sr=1-4

They had a book on how to build a root cellar, and 20-even 10 years ago, I would have, but alas 4 kids, gardening, and a hubby who works ALL THE TIME, and is in construction-meaning I do alot of the repairs here, means I now have a bad back. I do decorate cakes though, don't think I haven't thought about asking some one with a back hoe to trade cakes or produce for a hole in the ground.

On another note, my mother in law absentmindedly told my husband and her brother the only way they were going to get a pool was to dig one. Yep, and she did not notice until it was too late, she worked 2 12 hour shifts at the time......

FarmerValerie wrote:They had a book on how to build a root cellar, and 20-even 10 years ago, I would have, but alas 4 kids, gardening, and a hubby who works ALL THE TIME, and is in construction-meaning I do alot of the repairs here, means I now have a bad back. I do decorate cakes though, don't think I haven't thought about asking some one with a back hoe to trade cakes or produce for a hole in the ground.

On another note, my mother in law absentmindedly told my husband and her brother the only way they were going to get a pool was to dig one. Yep, and she did not notice until it was too late, she worked 2 12 hour shifts at the time......

What do you think the kids are for?

My kids would tunnel a road to China, I'm no dummy. They will be leaving in a few years, I have to stay here, I want it done right. I'll stick to making them take out the trash and water (by hand dip) the SFG.

I have the Blue Ball book as well, but have picked up a few others as well.

The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
ISBN-10: 1-55407-256-5
The Art of Preserving
ISBN-10: 1-74089-978-4

I have also used some of my fruit harvest for making pie fillings, gelato and sorbetto.

I saw a book somewhere recently called YOU can CAN! I think by BHG. Anyone have it? Any reviews?

Over the winter when the gardening bug first bit, I checked out many canning books from the library. The Ball blue book is good for recipes, IMO, but if I hadn't read the others first, it wouldnt' have been as clear.

My favorite, honestly, was the canning and preserving for dummies (or some variation on that name, but the yellow dummies book on canning). It was super clear for an absolute beginner. I have seen my grandparents can before, but I never paid any attention because I was young and uninterested. Even if I was totally new to it, though, I could have followed the process. There were a few recipes in there, too, but I still like the Ball book for recipes.

I do think I read the BHG book you're talking about. It was okay, but not worth purchasing-- just my opinion, though. I think I checked out about 15 different books on canning and read them cover to cover (we were snowed in a few times!).

If I were you, I would start with the library or at least go to a physical bookstore to peruse if there's a big chain in your area. It's easier to form an opinion when you can actually flip through instead of looking online. Also, just a suggestion-- if you don't mind buying used, you can get books really cheaply on half.com. I learned about that site while buying course books in college. You can save a ton. I usually check most of my books out first at the library to see what I want and then buy the ones I really want through half.

I ALWAYS forget about the library. Thanks for reminding me again.

I think it's because I am a book monger...giving them BACK is just not my nature. LOL

Thanks for the input on the books I will do some more research. I have time before I will have harvests to can.

middlemamma wrote:I ALWAYS forget about the library. Thanks for reminding me again.

I think it's because I am a book monger...giving them BACK is just not my nature. LOL

Thanks for the input on the books I will do some more research. I have time before I will have harvests to can.

The local librarian and I have a standing joke about my perpetual 'donations'. I just can't seem to get anything returned on time. I told her that I one day I will get it through my head that the date stamp is a 'Return By' date and not a 'Read By' date!

TC

I just tell them that my late fees are my yearly donation to the Library. We do not wait to return DVD's though, that's a $2 a day fine. Our Library is online too, so I can go online and renew, oops need to do that have some due tomorrow, and some I want to keep.

I have "Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving", and it's great, made tons of recipes from it.
The other one I want to get when I get some more money is the one from the UGA extension department: http://www.uga.edu/setp/

camprn wrote:

ooooooo
I recently bought jars to make jam, and I didn't want to use sugar again. 7 cups of sugar to 4 cups of fruit, that's just crazy. I bought white grape juice and honey to try it out. I will hunt up this book thanks for that one !
Ha-v-v

This Kindle edition of JeBouffe Home Canning Step by Step Guide (second edition) Revised and Expanded [Kindle Edition] is free today, 1/27/12

Don't have a Kindle, have no plans to purchase one. That said, I was able to download the Kindle app for my Windows PC, and then downloaded the book.

Thanks for the tip!

T.

tomperrin wrote:Don't have a Kindle, have no plans to purchase one. That said, I was able to download the Kindle app for my Windows PC, and then downloaded the book.

Thanks for the tip!

T.

tomperrin wrote:Don't have a Kindle, have no plans to purchase one. That said, I was able to download the Kindle app for my Windows PC, and then downloaded the book.

Thanks for the tip!

T.

Thanks for posting that Tom . Having a book or two on the PC on a 19 inch LED monitor seems a good scheme to me .