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Preserving the Good Things of Life Because You Can!
Home Canning Equipment Getting Started

• [Detailed instructions for home canning five popular foods: jams, jelly, salsa, relish and pickles]

Soft Spreads

• Gel Stage Test
• Jams
  • Jams with No Added Pectin (6 recipes)
  • Jams with Regular Powdered Fruit Pectin (12 recipes)
  • Jams with Liquid Pectin (6 recipes)
  • Freezer Jams (12 recipes)
• Fruit Butters (8 recipes)
• Preserves
  • Preserves with No Added Pectin (12 recipes)
  • Preserves with Regular Powdered Fruit Pectin (3 recipes)
  • Preserves with Liquid Pectin (5 recipes)
• Conserves
  • Conserves with No Added Pectin (9 recipes)
  • Conserves with Regular Powdered Fruit Pectin (3 recipes)
  • Conserves with Liquid Pectin (4 recipes)
• Marmalades
  • Quick Marmalades (3 recipes)
  • Traditional Marmalades (10 recipes)
• Jellies
  • Juice for Jellies (3 recipes)
  • Fruit Jellies with Regular Powdered Fruit Pectin (3 recipes)
  • Fruit Jellies with Liquid Pectin (3 recipes)
  • Fruit Jellies with No Added Pectin (1 recipe)
  • Wine Jellies (4 recipes)
  • Savory Jellies (11 recipes)
• Soft Spreads Problem Solver

Fabulous Fruits

• Preserving Fruit
• Fruits in Syrup (10 recipes)
• Spirited Fruits (5 recipes)
• Fruits of Distinction (15 recipes)
• Fruit Pie Fillings (8 recipes)
• Fruit Sauces (14 recipes)
• Fruit Juices (7 recipes)
• Fruit Syrups (8 recipes)

Salsa, Relish and Chutney

• Tips for Salsa, Relish and Chutney
• Salsa (14 recipes)
• Relish (17 recipes)
• Chutney (18 recipes)

Condiments

• Ketchup (4 recipes)
• Brush-On Sauces (5 recipes)
• Chili Sauces (5 recipes)
• Mustards (4 recipes)
• Vinegars (7 recipes)
• Other Condiments (6 recipes)

Perfect Pickles

• Pickling Essentials
• Tips for Picking and Preparing Perfect Cucumbers
• Refrigerator Pickles (5 recipes)
• Fresh-Pack or Quick Process Pickles
  • Fruit Pickles - Single-Day (5 recipes)
  • Vegetable Pickles - Single-Day (26 recipes
  • Fruit Pickles - 2-Day (3 recipes)
  • Vegetable Pickles - 2-Day (5 recipes)
• Brined and Fermented Pickles (7 recipes)
• Pickles Problem Solver

Tomatoes

• Tomato Essentials
• Tomatoes Processed in a Boiling-Water (13 recipes)
• Tomatoes Processed in a Pressure Canner (6 recipes)

Pressure Canning: Low-Acid Foods

• Preserving Low-Acid Foods
• Vegetables (18 recipes)
• Seafood (2 recipes)
• Meat and Poultry (2 recipes)
• Soups, Stews and Sauces (10 recipes)

The Art and Science of Home Food Preservation
Altitude
Home Canning Problem Solver
Produce Purchase Guide
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Index

Preserving the Good Things of Life Because You Can!.

Home canning puts the pleasure of eating natural, delicious produce at your fingertips year-round. Preserving food in mason jars might sound old-fashioned, but it is as modern and practical as the latest health food trend or gourmet creation -- and it's really quite simple! Home canners enjoy the rewards of numerous homemade meals and snacks, created from just one preserving session. When you preserve food at home, you create products that save you time in day-to-day food preparation, a real blessing given today's hectic lifestyles. Individual home-preserved jars can be opened and served as is, or used to simplify on-the-spot meal and snack preparation.

A Simple Step Beyond Cooking

Like baking, preserving food is a simple step beyond recipe preparation. For home canning, this step is called "heat processing." It is neither difficult nor time-consuming. In fact, the most popular home-preserved foods require less time than baking a cake or a casserole. Unlike baking, the results of home canning sessions do not require space in your refrigerator or freezer. Properly home-canned foods can be stored in your cupboard for up to a year.

During heat processing, mason jars filled with food and fitted with two-piece metal closures are heated, destroying harmful microorganisms that cause food spoilage and creating an airtight seal that prevents contamination during storage. Precise processing techniques, times and temperatures are determined by the acidity of the food being preserved. A full description of the process of home canning, with step-by-step instructions and all the details you need to know to preserve food safely, can be found in The Art and Science of Home Food Preservation, beginning on page 409.

If you're eager to jump right in, the Getting Started chapter (pages 8-18) gives detailed instructions on preparing five versatile home-canned foods: strawberry jam, mint jelly, salsa, corn relish and dill pickles. If you prefer to know all the details before you begin a project, take some time to peruse The Art and Science of Home Food Preservation, and especially the section called Boiling-Water Heat Processing, Step by Step (page 415), before you begin one of the Getting Started recipes.

Happy canning!

 

A bible for those of us who consider canning a way of life... clearly written and easy to follow... creative recipes... encouraging, concise text. With its extensive sections on technique, special equipment, the science of preserving and problem solving, the beginning preserve maker as well as the expert will find recipes to love.
- Julie Turjoman  Contra Costa Times  2006 07 05

This book packs in user-friendly recipes for novices and experienced canners ... If there's only one book to obtain on the topic, ... [this is] the item of choice.
-   The Midwest Book Review  2007 03

The art, science, and secrets for successful home canning plus more than 400 recipes with variations, tips, techniques, and charts.
- Lois Friedman  New Horizons  2006 10

The season's bounty of fruit and vegetables can be enjoyed year-round with the help of .
- Renee Enna  Tha Pantagraph (Bloomington IL)  

More than 400 recipes, as well as guidelines for rookies and tips for pros.
- Renee Enna  Chicago Tribune  2006 08 16

All-purpose detailed guide to home preserving... extensive tips for beginners and expert canners and troubleshooting pointers.
- Margaret C. Merrill  Library Journal  2006 11 01

Will answer all of your questions and many you don't yet know to ask... Homemade is just plain better.
-   Detroit Metro Times  2006 10 25

A must-have for home canning veterans for its many terrific new recipes... great for novices too because its breezy, fast-paced jump-in-and-do-it approach makes the techniques of home canning immediately accessible.
- Susan LaaTempa  Los Angeles Times  2006 08 30

This all-purpose detailed guide to home preserving from one of the major manufacturers of canning jars offers extensive tips for both beginners and expert canners and troubleshooting pointers.
-   Library Journal  2006 11 01

Offers a variety of tempting options for those who wish to preserve summer's bounty. One versatile recipe is the tomato and olive antipasto, which is a wonderful way to use up tomatoes.
- Rosemary Buck  Daily News (New York)  2009 07 29

A standard resource.... Information [matches] the USDA guidelines.
- Kathie Smith  Blade  2009 04 21

This guide has everything you ever wanted to know about putting things in jars.
- Liane Faulder  Edmonton Journal  2009 09 16

This is the ultimate go-to guide for the canning beginner. It is the book to which I defer on canning questions and techniques.
- Andrea Weigl  News Observer (Raleigh NC)  2009 07 15

The problem...is that the book, which includes 400 recipes, presents so many appealing options.
- Jolene Ketzenberger  Indianapolis Star  2009 08 19