Books » Canning & Preserving Books

From the experts, the definitive book on home preserving.

Ball Home Canning Products are the gold standard in home preserving supplies, the trademark jars on display in stores every summer from coast to coast. Now the experts at Ball have written a book destined to become the "bible" of home preserving.

As nutrition and food quality has become more important, home canning and preserving has increased in popularity for the benefits it offers: - Cooks gain control of the ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables - Preserving foods at their freshest point locks in nutrition - The final product is free of chemical additives and preservatives - Store-bought brands cannot match the wonderful flavor of homemade - Only a few hours are needed to put up a batch of jam or relish - Home preserves make a great personal gift any time of year

These 400 innovative and enticing recipes include everything from salsas and savory sauces to pickling, chutneys, relishes and of course, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, such as: - Mango-Raspberry Jam, Damson Plum Jam - Crab Apple Jelly, Green Pepper Jelly - Spiced Red Cabbage, Pickled Asparagus - Roasted Red Pepper Spread, Tomatillo Salsa - Brandied Apple Rings, Apricot-Date Chutney

The book includes comprehensive directions on safe canning and preserving methods plus lists of required equipment and utensils. Specific instructions for first-timers and handy tips for the experienced make the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving a valuable addition to any kitchen library.

For thousands of years humans have enjoyed the taste and nutrition of fermented foods and drinks. We rely on the transformative, almost magical power of fermentation to preserve and improve all sorts of food, making them tastier, more digestible, and more appealing. Author Sandor Katz takes readers on a whirlwind trip through the wild world of fermentation. The book is divided into chapters that focus on particular types of food and Katz provides readers with delicious recipes--some familiar, others exotic--that are easy to make at home, including vegetable krauts and kimchis; sourdough breads and pancakes; miso and tempeh; beers, wines, and meads; yogurt and cheeses.

The recipes provide a veritable smorgasbord of tastes, like homemade tempeh, sauerkraut, and borscht, along with a basic description of yogurt and cheese-making, complete with vegan alternatives. Whether you prefer to wash down your meal with Elderberry wine or Nepalese rice beer, there's something here to satisfy any palate.

Katz, a leading expert on the history of these foods, has written a revolutionary and informative culinary guide he calls "a cultural manifesto." He has experimented with many forms of fermentation and has developed and collected a wide range of techniques and recipes from around the world.

The only book for home cooks offering a complete introduction to the craft. CHARCUTERIE-a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, sausages, and prosciutto-is true food craftsmanship, the art of turning preserved food into items of beauty and taste. Today the term encompasses a vast range of preparations, most of which involve salting, cooking, smoking, and drying. In addition to providing classic recipes for sausages, terrines, and pâtés, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn expand the definition to include anything preserved or prepared ahead such as Mediterranean olive and vegetable rillettes, duck confit, and pickles and sauerkraut. Ruhlman, coauthor of The French Laundry Cookbook, and Polcyn, an expert charcuterie instructor at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan, present 125 recipes that are both intriguing to professionals and accessible to home cooks, including salted, airdried ham; Maryland crab, scallop, and saffron terrine; Da Bomb breakfast sausage; mortadella and soppressata; and even spicy smoked almonds. 50 line drawings

A guide to food dehydrating shows readers how to make preservative-free dried apple rings, candied apricots, beef and fish jerkies, sun-dried tomatoes, corn chips, herb seasonings, dried fruit sugars, and more. 100,000 first printing. Tour.

Typical books about preserving garden produce nearly always assume that modern "kitchen gardeners" will boil or freeze their vegetables and fruits. Yet here is a book that goes back to the future-celebrating traditional but little-known French techniques for storing and preserving edibles in ways that maximize flavor and nutrition.

Translated into English, and with a new foreword by Deborah Madison, this book deliberately ignores freezing and high-temperature canning in favor of methods that are superior because they are less costly and more energy-efficient.

As Eliot Coleman says in his foreword to the first edition, "Food preservation techniques can be divided into two categories: the modern scientific methods that remove the life from food, and the natural 'poetic' methods that maintain or enhance the life in food. The poetic techniques produce... foods that have been celebrated for centuries and are considered gourmet delights today."

Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning offers more than 250 easy and enjoyable recipes featuring locally grown and minimally refined ingredients. It is an essential guide for those who seek healthy food for a healthy world.

Pages: 124, Paperback, Alltrista Consumer Products

This no-nonsense guide to canning, freezing, curing, and smoking meat, fish, and game is written in down-to-earth, informative, everyday language. The third edition of this perennial bestseller is completely revised and updated to comply with the latest USDA health and safety guidelines. Includes dozens of delicious recipes for homemade Beef Jerky, Pemmican, Venison Mincemeat, Corned Beef, Gepockelete (German-style cured pork), Bacon, Canadian Bacon, Smoked Sausage, Liverwurst, Bologna, Pepperoni, Fish Chowder, Cured Turkey, and a variety of hams. Learn tasty pickling methods for tripe, fish, beef, pork, and oysters. An excellent resource for anyone who loves meat but hates the steroids and chemicals in commercially available products.

The completely updated classic shows you how to stock your pantry with local, seasonal ingredients all year long

For more than thirty years, Putting Food By has been the go-to- resource for preserving foods-from fruit and vegetables to meat and seafood. Now, this essential volume has been updated to reflect the latest information on equipment, ingredients, health and safety issues, and resources. Whether motivated by economics or the desire to capture the taste of local, seasonal food at its peak, home cooks have made preserving today's hottest food trend. There are many books on canning, but Putting Food By stands out as the classic that has stood the test of time.

•Covers canning, freezing, salting, smoking, drying, and root cellaring

•Includes mouthwatering recipes for pickles, relishes, jams, and jellies

The most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to harvesting, storing, preparing, and preserving foods of all kinds.

For the self-sufficient farmer or the urban weekend gardener, the third edition of Stocking Up is an invaluable addition to any kitchen. With detailed illustrations and easy-to-follow directions, this encyclopedic resource makes "stocking up" easy.

Follow step-by-step instructions for:

* Freezing, canning, drying, and preserving fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry
* Harvesting nuts, seeds, sprouts, fruits, and vegetables
* Preparing pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, butters, cheeses, and breads.

With more than 300 recipes for preservable foods -- from old standards like casseroles, fruit leather, and ice cream to new favorites such as sun-dried tomatoes, herb vinegars, and salt- and sugar-free versions of basic fare, Stocking Up covers everything for the home cook. Hundreds of charts and illustrations simplify preserving chores and choices for everyone interested in stocking up on wholesome, natural foods.