Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving [Paperback]

Altrista Consumr Products (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

The Ball Blue Book is your complete guide to home canning and preserving. This book teaches you everything you need to know about Canning and Preserving, High-Acid Foods, Soft Spreads, Pickled Foods, Low-Acid Foods, Special Diet, Sweet & Savory Conbinations, Freezing, Dehydrating and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Alltrista Consumer Products (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972753702
• ISBN-13: 978-0972753708
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Canning & Preserving

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

393 of 393 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down, the best canning book, March 13, 2005

By 

C. Meyer (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (Paperback)

I have been canning for over 20 years, and without a doubt, this book provides the best instruction on how to can properly. This is important if you want to successfully can, and enjoy the food you can.

First: you are provided with numerous methods on how to can, water bath and pressure cooker for instance.

Second: you are provided with chart of what type of processing works best for which type of food (main ingredient in your canning).

Third: you are provided with a chart on how long to process each type of food, and better still, they have not forgotten that people are not at the same elevation across the country. As someone who started canning in Iowa and then moved to Colorado, this book makes all the difference.

Fourth: you are provided with clear, easy to follow recipes (many of these have been around for generations).

Fifth: the final products taste good! I gladly share the canned products with friends and family. Many items end up as birthday or Christmas presents.

Whether you are a novice, experienced, or somewhere in between to canning, this is a must have book.

155 of 155 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE bible of canning & freezing fruit, vegetables, jams, etc, August 12, 2004

By 

JB "JB" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (Paperback)

A must-have book if you want to can, freeze, make jam, applesauce, pickles, etc., whether you have an expensive pressure canner or a simple large pot. My grandmother had a copy of this book when I was a child. The recipes are simple and tested by generations. The instructions are clear and use standard kitchen supplies. There is also a nice section that explains how water bath canning works and how to do it right. With this book and a nearby pick-your-own farm (I find them at www.pickyourown.org) you can get the fruit inexpensively then make your own jam, preserves, applesauce, etc without chemicals or preservatives.

81 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is "THE" book, August 22, 2005

By 

Barb (Cobourg, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (Paperback)

I just started this wonderful world of canning and preserving and as I surfed the internet for information everyone kept saying that the Ball Blue Book was "THE" best source for canning info. I ordered it and I understand why it is such an important resource. It has excellent, up-to-date information about canning and includes explanations of why you have to follow the steps exactly. It has a trouble shooting section and has beautiful pictures and illustrations. It's not a very thick book but it's chock-full of recipes for everything from berries to fruits and vegetables. It includes jams, jellies, sauces, salsa and preserves. It has a section for people with special diets and my diabetic father-in-law really liked and appreciated the reduced-sugar recipe for strawberry jam. The only flop of a recipe I tried to make was a pineapple jam recipe that did not call for pectin - I was stirring for a very long time.... Just a quick note that I learned AFTER: pineapple contains a natural enzyme that prevents it from jelling... : ) Otherwise, I would highly recommend this book for both beginner and experienced canners.