Nothing older than 1994 for sure. Even some of them have outdated things.

Agree with Linda Lou's date but I have also seen even later recommendations from other authorities. 1998 is one cut-off time frame often mentioned when talking about specific books as "too old and out-dated". Our local MFP Instructor says nothing older than 2004 as that is when a major guideline revision was done.

But then there also have been a number of so-called canning books published in just the past couple of years that I wouldn't touch no matter how new they are. ;)

Personally, I think it depends more on the specific recipe or the type of food (acidic or low-acid) than the date of the book itself.

Dave

Dave, can you give some examples?

Sweet high-acid preserves like jams and conserves, 100% vinegar solution pickles, fruits like peaches and berries, all naturally high-acid products, can often be used from older books.

However, even then processing times or methods may need to be updated. So except for experienced safety-conscious canners who can pick-and-choose with care, it's best to stick to reliable up-to-date canning sources. I'd go with 1998. I wouldn't want to rely on 1994 for processing times for things like fish.

Probably the dates for your older canning books are in them somewhere. Sometimes, though, it takes a careful search to find them.

Carol

Dave, can you give some examples?

Examples of types of recipes? Yeah, what Carol said.

If someone has a specific recipe from an old book that they just have to have for some reason then that recipe has to be evaluated on its own merits, not the date of the book. That was my point.

Some of the old recipes that aren't in the later editions of the BBB were left out not because they were now unsafe but because they were low-demand/low-interest and room was needed to add new recipes. Some of them are still fine but it takes experience and a good knowledge base of canning guidelines to evaluate them. Someone new to canning would need help doing that and if the post the recipe we can do that.

Dave

Thanks everyone, I didn't plan on canning from these books, but they are the ones I used way back when, it is just interesting to compare then & now, like I said some of the BBB recipes are just the same now as then, I know they are at least 35 years old. I plan to keep them but not use them. The BBB just said Revised 29th Edition on the cover, the other one just the name and price. I did notice that quite a few of the recipes stated fill jars and seal, I wonder how much canning will change in the next 20 or 40 years when my grandchildren start canning,