Also, contact your own local Extension Service. They ususally have lots of booklets and classes on just about everything from growing it to perserving it to cooking it to eating it. Most Extension Services are through the County but affiliated with a University.

ball canning guide

Are you high altitude? I'd look up Colorado State University or Utah State University for info.

Like KatieC, I most often turn to and rely on The Center for Home Food Preservation. Their food Safety Specialist, Elizabeth Andress, is a lovely woman who I have met in person, and she was very helpful with questions. Although she retired last year, I think, I'm hopeful that her successor and staff would be equally helpful.

As has also been mentioned, your state's Extension Service may be another valuable contact for you. Here in Michigan it is a department of Michigan State University and many communities have local offices which are sometimes more accessible.

The Ball Blue Book is a good resource for those of us who don't have to worry bout adjusting for altitude, and is a trusted source which is pretty good about explaining the "how and why" of specific techniques and practices.

Good luck, and happy canning!

I'm waving at you, KatieC!

Annie

I learned from the Ball Blue Book. Yes it has recipes, but once you start canning you are going to want some. There are abbreviated versions out there with fewer recipes. Ball also has a lot of information on their Web site. https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwraqHBhDsARIsAKuGZeE6WDH5HQ3Q-9VDXtZ9_PIqESW5lS9YUGNFcx3niL1xQ5elSnHwVNUaAhzdEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

There are probably some good books in your local library too. Another wonderful Web site is the "Pick Your Own" set of resources. They also have download-able canning tutorials. https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwraqHBhDsARIsAKuGZeE6WDH5HQ3Q-9VDXtZ9_PIqESW5lS9YUGNFcx3niL1xQ5elSnHwVNUaAhzdEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks, all, for the suggestions.

I am familiar with MSU Extension and actually know a few people there, but I want a book, not handouts or 'net reading.

The nice thing about the library is there will probably be a couple to chose from. Although they may be checked out, canning is hot right now . . .

Edited to add that back in the day when canning was "out" I picked up a bunch of old canning books at a used bookstore for pennies on the dollar. Not even sure if used bookstores even exist in many places anymore. There was one right in the town where I lived at the time, Grand Rapids. Can't remember the name, I think it was on Leonard or Lake Drive or maybe Fulton or Bridge . . one of those E/W main drags. It's a 25 year old memory so a little fuzzy. I'm sure it is long gone.

I understand your wanting to have a book, I feel the same way. I have the Complete Book of Home Preserving, but I use it for the recipes, it isn't a good "how-to" book. The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving has more detailed instruction and recipes.

I would be careful about older canning books, some of the recommendations have changed, like the need to acidify canned tomatoes. Also any saying that you can open kettle stuff-to just put the hot food into jars, and slap a lid and ring on it. That only works for short term storage of things like jam and jelly, even with those I do the water bath to be sure.

However, your best resource is still the NCHP website. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html

My older books aren't that old and they follow FDA/USDA guidelines for home canning, except for maybe tomatoes. They don't have open kettle methods, although they don't always specify acidifying tomatoes. Remarkable how fast tomato varieties changed and those rules came in to play. Better safe than sorry. Those rules of adding acid to tomatoes became cast in stone in the late 90's. There were some deaths prior in 1974 and 1999 with home canned tomatoes without acid. So to be safe, chose books after at least the 90's.

If you want/need a book, then So Easy to Preserve is a good choice, but the Ball Blue Book is available at nearly every big box store that sells canning equipment and it's the least expensive, I think.

The website is still a valuable resource, as sometimes I have a question that isn't directly addressed in the book(s), and so I can email the experts for clarification.

Annie

I ended up ordering Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, I'll start there and see if I need to fill in knowledge gaps after going through it.

My biggest hurdle is actually DOING it -- I've been saying for years I was going to learn to can but for no particular reason just haven't. I will need to get a pressure cooker and some jars; I saw some jars and lids at the local grocer, I should pick some up on my next trip. Should I start with pint or quart jars or some of each? Any pressure cooker recs? (don't want anything too $$$)

I think a lot of us start canning when we have a glut of something we want to preserve. Does that apply to you? Or perhaps a product we like and want to make ourselves. And then when we find out how dead easy it is, (I'm talking about boiling water bath canning) we can't stop! I started because I had a glut of cherry tomatoes in a garden and a looming frost. The first thing I canned was pickled green cherry tomatoes. Kind of a weird thing to start on. But then they turned out good and I actually then canned up a bunch of salsa I made from the ripe ones. That was also weird because I actually peeled all of those itty bitty tomatoes, didn't have a food mill back then. I finished off the season with some green tomato and apple chutney. The following year, I made strawberry jam-yum. Just the classic stuff and I just followed the directions that came with the box of Sure-Jell. After that, I started canning all kinds of pickles, relishes, sauces and jams and preserves. People started to run the other way when they saw me coming afraid I'd gift them with another jar of jam . . . I also can applesauce in small jars, because the big store bought jars would always spoil on me. With just me, I don't eat up applesauce that fast. Plus my home canned stuff is way better.

I bought a pressure canner, back in the day when you gauged the pressure by timing the rocking of the gauge. It was a smaller one, didn't have a pressure gauge with a dial on it. Even those have to be tested every year to make sure they are still accurate. Now the newer ones are more foolproof they use digital sensors. So far I haven't wanted to pressure can many things, but maybe some day I'll haul mine out again for some green beans. I have a big freezer so I freeze most of the things I might want to pressure can. Modern pressure canners come with recipes and instructions too. I still think that somehow you have to test them, because the sensors can malfunction. This is standard practice with any measuring device where accurate results are critical.

Edited to add that start with something you want to preserve and then decide what to buy. A good pressure canner is going to cost you some money. Frankly I'd start with boiling water bath canning, because for that you might not even need to get any special equipment. Special equipment is good to have, but if you have a pot big enough to immerse the jars of the size you want in the boiling water deep enough, you can start canning. And boiling water bath canners are much less expensive than the pressure canners with the sensors or gauges. Start slow and get used to the variables of canning, at which point you may find investing in some fancier and more expensive equipment will be worth it. Unless you specifically have a bunch of corn, beans, peas, beets, etc. to can. But even with those, you can start out with some pickles and relishes just to get your feet wet. All kinds of recipes out there for pickled green beans or beets, corn relish, picalilli relish (mixed veg.) etc.

I can somewhere around 1,000 jars per year, sometimes a bit less, very occasionally a bit more. I used to take vacation days from work to can, LOL, now I'm semi-retired I can but don't get paid vacation days for it. (grin)

If I were starting today, I'd start with pints, because it's a bit deceiving how much product will actually fit in a quart, more than you would think. If you don't have a family, you'll be eating a quart of peaches for a week!

Pressure canners? I have four, LOL. One big old All American, one small All American, one Presto with a dial gauge and one Mirro with a weighted (jiggler) gauge. I love the All Americans and use them almost exclusively, other than those times when I have two canners going simultanously. They are heavier/thicker and are far more easy to regulate the heat/pressure than the lighter/thinner Mirro and Presto. I seldom/never use the Presto because it has a dial gauge. I had it tested, it was off, I got a new gauge, which also tested 3 pounds over. I was told that even the new gauges could be off because they get knocked around while shipping. There is a testing process, of course, but you'll find that your local extension service probably won't do it any more because of liability issues, so it's difficult to have it checked. I find the weighted gauges easier/more reliable and the Mirro has that. The All Americans have both types of gauge, but I use the weighted gauge to determine the pressure on those.

The All Americans are expensive new, but I got both of mine at the local auction and so they were relatively inexpensive and they are very sturdy so I was not concerned about damage with a used device. They do not have rings that need replacing, both other brands do.

I have no experience with digital/electric canners and so I can't tell you about those.

Actually, as L noted, canning is easy. Waterbath canning is easiest. Just follow the simple instructions and it'll be OK. There are good recipes and terrible recipes, you'll find what you like. Just be aware that there is some scary stuff out there on the internet, get your recipes from a reliable source. You'll have some jars that don't seal and you'll never know why. You'll get broken jars from thermal shock. You'll have jelly that doesn't set up. It all goes with the territory, and it happens to everyone.

Not everything can be canned and some things you just won't like. I have never made a batch of dill pickles that wasn't too soft for my liking and I don't like canned corn, no matter how I do it. So I freeze the corn and buy the one jar of dill pickles that we might use in a year and go on to do something else.

Happy Canning!

Annie

Yes, a good dill pickle and a good strawberry jam are the holy grails of preserving for me. Neither has to be pressure canned, but there are flavor and texture issue to finesse. That's why I'd start with something now like blueberry jam or pickled something or other, maybe green tomatoes, green beans, peppers . . . all easy and delicious if you like such things. The first time I made pepper jelly it came out perfect, beginners luck. I haven't been able to replicate it since . . . luckily I'm not much of a fan anymore so don't make it. I eat too much of it when I do, on crackers with cream cheese or over chicken or ribs as a barbecue sauce. Not foods I often indulge in. So I think you should first start out with just some simple thing that you would like to eat and can easily get the ingredients for. Salsa is a dead easy thing to make and can. Always use USDA approved recipes. You can always double check a recipe on the USDA canning tutorial web site. I know you said you want book learning, but that is probably one of the most comprehensive set of instructions out there in the world. I just got an el cheapo slim version of the Ball Blue Book at the grocery store when I started. It has instructions and illustrations, which for me are always good. It helped that I had a clean, clear uncluttered space to experiment in. Just set some time aside and try one thing. Your confidence will grow as you progress. Jams and pickles and relishes are good for beginners because they rely on acid and sugars for preservation and if you follow the recipes and instructions, they are quite foolproof as far as safety. If a jar doesn't seal you can store it in the fridge and use it up right away.

And don't forget about Steam Canning! Makes putting up a few water bath bottles very easy since you aren't boiling a whole pot of water.

I learned something new today. Pickles can be canned in a sous vide water bath. Set it to 140F and let it go for 2 1/2 hours.

I just looked on Amazon, the USDA instructions are available in a book. Also, I would like to recommend "Putting Food By." It includes all approved methods of preservation, including drying and freezing. I have an older edition.

https://www.amazon.com/Putting-Food-Fifth-Ruth-Hertzberg/dp/0452296226/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=putting+food+by&qid=1626704110&s=books&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/COMPLETE-GUIDE-HOME-CANNING-Principles/dp/B089HXV782/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=putting+food+by&qid=1626704204&s=books&sr=1-4

Thanks for all the info, everyone! Learned so much from this thread already. Thought a pressure cooker was necessary, glad to hear it's not so I can get my toes wet and see if it's for me without investing a lot of money. The book arrived yesterday but haven't had time to delve into it yet.

I've been using a steam canner for over 20 years and absolutely love it. Canning for one with a small garden means I never have a full load, and heating up all that water in a water bath canner for just a few jars is just awful.

^^ Also one of my favorites.

Bragu, I also have that book It's just that my garden never gives me a small batch, LOL.

I also have a steam canner but haven't learned to love it yet. I bought it last year. I thought it would help make my pickles crunchier, but it seems to take longer to come "up to pressure" than a boiling water bath takes to process, and my pickles get even mushier and more cooked. I canned a batch of pepperoncini for my son in law and they were pretty soft, even with Pickle Crisp, so I'm going to have to get a lot more comfortable with it before I use up my entire harvest again.

I'm assuming there's the dreaded "learning curve". It's sitting on the shelf next to the sous vide and the air fryer, all devices that I haven't conquered enough to produce a passable product with. (sigh) If I were more patient it would probably help but I always think I should be able to use a device and get something edible within the first couple of uses, and that is seldom the case for me.

Annie

I got a small but deep pot for my smaller batches of stuff. If you read and understand the directions, and understand the principles of canning, you don't necessarily need a whole lot of special equipment for canning, although it does make it easier. About the only thing you really need to buy are the jars and lids, if you have a lot of kitchen stuff already. I started canning with a big stockpot I already had, which was a hand me down, a round grill rack I found from some long forgotten broiler pan that fit into the stockpot (you can use an old towel or you can do without if you want to walk on the wild side of jar breakage) and I fished everything out with metal tongs. I did OK although I did drop one jar back into the boiling water and it splashed on me and burned me slightly. No scar . . . I also used up a lot of paper towels wiping off my jars from spills because I didn't have a wide mouthed funnel, but I still have spills now that I have one.