Find even more canning recipes with the new Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

Every few years Jarden Home Brands, the company that owns the Ball® canning name, publishes a new edition of its Guide to Preserving.

If you are just starting out with food preserving, the Ball® Blue Book, as it is called, is a great way to get all the info you need in one quick, affordable package.

I have owned a few copies over the years, but don’t buy every update. But I had to have this year’s copy – the 37th edition.

Sticking with the Tried and True

This edition is bigger and better than ever. It includes the usual sections on:

• Dehydrating
• Freezing
• Canning Basics
• Canning High-Acid Foods
• Canning Tomatoes
• Making Jams, Jellies, etc.
• Pickles and such
• Canning Low-Acid Foods (Pressure Canning)

There is also a section they call Something Extra that includes fancier recipes like Champagne Blush Jelly and Papaya-Pineapple Salsa.

Making Something Good Even Better

For the first time, the new edition also has a section titled Meal Creations. Meal Creations has many recipes that use the preserved foods you made in the previous sections. For example, there is a Banana Nut Bread recipe that calls includes dried banana chips from the Dehydrating section. There is a burger recipe that uses Red Cabbage Slaw from the Something Extra section, and a PB&J Cookie Bar recipe to use your homemade grape jelly.

This section is a good addition for:

• People who are interested in home food preservation but who don’t have a lot of home meal creation experience.
• People who are always seeking out new recipes (like me!).

The Basics

The Ball® Blue Book Guide to Preserving 37th edition remains true to its roots but changes with the times. It includes lots of useful updates:

• Recipe suggestions for home canned items
• Tips for where you can be creative with the recipe, and how
• More full-color instructional photos and step-by-step directions
• Lots of charts; pH, food safety temperature, pectin package sizes, storage times, etc.

Where to Find Your Copy

This is my only complaint about the Ball®Blue Book; it is difficult to find your own copy. Bookstores don’t seem to carry it, online bookstores don’t seem to carry it, ditto most grocery stores or magazine counters. I couldn’t even find a copy at our local “canning central” store. In fact, it is even difficult to find on the Ball® Preserving site!

I did eventually track down a copy at one of the local hardware stores (Ace). And it is on the Ball® site, just difficult to find.

Despite the search, I highly recommend the new Guide to Preserving. At only $11.95 it includes everything you need to know to get started preserving today.