• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Suburbia Unwrapped
  • Recipes
    • How To's
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts and Snacks
    • Other
  • Crafts & DIY
    • Crafts
    • Decor
    • Beauty Recipes
    • Cleaning
  • Family Life
    • Homemaking
    • Happiness
    • Having Fun
    • Outdoor Living
    • Pet Care
    • Saving Money
    • Giving Back
    • Health
  • Parenting
    • Education
    • Environment Worksheets
    • Raising Teens
  • Entertainment
    • Books
    • What to Watch
    • Party Tips
    • Restaurants
    • Technology
  • Looking Good
    • Accessories
    • Beauty Tips
    • Fashion
    • Shopping

Home » Entertainment » Books » Complete Book of Home Preserving (book review)

Complete Book of Home Preserving (book review)

August 10, 2012 by Diane Hoffmaster 6 Comments

Posts feature partner companies & may be sponsored. Post contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Last Updated on June 8, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster

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.

I received one copy of this book at no charge in order to write this review.  All opinions are my own.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link on this site,

we receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Title:  Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Subtitle:  400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today

Author: Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine

Publisher:  Robert Rose (April 14, 2006)

ISBN:  978-0778801313

Format/Length:  Paperback ( 448 pages)

My Review:  5/5

 

From the Publisher:

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 homemade salsa and savory sauces to pickling, chutneys, relishes and of course, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads.

 

Purchase Link:   Buy on Amazon

 

Complete Book of Home Preserving

My Review:  I am pretty much a novice when it comes to food preserving and was looking for a good resource to help give me the confidence to start canning the summer bounty.  I have made refrigerator pickles and freezer jam and really wasn't sure what I needed to get started canning.  This is an excellent selection for a person like me with zero experience!  The author starts out with the basics like what types of equipment to buy and each recipe includes step by step instructions that are extremely detailed! Along with those detailed instructions, each recipe also has tips that pertain to the particular food you are using or the recipe you are creating.  This includes things like how to easily peel a tomato, how to select the freshest produce, or where to find cheesecloth.

The selection of recipes is extensive and do not include just fruits or vegetables.  I was surprised to see recipes for seafood, beef and poultry as well.  I really never realized you could can chicken!  There is also quite a selection of soups, stews, and sauces included in the book as well. Each recipe tells you right up front approximately how much final product you should expect to have.

The last section of the book has a ton of information like a glossary of terms and a produce purchase guide.  The produce guide lets you easily convert the weight of your produce to volume.

As someone with a science background, I was particularly interested in the chapter titled "The Art and Science of Home Food Preservation".  The author discusses how acidity effects canning, preventing contamination by microorganisms, and a detailed look at each step of the process.  There are a few nice pictures scattered throughout the book as well.

I think this book would be the perfect addition to the kitchen library for someone just getting started with food preservation.

 

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy.  She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire  but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time.  You can learn more about her HERE.

« Preteen Parenting: 5 things you need to know!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread #Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellen Christian

    August 11, 2012 at 1:00 am

    I love canning and preserving. It's a great way to save money and to eat local.

    Reply
  2. [email protected]

    August 11, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    I'd kind of like to try this in the upcoming fall season! Interesting book, thanks for the post. 🙂

    Reply
  3. daisy

    August 11, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    I'd love to try this book, especially with everything from our garden!

    Reply
  4. Minta

    August 12, 2012 at 12:25 am

    I have done any preserving but would love to try it. I don't have enough room for a garden either.

    Reply
  5. Terri

    August 12, 2012 at 12:27 am

    We always had fresh berries when I was child. Blackberry and red raspberry bushes, blueberries and strawberries. My mother canned but I haven't tackled that project on my own yet. This book would be a big help!

    Reply
  6. Grace Hodgin

    August 11, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    I use to do this all the time and now we are planting a fall garden I'm going to start canning and making preserves again.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Hi, I'm Diane! I'm a busy Atlanta area mom of two college kids trying to stay sane in the chaos of suburban life. I love cooking, gardening, reading and motorcycle rides with my husband.

Stay Connected!

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Press Page For PR
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy and Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2021 Suburbia Unwrapped