Putting Food By (Plume)

This is a book everyone who does any food preservation should have. I bought one for myself and one for a gift.

This book is a must have for anyone with the slightest interest of canning, drying or freezing food. Only problem is my book is missing pages 155 through 186. It looks like a binder error, so there may be more out there with the same problem. Check as soon as it arrives.

The value in this book is its coverage of techniques. That's very unlike, say, the Ball preservation book, which focuses on water bath and pressure canning. Putting Food By is as close to a preservation Bible as you will find. It's a staple among natural food folks, gardeners, home preparedness advocates, even survivalists. Please note that it is a technique book primarily, not a cookbook for canning, as so many food preserving books are. (There is, of course, extensive coverage of canning techniques.) That said, one reason I like Putting Food By so much is that there is detailed food item by food item advice as it relates to preservation you don't typically find in other books.

I wore out my old copy, was happy to see that it is still avalable in a updated version with all the old information still included.

Absolutely excellent and comprehensive, but if you're new to canning--a city girl like me or simply afraid of killing someone with your canned goods--start with something less scary.