Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
I’m confident that more people would become lifelong gardeners if they knew how easily they could put up their harvest to enjoy and share it with friends and family throughout the year. A lot of would-be gardeners see their neighbors inundated with zucchini and cucumbers and conclude that all that hard work just isn’t worth it to have more produce than you know what to do with for just a few months or even only several weeks out of the year. I couldn’t blame a busy person who has a career, kids, hobbies, and other responsibilities in this situation for thinking that way.
I became a more intentional gardener once I took steps to ensure that I would be able to use more of what I was growing. Learning to can and preserve motivated me to stay on top of the weeding and watering, as I had a tangible image in my head of what was possible if I put in the work. I became more selective about the varieties I planted, I dialed in my timing for starting my seeds, and I got really good at staggering plantings so that my whole garden didn’t come in at once.
Let’s face it; canning is intimidating to people who haven’t done it before. With this book, beginners can follow specific step-by-step instructions to safely and confidently enter the world of canning and preserving. The “b-word” (botulism) inevitably comes up in any conversation on the subject. While this and other toxins are real, they are easily prevented when you follow the best practices as outlined in this book. Everything in this book is written in plain English and is geared toward the total beginner.
The recipes in this book (more than 400 in all) will save you so much time when it comes to planning meals. Think about how much faster putting dinner together would be if you didn’t have to make even one of your sides from scratch. Sauces and salsas can be some of the most time consuming things to make in the kitchen because of the prep work and number of ingredients, but they are the easiest to can. I love to cook, but what’s not to like about batching whenever possible to free up valuable time for other activities?
Think of canning as the ultimate customization of your food stores. You can choose precisely which spices and seasonings, and in what quantity, to include. I recommend that you make the recipes in this book exactly as shown the first time, but if you’re like me you’ll want to start personalizing them as you gain experience.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of what has happened to the price of groceries over the past several years. We’re paying more money than ever for food that is loaded with things that we shouldn’t be putting in our bodies. When you learn to can and preserve nutritious food that you grew yourself, you empower yourself to take control of your food budget while also improving your own health and that of your family’s.
In addition to saving money, having the know-how to preserve your own food significantly moves the needle on your family’s measure of self-sufficiency. You’re not going to produce everything you need, nor would it be practical to try, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take care of some of the staples and meal bases that you use or enjoy the most?
I strongly believe that every household should have at least a couple of month’s food on hand for emergencies. It gives me peace of mind knowing that I would be able to feed my family or help out a friend or neighbor in a time of need because I am prepared.
Freezing is actually my preferred way to store most of what I grow, but I’m limited on space even with the extra upright freezer in the garage. You would be surprised how many quart jars you can fit in a small space if you stack them. The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving is simply the fastest onramp to the world of canning.