Canning and Preserving for Dummies (ISBN - 0470504552)

387 Pages·2021·5.32 MB·English

Amelia Jeanroy
Herb Gardens Guide, About.com
Karen Ward
Canning instructor

Learn to:
• Eat healthier by canning and preserving
food at home

• Cut your food costs

• Control the quality of the food your
family eats

• Expand your repertoire with great new
recipes

Canning &
Preserving

2nd Edition

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• New and updated recipes that
include preparation, cooking, and
processing times

• The latest canning supplies and
equipment

• Techniques for preserving the best
flavor

• Ways to can combined foods

• Detailed information on food
safety

• Tips on troubleshooting problems

• The best places to prepare and
store your foods

• A metric equivalent chart for
converting measurements

Amelia Jeanroy is a syndicated columnist and the Herb Gardens Guide
at About.com. An organic sustainable farmer, she has been canning and
preserving foods for 20 years. Karen Ward is a life-long home canner,
home economist, recipe developer, and cookbook author. She has been a
featured guest on many television shows including QVC and HGTV’s Smart
Solutions.

$19.99 US / $23.99 CN / £15.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-50455-0

Cooking/Canning & Preserving

Go to Dummies.com®
for videos, step-by-step photos,
how-to articles, or to shop!

Now updated — your guide
to preserving the best,
freshest fruits and veggies

Want to can and preserve your own food? This practical
guide gives you all the clear, hands-on instruction you need
in the basic techniques — everything from freezing and
pickling to drying, canning, root cellaring, and more. You’ll
see how to create and store your own foods with the latest
equipment — while you save money on your grocery bill
and eat healthier!

• Prepare to preserve — understand the various methods for
canning and preserving and the equipment and tools for each

• Yes you can can! — go step by step through water-bath and
pressure canning to store perfect produce and meats

• Baby it’s cold inside! — discover how to properly package and
freeze your foods, prevent thawing damage, and preserve
quality and flavor

• Taking time to dry — get drying know-how and see how to store
and use your dried foods

Canning & Preserving

Jeanroy
Ward

2nd Edition

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Start with FREE Cheat Sheets

Cheat Sheets include

• Checklists

• Charts

• Common Instructions

• And Other Good Stuff!

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by Amelia Jeanroy and Karen Ward

Canning &
Preserving

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

2ND EDITION

Canning & Preserving For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009932704

ISBN: 978-0-470-50455-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Authors

Amy Jeanroy: Amy has been canning and preserving foods for 20 years. She is
passionate about filling the pantry with useful, delicious foods, and creating healthy
meals from her own small farm. Amy is the Herb Garden Guide for About.com and
also writes a weekly farm newsletter that provides homemade recipes to help her
readers store and use their summer bounty.

Karen Ward: The author of Pickles, Peaches, and Chocolate, Karen is a life-long home
canner, home economist, and recipe developer. In addition to judging preserved
food at the San Diego County Fair each year, Karen teaches canning and preserving
to men and women of all ages. Karen has been a featured guest on many television
shows, including QVC and HGTV’s Smart Solutions. She is a founding member of the
San Diego Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a nonprofit organization
mentoring women and providing scholarships in the culinary arts. Karen is a
native-born Southern Californian. She makes her home in San Diego with her
husband, Chris.

Dedication

From Amy: To my uncles, John and Paul, whose constant support and
wisdom gave me the confidence to continue with my dreams.

Acknowledgments

From Amy: I would like to thank my entire editorial team at Wiley: Tracy
Barr, who kept me motivated; Emily Nolan, who tested the recipes; and
Elizabeth Kurtzman, who provided the illustrations. Thank you, everyone!
Creating a book is truly a team effort.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our
Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax
317-572-4002.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media
Development

Project Editor: Tracy Barr

Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy

Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

Technical Editor and Recipe Tester:
Emily Nolan

Nutritionist: Patricia Santelli

Illustrator: Elizabeth Kurtzman

Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich

Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor:
Carmen Krikorian

Editorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggar

Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South

Cover Photos: © Elizabeth Watt Photography

Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker

Layout and Graphics: Christin Swinford,
Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Melissa D. Buddendeck,
Melanie Hoffman

Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Getting Started ................................................. 7

Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Everything You
Need to Know about Canning and Preserving .............................................................9
Chapter 2: Gathering Your Canning and Preserving Gear .........................................17
Chapter 3: On Your Mark, Get Set, Whoa! The Road to
Safe Canning and Preserving .......................................................................................33
Part II: Water-bath Canning ....................................... 43

Chapter 4: Come On In, the Water’s Fine! Water-bath Canning .................................45
Chapter 5: Simply Fruit ...................................................................................................57
Chapter 6: Sweet Spreads: Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and More..............................77
Chapter 7: Condiments and Accompaniments: Chutneys, Relishes, and Sauces ....91
Chapter 8: Pickle Me Timbers! .......................................................................................99

Part III: Pressure Canning ........................................ 115

Chapter 9: Don’t Blow Your Top: Pressure Canning .................................................117
Chapter 10: Preserving the Harvest: Just Vegetables ...............................................133
Chapter 11: Don’t Forget the Meats! ............................................................................167
Chapter 12: Combining the Harvest: Soups, Sauces, and Beans..............................185

Part IV: Freezing ..................................................... 199

Chapter 13: Baby, It’s Cold Inside! Freezing Food .....................................................201
Chapter 14: Meals and Snacks in a Snap: Freezing Prepared Foods .......................213
Chapter 15: Freezing Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs .................................................221

Part V: Drying and Storing ....................................... 247

Chapter 16: Dry, Light, and Nutritious: Drying Food .................................................249
Chapter 17: Snacking on the Run: Drying Fruit ..........................................................259
Chapter 18: Drying Vegetables for Snacks and Storage ............................................279
Chapter 19: Drying Herbs .............................................................................................301
Chapter 20: Root Cellars and Alternative Storage Spaces ........................................315

Part VI: The Part of Tens .......................................... 327

Chapter 21: Ten (Or So) Troubleshooting Tips for Your
Home-Canned Creations .............................................................................................329
Chapter 22: Ten (Plus) Sources for Canning and
Preserving Supplies and Equipment .........................................................................335
Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide ...........................................................................339
Index ...................................................................... 343