Best Books on Preserving and Canning

[Deryn]

Just about everyone starts with Ball's. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ball-complete-book-of-home-preserving-judi-kingry/1100154062?ean=9780778801313 is the expanded version of the original.

[AAQuesada]

I'm sure many will dis-agree but I love Mes Confitures. Mostly for the ideas and combinations of flavors. The ball book has great technique on how not to kill yourself canning (most of which can be found online) but mostly bores me to tears. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mes-Confitures-Jellies-Christine-Ferber/dp/0870136291

[Shalmanese]

I'm sure many will dis-agree but I love Mes Confitures. Mostly for the ideas and combinations of flavors. The ball book has great technique on how not to kill yourself canning (most of which can be found online) but mostly bores me to tears. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mes-Confitures-Jellies-Christine-Ferber/dp/0870136291

Yeah, the Ferber method is phenomenal for small batch jam making. Most jam making books are geared towards getting an abundance of fruit preserved very quickly but if you're prepared to put in the extra effort, Ferber style jams are noticeably higher quality.

[patti_h]

You might like to check out the website "Food in Jars". There are lots of recipes and a canning 101 section. See what you think, I have made 1 or 2 of their recipes and enjoyed them. You might also like that some of the recipes are sweetened with honey (I think you are a honey fan).

[Shel_B]

I'm sure many will dis-agree but I love Mes Confitures. Mostly for the ideas and combinations of flavors. The ball book has great technique on how not to kill yourself canning (most of which can be found online) but mostly bores me to tears. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mes-Confitures-Jellies-Christine-Ferber/dp/0870136291

 

Yeah, the Ferber method is phenomenal for small batch jam making. Most jam making books are geared towards getting an abundance of fruit preserved very quickly but if you're prepared to put in the extra effort, Ferber style jams are noticeably higher quality.

 

 

This looks interesting.  I'll look into it further.  I don't mind extra effort .... and I will be making small batches.

 

What do you mean by "higher quality?" 

[Shalmanese]

This looks interesting.  I'll look into it further.  I don't mind extra effort .... and I will be making small batches.

 

What do you mean by "higher quality?"

Ferber Jams have a higher fruit:sugar ratio and are cooked less to preserve more of the fresh fruit flavor. And her anal skimming techniques result in crystal clear jams.

If you've ever had Frog Hollow jams, Ferber's book will let you make something of comparable quality at home.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Shalmanese (log)

[Shel_B]

Ferber Jams have a higher fruit:sugar ratio and are cooked less to preserve more of the fresh fruit flavor. And her anal skimming techniques result in crystal clear jams.

If you've ever had Frog Hollow jams, Ferber's book will let you make something of comparable quality at home.

 

That sounds perfect!  Thanks!  Maybe I'll pick up some Frog Hollow the next time I hit the Berkeley Farmers market.  I have been very disappointed with recommendations for various jams and preserves that I received here.  Everything tasted overcooked and over sugared.

[FauxPas]

I have a dozen preserving books and most of them have some useful information; they all seem to be strong in one way or another.

 

For a beginner, I think Deryn's suggestion of the Ball Canning book is a good one. It's a classic that gets updated and its recipes seem to have been downsized so the batches are reasonable even for smaller households. it will also help guide you through some of the choices such as liquid vs powdered vs no-pectin in jam and jelly making. It also has sections for chutneys and pickles and salsa if you want to expand beyond fruit jams. 

 

I suggest you first try making some very small batches for refrigerator storage before you do the canning process. It will give you a chance to play with recipes and taste and get used to the thickening process w/o investing time and equipment and energy in the canning process itself. Once you are happy with your basic approach to the recipes, then you can do the actual canning. I just find that it's a lot for a beginner to be juggling the jam/jelly/whatever recipe as well as dealing with getting the jars ready and the water bath and so forth. If you break it down into two steps, it will make it less overwhelming.  

 

I like a book called The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving, but there are lots of others that are decent. I do have the Ball Canning Book. 

 

You might like one of the other books specifically for beginners. Better Homes and Gardens has one, for example. 

 

You might be influenced by the pectin/no-pectin/home-made pectin/Pomona's pectin decision, but for a first attempt I don't think you should worry too much. Do very small batches and then you can sample and learn. And same with the sugar/low-sugar/artificial sweetener/honey decision. Jump in somewhere, give it a shot with very small amounts and then you can compare. 

 

Somewhere on eGullet, I posted my approach to very small low-sugar batches of jam for refrigerator storage. I do that all the time and it gives me a chance to play around with variations (adding nuts, liqueurs, mixing fruits, etc). Then if i run across a fabulous batch of fruit and decide I want to preserve a bunch of it, I already know my basic preferences. I might want to add more sugar for longer preservation times, but I have an idea of where I want to go before I go through the cost and effort of the real canning process.

[Shel_B]

You might like to check out the website "Food in Jars". There are lots of recipes and a canning 101 section. See what you think, I have made 1 or 2 of their recipes and enjoyed them. You might also like that some of the recipes are sweetened with honey (I think you are a honey fan).

 

Thanks, I'll take a look when I get home, after the weekend.  I'm not a honey fan, as such, but I do use it and enjoy it.  It might be a nice change from the more typical sugar.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Shel_B (log)

[Deryn]

What is your experience base, Shel? Have you ever made any kind or style of 'preserves' before? What do you already know/not know? And what do you like/not like? What are you averse to using (i.e. sugar, commercial pectins)? Do you have easy access to 'greening' green apples - in your backyard or from an apple grower so you can make your own pectin?

 

Do you want to make something that will keep on the counter or in the cupboard for long periods? Or are you looking for just a jar or two for the fridge - which you will eat up within weeks? Or maybe you want a freezer jam so you can keep it for longer periods but not on the counter? Are you figuring you can make 'gifts' for people (who may or not want to consume them quickly)?

 

All these 'preferences' and your background in this area influence what we might suggest as 'literature'.

 

If you don't tell us more then either suggestions for 'literature' are meaningless or not really helpful since they can be all over the map and leave you no further ahead unless all you want is a research project that could stretch far past fresh fruit season this year. We are already down a full page here and I still don't have any idea (as usual) what it is you really want.

 

Is what you want to have people tell you what their experience base is so you understand what level of expertise might inspire someone to get/use what book (and if so, how does that help you if you are a novice)?

 

If you have never made preserves, jams, jellies before, you really should start with learning a bit about basics before jumping into exotic techniques or flavour combinations. If you have made loads of conserves, preserves, jams, jellies, etc. before then let us know in your initial question so we don't have to guess or make suggestions that you can scoff at, please.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[weinoo]

We are already down a full page here and I still don't have any idea (as usual) what it is you really want.

 

That's a surprise.

 

But - here's a good article from Serious Eats about the basics.  A good start for any novice, even a novice as experienced as the OP.

 

Jams. Jellies,Preserves, Compotes, Marmalades, etc.

[FauxPas]

Or follow some suggestions that are already here on eGullet. You've been asking about this for a long time and there have been some answers. 

 

You want to do apricot 'preserves' - but I think you really want basic jam, from what you have said. And that is the easiest recipe in the world. But maybe you want lower sugar, that's the sense I get from you. And you were also asking about no-pectin recipes before. Then add citrus or use higher pectin fruit. And you can always experiment with different sweeteners, if you want honey or something else. 

 

Anyway, you don't really need a cookbook for what you are talking about since the basics are so easy - just take good fruit, cut it up to about 4 cups and add about 1 cup sugar (which will be way less than most jam-making recipes will advise). Put it in a low-sided pan and add the juice of  1/2 to 1 lemon, plus some zest. Cook it down over med high to high heat until it is reduced and thickened to the right consistency. Put a small plate in the fridge/freezer and test accordingly, you can find the jam or jelling instructions anywhere but it is basically put some of your jam on the cold plate and see how it rolls. 

 

Start there and then decide if you want more or less sugar/sweetness, thickness or whatever. Just jump in. Try it and let us know how it goes. And then we can help you, 

 

And stop kvetching over our advice. 

Edited February 25, 2015 by FauxPas (log)

[Shel_B]

That sounds perfect!  Thanks!  Maybe I'll pick up some Frog Hollow the next time I hit the Berkeley Farmers market.  I have been very disappointed with recommendations for various jams and preserves that I received here.  Everything tasted overcooked and over sugared.

 

Yesterday I hit the Berkeley Farmers Market and picked up a jar of Frog Hollow apricot conserves:

 

 

After about a year of tasting apricot preserves, and being unsatisfied with everything I tried, this is the one.  The ingredients are simple and basic: Organic apricots, organic sugar, ascorbic and citrus acids. The color is like that of fresh fruit (or as close as can be considering there's some cooking involved) and the taste is also close to that of fresh fruit.  The product is not overly sweet, not overly cooked, and the pieces of fruit are large.  In the sample I tried at the Frog Hollow stand at the farmers market, there was actually a piece about the size of half an apricot in the jar.  This is the closest I've found to what Toots makes.

 

I read that conserves have other ingredients in them, such as nuts or pieces of other types of fruit.  I also read that conserves are made from dried fruit.  This is not the case with the Frog Hollow product.  This is what I would call a preserve, but nomenclature notwithstanding, this is what I would eventually like to make.  It seems like there's some wiggle room with names for jams, jellies, preserves, and now, it seems, conserves.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Shel_B (log)

[keychris]

If you're interested in low-sugar for more fruit flavour, try investigating low methoxy pectin (iirc Pomona is one such brand) which uses calcium to set, instead of sugar.  You will need to be good at sterilising, as the huge amount of sugar in most jams is what acts as a preservative.

 

HTH

Edited March 1, 2015 by keychris (log)

[Deryn]

Yesterday I hit the Berkeley Farmers Market and picked up a jar of Frog Hollow apricot conserves:

 

Frog Hollow Apricot Conserves Small.jpg

 

After about a year of tasting apricot preserves, and being unsatisfied with everything I tried, this is the one.  The ingredients are simple and basic: Organic apricots, organic sugar, ascorbic and citrus acids. The color is like that of fresh fruit (or as close as can be considering there's some cooking involved) and the taste is also close to that of fresh fruit.  The product is not overly sweet, not overly cooked, and the pieces of fruit are large.  In the sample I tried at the Frog Hollow stand at the farmers market, there was actually a piece about the size of half an apricot in the jar.  This is the closest I've found to what Toots makes.

 

I read that conserves have other ingredients in them, such as nuts or pieces of other types of fruit.  I also read that conserves are made from dried fruit.  This is not the case with the Frog Hollow product.  This is what I would call a preserve, but nomenclature notwithstanding, this is what I would eventually like to make.  It seems like there's some wiggle room with names for jams, jellies, preserves, and now, it seems, conserves.

 

So ... Toots already knows how to make what you like? Great. I am sure she can help you with a 'recipe' then.

 

And, yes, while there are technically standard names for various types of this kind of product, there is also something called 'poetic license' and 'differentiation' for marketing purposes.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Deryn]

I just checked the Frog Hollow site - they say they use only 20% organic sugar. So that should make it easy to experiment with making your own copy.

[keychris]

how much inorganic sugar

[Kerry Beal]

80% I think.

[TeakettleSlim]

The Jamlady cookbook is another good one.