I have never canned anything! I'd like to learn and I have no idea what I'm doing or where to start. I was looking at some books on Amazon but many people posted that they were more of a recipe books, and not really about canning. What is your favorite book on canning and why? What book would you recommend for someone starting? I am looking for technique, saftey measures, what equipment do I need, simple basic recipes-nothing exotic or expensive. I'd like to can chicken, pork, tomatoes, relish, maybe potatoes. I also use You Tube alot if anyone has a particular content creator they'd recommend. Thank you!

Frilly, for a canning reference the "Ball Blue Book" is pretty much considered the gold standard as a reference; I also like one called "Putting Food By." You need to get an edition that is at least relatively recent as many canning practices have changed over the years (in other words, don't go for one from the 1930s or whatever).

For canning things like meats and potatoes (also beets, carrots, and a slew of other stuff that is low acid), you will need a pressure canner. Other things, such as pickles and tomatoes, can be processed in what is called a "boiling water bath." (For that you need a pot deep enough that your jars will be covered by about an inch of water; I use a big aluminum stockpot because it has a flat bottom and I have a glass-top electric range; if you have a gas stove the blue-enamel kettles that are sold everywhere are fine for that purpose.)

Please be very careful with information from YouTube; canning is a wonderful thing but there are some very questionable methods promoted on various sites, and incorrect processing can result in food poisoning.

Best wishes and congratulations on deciding to become a "canner"!

Also be sure that if you are pressure canning, be mindful that just as in cooking with a pressure pan, NEVER release your pressure early. A friend of mine tried that and it blew up in her face. The All American canners are the best ones I have found because they do not have a rubber seal and last a lifetime.

I have the giant stainless steel pans rather than the enamel pans. It seemed that I always scorched the tomato juice with those. And then I also lost a batch or two when the handle let go. They are cheaply made and easy to get a hole in the bottom. Stainless is just more expensive! Second hand supplies from an estate sale are a way around that....

They do have "steam canning" as well, and that goes really slick.

I do have an electric smooth glass top stove. I have never used a pressure cooker.

Frillylily said: I do have an electric smooth glass top stove. I have never used a pressure cooker.

The one thing I have to say about that is, you need to add more water to the pressure canner than is usually recommended, so that the heat and pressure stay constant with the way the burners adjust on and off on the glass-top stoves. (And also, be very careful about gently setting the heavy canner on your stovetop.)

I highly recommend beginning with some canning projects that only need water-bath processing and progressing from there.

And maybe I should add that when you buy a pressure canner there will be a user's manual with it; be sure to follow the recommendations about maintaining the pressure, allowing the canner to cool down before opening, etc. If you buy a used canner, which is a perfectly viable option, you should be able to find the instructions for the particular model online if it doesn't come with a manual.

The only book I have is The Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. My needs are simple; I don't use two thirds of a 128 page book. There is a section on meat, etc. but I don't need a pressure canner - just a big pot that I put a dish towel in.

Serpent said: The only book I have is The Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. My needs are simple; I don't use two thirds of a 128 page book. There is a section on meat, etc. but I don't need a pressure canner - just a big pot that I put a dish towel in.

a big pot that you put a dish towel in? I think you lost me there, Vera

I don't preserve anything but vegetables, so a plain water-bath is sufficient for my needs. I put a cloth in the bottom to cushion the jars when I lower them into the boiling water.

Vera, there are a lot of veggies that need to be pressure canned- beets, beans, carrots, squash, potatoes... the list goes on. (Unless they are pickled, that is.)

Lehman's Hardware in Kidron Ohio has a nice canning book. Had so much more than the Ball Blue Book, but I rarely ever can anything that isn't in the Blue Book. I think they might also have the Blue Book- or at least they used to.

I will say that I don't water bath tomato juice. I have also canned beans without pressure, but it takes like three hours for a batch. My Grandmother used to build a fire outside and can a whole tub of beans at one time. She did all of her beans that way.

They used to say that you weren't supposed to can on a glass top, so I refused to get one. Every stove I have ever had ends up losing the large front burner from the weight of the canners.

My parents and grand-parents used to can chicken and beef.

They both used a cooking range with an open flame, steady heat at all times.
We had a simple natural gas range but one grand-mother did it in the basement with a kerosene cooking range; the type that has a separate fuel reservoir for each burner.

I did not like canned beef or chicken as a child, but now wish I had some.

The University of Georgia Extension Service has a "sister site," the National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can find reliable up-to-date information there. https://nchfp.uga.edu/#gsc.tab... They don't have a wide range of canning recipes, but you can double-check your canning method.

For example, if you are making marinara using a recipe that includes olive oil, and you check "spaghetti sauce without meat," you'll find a recipe that includes oil and ONLY has instructions for pressure canning. If either meat or oil is in a recipe, then water bath canning is not recommended.

For a wide variety of recipes that can be boiling water bath canned, check out _Joy of Pickling_ by Linda Ziedrich.

https://www.youtube.com/@RoseR...
I found this woman on You Tube and she is very knowledgeable if anyone is interested.

She certainly has a lot of interesting-looking videos! I was particularly drawn to the one about organizing the freezer, since I was (attempting) to do that myself today .

I understand that she has a phd of some sort in cooking science (?) and is considered by many an 'expert' at food preservation techniques.