What is Beginner's Guide to Canning about?
Beginner's Guide to Canning is a practical home canning guide for people who want to learn safe food preservation. It explains the basics of water bath canning and pressure canning and includes 90 recipes for jams, pickles, tomatoes, vegetables, soups, meats, fish, and giftable treats.
Is Beginner's Guide to Canning good for complete beginners?
Yes, this book is written for beginners. It says it is meant for people who have never canned before, as well as people who want to move from water bath canning into pressure canning.
Who wrote Beginner's Guide to Canning?
Beginner's Guide to Canning is by Diane Devereaux. The book also identifies her as The Canning Diva®.
What can this book help me learn to can?
This book covers a wide range of foods you can preserve at home. It includes jams, jellies, marmalades, fruit, pie fillings, pickles, relishes, tomatoes, salsa, chutney, vegetables, beans, soups, stews, meat, fish, and giftable treats.
Does this book explain safe canning practices?
Yes, safe canning is a major focus of the book. It explains acid, time, and temperature, when to use water bath versus pressure canning, how to handle headspace and sealing, and how altitude affects processing.
Will this book help me feel less intimidated by canning?
Yes, the book is designed to reduce fear around home canning. It uses step-by-step instruction, beginner recipes, and explanations of the science behind safe preservation.
Does the book teach both water bath canning and pressure canning?
Yes, it teaches both methods. It explains how each one works, when to use each method, and includes recipes for both high-acid and low-acid foods.
Are there step-by-step canning instructions in the book?
Yes, the book includes a step-by-step section for first-time canning. It walks through reading the recipe, checking altitude, preparing equipment, filling jars, processing, checking seals, and storing finished jars.
What kinds of beginner recipes are included?
The book starts with simple first-batch recipes such as low-sugar berry jam, basil diced tomatoes, cinnamon applesauce, garden salsa, dilly beans, and easy chicken soup. These are meant to ease new canners into both water bath and pressure canning.
Does Beginner's Guide to Canning include low-sugar options?
Yes, it includes some lower-sugar recipes and explains that sugar is often for flavor rather than safety. The book also uses ClearJel® in some recipes to thicken jams and preserves with less sugar.
Does the book explain what equipment I need for canning?
Yes, it includes an equipment section for setting up your kitchen. It covers water bath canners, pressure canners, jars, lids, rings, funnels, headspace tools, jar grabbers, stockpots, timers, and other basic tools.
Can I use an electric pressure cooker or multicooker with these recipes?
No, the book says not to use a multicooker or electric pressure cooker for pressure canning. It explains that a traditional stovetop pressure canner is needed because it can reliably control PSI and reach the temperatures required for safe canning.
Does the book explain altitude adjustments for canning?
Yes, it includes a section on altitude adjustments. It provides charts for increasing water bath processing times and adjusting pressure canner PSI based on elevation.
Are there recipes for meals in a jar, not just jams and pickles?
Yes, the book goes beyond preserves and pickles. It includes soups, stews, beans, meat dishes, fish, and full meal-style recipes like beef stew, white bean and chicken chili, and garlic chicken with baby potatoes.
Does this book include giftable canning recipes?
Yes, it has a full chapter of giftable treats. That section includes recipes like lemon-ginger jelly, pepper jelly, blueberry pancake syrup, cherries in amaretto syrup, candied jalapeños, and pickled garlic cloves.
If I want to preserve garden produce and save money, will this book help?
Yes, that is one of the book's main uses. It focuses on safely preserving garden produce, stretching seasonal harvests, and storing food for later use.
