Since we have a small garden area, plus friends who pass along extra produce, I am able to preserve food much cheaper than buying it. Besides, I know what is in my jars of food, unlike store bought foods.
I suggest the Ball Blue Book and also the Univerisity of Georgia's So Easy to Preserve. Both are safety tested books. Ellie Topps book, Small Batch Preserving is also good.

I'm not familiar with the University of Georgia's So Easy to Preserve, but if Linda Lou recommended it, it has to be good. The Ball Blue Book is the bible to canning. I also love Ellie Topps Small Batch Preserving. Another recommendation is the Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving by the USDA.

I have friends and family "trained" to return the jars and rings if they want more. It cuts expenses down. I also garden. So a lot of what I can comes from the garden.

I have all the books mentioned, as well as the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, another one worth recommending.

So Easy to Preserve is the print version of the NCHFP site so often linked to as a key reference. If you prefer information in print it is an excellent resource. But if you routinely access information online, you can save some money by not purchasing this one.

Canning doesn't always save money. In some cases the product may cost more. However, you derive the benefit of a healthy avocation with an end-result of higher quality and more "individual" than what you can purchase.

Carol

I also have the Ball Complete book, too. It is also a nice resource. Some of the things are a bit different than our guidelines, since it is basically a Canadian resource book.

As mentioned, it doesn't always save money. That will all depend on the types of food you can. But it can be a substantial money-saver once the initial outlay for equipment is covered.

Those of us that have been doing it for years with little or no additional purchases needed save money hand over fist. But you also need to consider the quality. There honestly is no comparison between the quality and flavor of store-bought vs. home preserved. Home products will win every time.

And it is a fun project to do together.

As to books - the best (and least expensive) one to start is the Ball Blue Book available wherever canning supplies are sold. Saw it on sale at Walmart today for $5.25. It covers all the basics and has many good beginning recipes, detailed instructions on equipment and how-to as well as freezing and storage tips. It alone can quickly let you discover if home food preservation is something you want to get deeper into.

Dave

PS: you'll see many links here to NCHFP - it is best online place to start so I linked it again below. It has all the info you need - for free. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation

For recipes check out the link below - it offers many different ones. Otherwise, if you are looking for something specific use the search bar at the bottom of the page (not the top) and be very specific like 'pineapple salsa' - it gets you this Annie's salsa with pineapple ;)

Or ask and one of us can usually find it for you.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Greatest Hits Recipes discussion

Is it cheaper? At the beginning, not really. I COULD buy a can of tomatoes on sale for 69¢ and just to buy a canning jar is almost $1 per (the price of jars has just skyrocketed here). But the flavor and the satisfaction of putting up your own food (and you do know what is in there) is totally worth it.

You will find it cheaper at Christmas - everybody gets a jar or two or three (yes, I play favorites :-) and I get the empty jars back as my gift (works for me). Like Booberry, I have them trained.

I second the above book recommendations. If you're interested in more ways to preserve than just "canning", I might suggest Stocking Up III from Rodale Press. They describe making butter and cheeses, root cellaring, drying foods, etc. It's an interesting read as well, as they do describe some of the "why's" and "why not's" of food storage. My copy is pretty old (from 1986), so I double check their canning recipes, but I do believe there is an updated version available.

As far as convincing your partner (been there, done that) it only took one jar of Annie's Salsa. Haven't bought salsa in three years...store bought is no longer allowed in "his" kitchen!

Latest edition of Rodales Stocking Up is 1990 and is considered outdated, sorry. It's canning recipes should be used with care. But I agree with malna that it has great info on root cellars, making cheese, and drying foods.

Please keep in mind that home canning butters or cheeses or dairy products or oils such as salad dressings was prohibited some time back but you will still sometimes see recipes for doing them floating around.

Dave

Dave,
Thanks for pointing out that the latest edition is from 1990 (I thought at least it would have had a "2" in front of the year-sheepish grin on face here-since I already own a copy, I haven't kept up with the published dates). Wow, it looks like they've given up revising their books. Sorry about the bad recommendation!

No, not a bad recommendation Malna, not at all. It was a great book at one time and I really hated to see Rodale let it slide. So just use with care.

Like we said - great basic stuff on cheese and drying - I still use it for those - and it has some really tasty recipes too but it does have some acidification shortcomings and I have run across several processing times that have since been extended.

All the high acid food recipes are still safe far as I know. Course when the new revised guidelines come out this year...if they do...who knows what changes will be made? ;)

Dave

bullmastiff,

Another nice, free reference: the "Preserving Food Safely" website of Michigan University.

I do very well with just the Ball Blue Book, its Canadian equivalent (Bernardin), and Ellie Topp's _Small-Batch Preserving_ book, mentioned above.

You can save money over buying quality produce out of season, definitely. Buy fruit in large quantity when it's on sale and in season, put up a lot, and eat it all year. You excellent peach jam from fresh fruit, with no preservatives, will be cheaper by the jar than a similarly quality jam from a gourmet store. And will taste EVEN BETTER.

The first year there may be an outlay for jars (you can often buy them cheaply at garage sales, though it's hard to find the smaller ones that way, I have found), but after a few years the only new equipment cost is lids.

BUT, as has been said, you won't ever be able to can as cheaply as a factory that uses cheap ingredients.

You should be able to win your partner over, however, with your tasty creations! Start with something you know s/he will like, heh heh heh.

And, you don't have to spend hardly anything to get started. You can can small jars in using a large pot of water---no need to buy a canner. Just find something that can go on the bottom for a rack: a cheap cake drying rack that fits, or wire some canning rings together.

You will want a funnel for filling jars---a canning funnel is only a few $$ but I started with a 50-cent plastic funnel that I cut the bottom off to make a wider opening.

I *DO* suggest you buy a "jar lifter" as the one piece of specialized equipment it's hard to beat. I canned a few times without one and BOY was I glad to get it. It costs abotu $5 and is SO much easier than trying to get jars out of boiling water with forks, tongs, etc.!

Otherwise, all you need to buy are a box of jars (they will come with lids and rings for your first project), and ingredients (fruit, sugar, etc.).

Though it is worth investing in at least the Ball Blue BOok, which has pictures, step-by-step instructions, and lots of recipes. Lots more you can get here (start with that "greatest hits" thread). Or at the library. (I took out Ellie Topp's book about 10 times before I finally bought it!)

Just be sure if the books are older than five years or so that you check the instructions are up to date. Nothing has actually become "prohibited," but the USDA recommendations have become more cautious over the years and some things that used to be recommended aren't any more.

Good luck, and have fun!

Zabby

Here is a link that might be useful: Preserving Food Safely

Thanks everyone for all the awesome advice.

A few years ago, I bought a "Jelly Kit" from my local mega mart.. it had the jar lifter, 12 small jelly jars, with rings and lids... the plastic funnel and a box of sure jell. I got this dirt cheap! like for $5.00. Probably because the pectin was two years old already! ha! what a steal!

anywho..last month, I had about 3lbs of yellow plums from my farm share that were too tart to eat out of hand so I made jam! Hauled that kit right out of the attic and had a ball! (yes, I bought new pectin.. hehehe) But I was appalled by all the sugar. I remember making freezer jam with my mom as a kid and measuring cup after cup of sugar.. when you are 10 it's SO COOL, but when you are 35 you worry about your health!

My jam didn't set but it DID seal! and I was so excited about it that I gave it away to all my friends... um.. but now I only have one jar of jam.. and an itch to can some more!

I went to a class last week at our local Cooperative Extension... and got a free copy of the Ball Blue Book.. good stuff there.

but now I want to do soup... and pickles.. and tomatoes (becuase my neighbors keep bringing me their tomatoes.. I'm swimming in them!)... so I'm convincing myself daily to hold off on the pressure canner...

Last night I told my partner that I had a source for Pineapple Tomato Salsa and her eyes lit right up! I might be able to convince her yet!

Mostly for her, she doesn't see the appeal. She grew up with the "dont' make it: buy it" family.. I grew up with the "why buy it if you can grow it, make it, sew it, ferment it, propagate it or convince bees to make it" family.

Bullmastiff,

Like a lot of others here, we have our own garden (albeit small) so yes, after the initial investment in canners, jars, etc. you can save some money over time.

For myself and my GF it really doesnÂt come down how much we can save but primarily quality, taste and food safety.

As much as possible we try to adhere to the 100 mile diet thing and grow or purchase local produce and can it while itÂs at it's peak. For example, store bought tomato sauce really falls short compared to home canned sauce made from vine ripened tomatoes picked at their peak.

With respect to food safety, we like knowing what goes into our food. Not sure about your neck of the woods but here a lot of food, both in grocery stores fruit and vegetable sections as well as produce used by the food industry for packaged goods, comes from who knows where. If you think about the quality of water and chemical usage in some parts of the world where "cheap" produce is imported from, it can give you shivers. Heck I wouldnÂt stick a toe in that water let alone swim in it or drink it so why would I eat produce grown from it! Just my humble opinion.

If your partner canÂt be convinced with the safety argument, make her a batch of tomato sauce from produce purchased at a local farmers market versus tomatoes at a grocery store that were picked green and ripen in boxes as they travel 100's or 1000's of miles. IÂm sure that will win her over!

Best of luck,

Bill

Sometimes you can find canning equipment at yard sales or auctions.
For jars I know in this rural area I ask around the Senior Centers or post a sign there for jars. Many homes here have basement stashes of jars. Recently someone gave me a few dozen pint jars because they don't can anymore and other is clearing out the 1/2 pint jelly jars because she only makes jams and jellies in pints now. One more has quart jars she used to can maters in.
Just make sure they have no chips or cracks. Glass jars will only go up in price due to transportation costs, glass is heavy.

My first purchased canning book, and still considered by many to be the Bible is Putting Food By. Not alot of recipes though.
Ball cannning is very easy reading and straight forward I have tried a few of the recipes and they are good.

For cost, I have gardens and usually grow the unusual produce that either I cannot get around here, or cost prohibitive. I looked up French Cornichan pickles on Amazon, 8.95 for a 6.7oz product jar, plus shipping!
I make a 9 day Gerkin using that type pickle, I could never find the size pickle I need for the gallon plus of pickles I have made so far, the 3.95 packet of seed was well worth it and the recipe is awesome. First batch was gone in 24 hours.

A few other cost efficient tips:

If you have a membership to a wholesale warehouse (BJ's, Sams Club, Costcos) buy your sugar there. I buy the huge 25 lb bag. Between canning & Christmas cookies, it'll be gone by Christmas.

Also you may want to check FreeCycle or Craig's List for free canning jars. I scored big on canning jars through Craig's List last year.