Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow

The book starts out with a harvesting guide that includes all methods that can be used to preserve each crop. Next, freezing is covered including a crop-by-crop guide & blanching methods.

Then both bath & pressure canning are demonstrated in detail. A processing timetable for each crop is included as well. Instructions for making fruit butters as well as cooked, pectin, & refrigerator jams & jellies follows.

The drying section includes shelf life for dried food & instructions for making your own dryer. There are also over 250 delicious recipes you can freeze, can or preserve and a resource guide for modern & heirloom seeds.


Great guide   August 9, 2004
 48 out of 48 found this review helpful

I've recently expanded my preserving repertoire beyond canned tomatoes & pickles and into the worlds of pressure canning, drying, and freezing. This book is perfect for the person exploring these (and other) options for "putting up" food. Especially helpful is the early section of the book with a long list of common fruits and vegetables with a summary of the best methods of preservation. Subsequent chapters present each method in detail (with good explanations of the science behind them) and provide greater detail on how to apply them to specific foods. I've also tried (with good success) several of the recipes that appear toward the end of the book. This was an excellent purchase for my needs.


Full of Information   September 27, 2005
 33 out of 33 found this review helpful

This book is great for the the novice. It covers soup to nuts (literally)!! After my first (successful!) attempt at canning tomato sauce and pickeling zucchini, I wanted to get more out of my garden. This year we had to take a hiatus from producing our own vegatables, but I ordered this book now, so I can be better prepared for next year. This books gives tips on types of vegatables to plant, harvesting tips, and a guide on how to best preserve each item. It has also given me plenty ideas to plan for in the next few years. My goal is build a root cellar in my basement. This book was definatly worth the money for the advice it gave me.


Everything I need with a GREAT layout.   January 4, 2007
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This book is wonderful in that it has all the information you could possibly want and it is sectioned very well. The only thing that I would prefer is a wider range of recipes for the salsas and things, but then again it is not a cookbook so I can't fault it for that.


Great, informative book   April 11, 2008
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I am a newbie when it comes to preserving foods. I have read this book cover to cover and have learned so much about canning, freezing, dehydrating, and preserving all types of fruits, veggies and herbs. The step-by-step instructions for all of the methods is truly a valuable asset for this book. Now I can't wait for my garden to start producing so I can get working on the preserving process. I highly recommend this book to beginners, like me. This book also has some pretty interesting recipes that I can't wait to try.