For experienced canners and millennials who’ve just discovered the old art of food preserving, it’s hard to find a more trusted source than the Ball Blue Book.
That’s Ball, as in the 130-year-old line of Ball canning jars.
And just in time for the summer harvest, Jarden Home Brands, which manufactures the Ball jars, has released the 37th edition of the Blue Book.
The most extensive revision since the first book was published in 1909, this 200-page edition expands on the most recent version by 56 percent, according to the company. It includes 75 new recipes (out of 500 total), pictorial step-bystep guides for beginners, a special section called “Meal Creations” (incorporating preserved goods cooks have learned to can from directions in the book) and more. The book also covers freezing and dehydrating.
It’s available for $11.95 at freshpreservingstore.com and also can be found at select grocery and hardware stores and mass retailers, as well as online.
And in case you’re wondering, the Ball jar is simply a brand of the oh-so-trendy Mason jar (as is Kerr, also a Jarden brand). The Mason home canning jar was invented and patented in 1858 by Philadelphia tinsmith John Landis Mason. Remarkably, the basic screw-band-and-lid design has remained pretty much unchanged from the original.