This home canning guide is a write-up book with an astounding depth of detail and wisdom on the subject of home canning. There are three hundred pages of great advice regarding all facets of home canning.
The book is indexed for easy searching of specific sections, and there are numerous bibliography pages that will supply further information after the initial index. There is also a complete twenty-one-page glossary of commonly used terms, including those that would not be familiar to the average reader.
Other valuable resources are provided, such as a discussion of equipment, drying methods, canning recipes, and other such helpful information. The editors have done an excellent job of presenting the material in a clear and concise manner.
Even the most technical terms and concepts are presented in a manner that anyone, even those who are not fully acquainted with home canning, can readily understand. There are sometimes very difficult concepts presented that require more explanation than the simple listing of related topics.
For that reason, the editor must make certain that any student of home canning is given a detailed glossary at the beginning of each chapter, and that it is reviewed periodically as needed throughout the text.
This includes a thorough review of the equipment and techniques associated with home canning, including a detailed discussion of the most common equipment and techniques used, and a concise discussion of the terminology used in the text.
Mr. Mulch certainly did make my mouth water when he wrote about the term “mortar and plaster.” I had not heard of this and assumed that he was referring to the practice of making bread in a medieval kitchen, but he goes on to explain that the term is actually “mortar and plaster” when applied to food preservation methods.
This is an extremely helpful term, and the examples given of different forms of preservation techniques should help even the most novice of readers become familiar with the concepts involved.
The examples are given also illustrate the important point that good home food preservation is not just about canning, but also involves the proper handling of ingredients, ensuring proper temperatures and salutations, and the use of sanitizers and spices to enhance the taste of the final product.
This book describes a number of methods for canning, drying, and preserving meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, and fruits, and includes many case histories for different types of recipes that have been handed down through generations. For more specific details, please check this out.
It starts with a brief discussion of the terminology and then goes into the meat categories, including pork, beef, lamb, steak, turkey, goose, and duck, and includes a short note regarding the USDA’s National Organic Program.
The book has a very thorough introduction on the importance of hydration, sanitation, and hygiene, especially with the canning and sealing processes, as well as some details about preparing and drying meats at home. A number of recipes are included for the preparation and serving of whole or cut products.
The Eureka! Farmer’s Guide to Canning, Drying, and Preserving Foods is another useful book on food preservation techniques. This book includes topics such as selecting which foods go well with what kind of canning process, creating your own recipes using those canning recipes, and more.
It also includes a complete listing of all equipment and supplies needed for successfully canning your own fruits, vegetables, and meats at home, as well as an explanation of the terminology used in the book. A complete discussion of the terminology and uses are included as well.
For a full list of contents, please see the publisher’s website. The fifth edition of Modern Agriculture: A Practical Guide to the Farming of Foods in the 21st Century was published by the Farm Journal International (FJI), an independent company of international concern based in Rome, Italy.
The author is Pierangelo di Caprio, an agricultural consultant based in Rome. This publication was previously released in 2021 and has been out of print ever since.
The fifth edition contains almost seventy new recipes, an introduction to canning, an overview of the terminology and concepts used in the field, and an afterword by F. Sherman regarding the future of sustainable agriculture.
A DVD resource CD containing fifty videos on basic gardening and canning processes was also included as a bonus for buyers of the book. F. Sherman, in his book entitled Towards Sustainable Agriculture: A Practical Guide examined the ways that consumers and businesses alike can contribute to a healthy diet by supporting local agriculture.
The author is a certified Nutrient Specialist with the USDA National Nutrient Analysis program. The Modern Agriculture Association, or FAA, is an international organization promoting uniform quality measures for agriculture products throughout the world.
The association is responsible for the certification of nutritional standards for foods and is an invaluable source for information about global nutrition. In addition to being a highly regarded publisher of cookbooks, the Farm Journal and the FJI also serve as promoters of sustainable agriculture throughout the world.
The publisher also serves as an associate publisher for several environmental groups, including the Food Safety Institute of America (FSIA). The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is also a publisher of cookbooks and has also published some of the material in the FJI’s publication.
It is interesting to note that the aforementioned organizations are both promoting and supporting sustainable agriculture and food systems and would surely benefit from an endorsement from a globally recognized publisher such as F. Sherman, whose books are widely available throughout the world.