Canning and Preserving All-in-One For Dummies E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 822

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Everything you need to can, preserve, and put up your own food

Amid an increasing focus on locally sourced whole foods, preserving, rather than preservatives, is enjoying a comeback. With 300 delicious recipes, Canning and Preserving All-In-One For Dummies gives you a single, comprehensive resource on all aspects of putting up your own food; the equipment and ingredients you'll need; and the different techniques such as smoking, drying, curing, pickling, juicing, and root cellaring that you'll explore.

Canning and Preserving All-in-One For Dummies is a perfect guide for home cooks looking to learn how to can and preserve their own food, covering preparation times, cooking times, processing times, and the yield you should expect from your efforts, as well as the newest equipment needed to create and store your own healthy foods.

• Features 300 recipes
• Covers canning fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood
• Includes jams, jellies, butters, condiments, relishes, salsas, and chutneys
• Provides information on all types of food storage, including pickling, curing, juicing, and root cellars

Whether you're new to canning and preserving or are just looking to expand your repertoire with the great new recipes contained in this book, Canning and Preserving All-in-One For Dummies gives you everything you need to save money and live healthier.

Leseprobe

Canning and Preserving All-in-One For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/canningpreservingaio to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Book I: Getting Started with Canning and Preserving

Book II: Water-Bath Canning with Fruits

Book III: Mastering the Art of Pickling

Book IV: Fermenting and Brewing

Book V: Pressure Canning

Book VI: Freezing

Book VII: Drying and Root Cellaring

Book VIII: Smoking, Salting, and Curing

Book IX: Juicing

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Book I: Getting Started with Canning and Preserving

Chapter 1: The Art and Science of Canning and Preserving

Reaping the Benefits

Who’s Canning and Preserving?

Meeting the Methods

Canning food

Freezing food

Drying food

Smoking, salting, and curing food

Fermenting foods and drinks

Juicing

Taking on Technical Matters

Know the acidity level of your food

Follow the rules

Avoiding and Detecting Spoilage

Meeting the spoilers

Steering clear of spoilage

Detecting spoiled foods

Chapter 2: Gathering Your Ingredients

The Product: Fresh Is Best

Buying local

Choosing the best varieties

Picking perfect produce

What You Need to Know about Water

Examining your water source

Understanding water impurities

Sourcing Your Salt

Choosing the right salt

Avoiding salty problems

Making Sense of Sweeteners

Meeting the sugars

Getting to know the new sweeteners

Chapter 3: Assembling Your Canning and Preserving Equipment

Assembling Your Tools

Basic tools and utensils

Pots, pans, bowls, and more

Tried-and-true timesavers

Choosing Your Canning Gear

Canning vessels

Jars and lids

Canning tools

Gathering Your Pickling Gear and Utensils

Grabbing Your Freezing Tools

Gathering Your Drying Equipment

Setting Up for Smoking

Assembling Supplies for Salting and Curing

Fermenting Paraphernalia

Fermenting foods

Fermenting brews

Juicing Tools

Book II: Water-Bath Canning with Fruits

Chapter 1: Discovering Water-Bath Canning

Diving into Water-Bath Canning

Using water-bath canning equipment

Packing your jars with care

Water-Bath Canning: From Prep to Product

Step 1: Preparing your gear

Step 2: Readying your food

Step 3: Filling your jars

Step 4: Processing your jars

Step 5: Removing and testing your jars

Step 6: Storing your canned food

Heeding Some General Directions

Safety First: Checking for Spoilage

Adjusting Your Processing Times for Altitudes

Chapter 2: Canning Fruit

Picking and Preparing Fruit

Identifying the proper degree of ripeness

Preparing your fruit properly

Peeling and cutting: Necessary evils?

Preventing Discoloration

Meeting the antioxidants

Knowing the limits

Packing Particulars

Raw pack and hot pack

Lining your jars with liquid

Following Fresh Fruit Canning Guidelines

Stone fruits – Fruits with pits

Apples

Berries

The best of the rest

Fruit sauces and syrups

Chapter 3: Canning Tomatoes

Picking and Preparing Tomatoes

Knowing your choices

Prepping for success

Dipping into Tomato Sauces and Ketchups

Ketchups and chili sauces

Sampling spicy salsas

Adding fruits and other flavors

Chapter 4: Sweet Spreads: Jams, Jellies, and Butters

Getting to Know the Sweet Spreads

Processing with Fruit Pectin

Commercial pectin basics

Gelling without pectin

The Road to Sweet Canning Success

Jamming and canning

Jiggling with jelly

Mastering marmalades and butters

Chapter 5: Savory Spreads and Conserves: Chutneys, Relishes, and Mincemeats

Defining Conserves, Chutneys, Relishes, and Mincemeats

Creating Your Savory Spreads and Conserves

Book III: Mastering the Art of Pickling

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Pickling

Taking a Look at Pickling

Knowing the sights and smells of pickling

Getting a handle on the process

Assembling Your Ingredients

Salt

Vinegar

Water

Herbs and spices

Gathering Your Pickling Gear and Utensils

Mastering the Basics of Brining

Fresh packing

Complete precooking

Brining before canning

Heeding Some General Directions

Chapter 2: Pickling Fruits and Veggies

Preparing Produce for Pickling

Picking pickling cucumbers

Slicing and peeling

Keeping it clean

Diving into Pickled Veggies

Getting a crash course on crunch

Sweetening up

Layering and packing

Not Your Average Pickle: Fruit

Chapter 3: Pickling Meat, Fish, and Eggs

Experimenting with Pickled Meats

Pickling Fish Safely and Effectively

Appreciating Pickled Eggs

Book IV: Fermenting and Brewing

Chapter 1: Fermenting for Nutrition

Getting Familiar with Fermenting

Bringing in the bacteria

Appreciating the health benefits

Knowing the good guys

Assembling Your Equipment

Taking Sanitation Seriously

Cleaning as you ferment

Keeping your fermented foods happy

Keeping your cool

Chapter 2: Fermenting Fruits and Veggies

Selecting Produce for Fermenting

Perfecting your choices

Planning your location and quantities

Mastering the Basic Brining Process

Welcoming anaerobic

Keeping things exact

Adding flavors

Surveying the Krauts

Discovering Kimchis

Choosing sides: Cabbages, cucumbers, and more

Storing your kimchi

Stopping the process

Stocking Fermented Food Safely

Chapter 3: Fermenting Beans

Selecting and Preparing Beans

Knowing your choices

Planning your quantities

Testing the Tempeh Waters

Starting with a starter

Gathering the tools

Storing and serving your yield

Chapter 4: Fermenting Cheese, Dairy, and Vegan Foods

Introducing Fermented Dairy

Savoring Cheeses

Spreading the soft cheeses

Nibbling the hard cheeses

Saying Yes to Yogurts

Preparing Vegan Ferments

Finding alternative milks

Selecting starters

Storing and Serving

Chapter 5: Working with Breads and Grains

What You Knead to Know about Breads

Zeroing in on Sourdough

Mastering Rye and Pumpernickel

Indulging in flours

Adding seeds and other extras

Spotlighting Sprouted Grains

Soaking before cooking

Releasing the nutritional power of sprouted grains

Chapter 6: Beer-Brewing Basics

Gathering Your Gear

Sniffing out sources

Finding equipment for the beginning brewer

Assembling intermediate equipment

Knowing Your Ingredients

Malt: Going with grain

Heading to hops heaven

Considering yeast and fermentation

Factoring in water

Cleaning Up Your Act: Sanitation

Practicing safe sanitizing

Bottle cleanliness is a virtue

Ready, Set, Brew: Beginners

Assembling your tools

Brewing your first batch

Taking hydrometer readings

A Primer on Priming

Getting ready to prime

Making primer decisions

Bottling Your Brew

Picking out bottles

Preparing to bottle

Pouring a cold one: Getting your beer into bottles

Brewing: Intermediate Steps

Conditioning for better beer with secondary fermentation

Considering the advantages of secondary fermentation

Jumping into secondary fermentation

Chapter 7: Making Your Own Ales, Lagers, and Other Beers

Looking at the Types of Beers

Testing out the ales

Getting to know the lagers

Checking out the mixed beers

Considering Specific Ales, Lagers, and More

Irish red ale

American pale ale

Brown porter

Stout

English India pale ale

American premium lager

Märzen/Oktoberfest

Traditional bock

Herb, spice, and vegetable beer

Christmas/winter/spiced beer

Chapter 8: Brewing Other Liquids: Cider, Mead, Vinegar, and Kombucha

Mulling Over Cider

Sorting cider styles

Comparing apples to apples

Making cider

Crafting Meads

Knowing the power of honey

Making sense of mead styles

Examining the process

Sampling Vinegars

Making use of peelings

Understanding acidity science

Considering Kombucha

Book V: Pressure Canning

Chapter 1: Holding Up Under Pressure

Canning in a Low-Acid World

Choosing Your Pressure Canner

Cover: With a gasket or without

Gauges

Vent tube, pipe vent, or petcock

Overpressure plug

Rack

Examining the Pressure Canning Process

Step 1: Gear up

Step 2: Prepare your food

Step 3: Fill your jars

Step 4: Place the jars in the canner

Step 5: Close and lock the canner

Step 6: Process your filled jars

Step 7: Release the pressure

Step 8: Remove and cool the jars

Step 9: Test the seal and store your bounty

Heeding Some General Directions

Disposing of Spoiled Products

If your jar is still sealed

If your jar has a broken seal

Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes

Chapter 2: Canning Veggies

Finding the Freshest Produce

Avoiding Certain Veggies

Preparing Your Veggies

Cleaning your vegetables

Choosing a packing method

Processing Tips for Successful Results

Asparagus

Beans

Dried beans

Beets

Carrots

Corn

Greens

Onions

Peas

Peppers

Potatoes

Summer squash

Winter squash

Chapter 3: Canning Meats and Seafood

The Basics of Canning Meats

Tips for Safety and Efficiency

Practice first

Check everything twice

Be as clean as a whistle

Selecting and Preparing Meats for Canning

Meat Canning, Step by Step

Canning Beef and Pork: Cubed Meat

Preparing the meat

Filling the jars

Canning Ground Meat

Canning Poultry

Canning fresh poultry: Cold packing

Canning prefrozen chicken: Hot packing

Canning Fish and Seafood

Picking your fish

Preparing fish and seafood

Filling the jar

Chapter 4: Mixing It Up: Soups, Beans, and Combos

Canning Combined Foods: Method Matters

Mixing low-acid foods and high-acid foods

Mixing like foods with like

Creating a Successful Meal

Taking It from the Pantry to the Table

Stocking Up on Soups and Combos

Making your own stock

Teaming up with tomatoes

Including Meats in Canned Mixes

Introducing Beans to Your Pantry

Knowing the power of protein

Speeding up dinner using beans

Book VI: Freezing

Chapter 1: Getting into the Big Chill

How Freezing Works

Evaluating your freezer

Checking out the types of freezers

Choosing to Freeze

The whys and wherefores of freezing food

What freezes well—and what doesn’t

Following a frozen path to success

Avoiding Freezer Spoilage

Bacteria, molds, and yeast

Enzymes

Freezer burn and oxidation

Ice crystals

Packaging and Packing Your Bounty

Choosing a container

Tracking your frozen food trail

Packing your freezer

Thawing: Getting It Right

Choices for thawing

Coping with an unexpected thaw

To refreeze or not to refreeze thawed food

Chapter 2: Freezing Fruits

Choosing Your Fruits for Freezing

Packing Your Fruit

Going the dry route for packing

Using the wet packing method

Mastering the Frozen Fruit Process

Getting the lowdown on syrup

Following headspace guidelines

Thawing and Using Frozen Fruits

Chapter 3: Freezing Veggies Like a Pro

Preparing to Freeze Vegetables

Focusing on fresh

Setting up for success

Freezing Vegetables to Perfection

Blanching makes frozen veggies better

Packing essentials

Thawing and Using Frozen Vegetables

Avoiding spoilage

Coping with texture issues

Chapter 4: Freezing Fresh Herbs

Choosing the Right Herbs

Preparing Herbs for the Freezer

Sampling Frozen Herb Techniques

Freezing flat

Cubing the flavor

Chapter 5: Freezing Poultry, Meat, and Seafood

Preparing for the Deep Freeze

Timing is everything

Focusing on meal planning

Freezing for a small table

Packing Your Meat Properly

Choosing the perfect packaging

Freezing your pieces and parts

Packing for success

Making Your Freezer Work for You

Thawing 101

Following safety guidelines

Chapter 6: Freezing Prepared Foods: Meals and Snacks

Appreciating the Convenience Factor

Going in with a plan

Freezing quick meals

Freezing Breads, Snacks, and Other Treats

Muffins, breads, buns, and rolls

Cakes

Cookies

Pies

Nuts

Freezing Dairy Products

Knowing the best choices

Skipping the freezer

Book VII: Drying and Root Cellaring

Chapter 1: Getting a Big-Picture Look at Drying Foods

Understanding How Dehydration Works

Harnessing the heat

Gathering the tools for dehydration

Considering other tips for successful drying

Choosing a Dehydration Method

Electric dehydrators

Conventional ovens

Sun- and air-drying

Keeping Dried Food Longer

Packing your product

Storage solutions

Chapter 2: Drying Fruits and Vegetables

Your Drying-At-a-Glance Guide

Knowing the best fruits and vegetables to dry

Drying know-how

Prepping Your Produce

Sizing up your preparation options

Pretreating your fruit

Drying Fruits and Vegetables Step by Step

Enjoying the Final Product

Rehydrating your dried produce

Spotting signs of trouble: Good produce gone bad

Chapter 3: Drying Herbs

Harvesting Herbs

Picking the best herbs for drying

Timing the harvest

Hanging Around: Proper Drying

Harnessing the power of air

Keeping an eye on location

Drying with Ovens and Dehydrators

Drying Common Herbs

Chamomile

Dill

Mint

Oregano

Rosemary

Sage

Stevia

Thyme

Getting Creative with Herb Blends

Chapter 4: Drying Meats

Snacking on Meats

Tasting the nutrition

Planning the perfect quantity

Using different drying techniques

Selecting and Preparing Meat

Choosing the right cuts

Equipment and timesaving tips

Packing and Storing Meats

Using your freezer

Remembering to label

Avoiding spoilage

Keeping it dry

Making Jerky

Cutting and slicing

Going with ground

Chapter 5: Planning Your Root Cellar

Finding Your Cold Storage

Making use of the traditional root cellar

Seeking DIY storage spaces

Following Simple Storage Rules

Selecting storage stars

Choosing partners carefully

Picking the right storage container

Choosing the best packing materials

Tending your stash

Chapter 6: Preparing and Cellaring Veggies and Fruit

Stashing Vegetables for a Cold Day

Beets

Cabbage

Carrots

Garlic

Onions

Potatoes

Squashes

Turnips

Tomatoes

Setting Aside Fruit

Apples

Pears

Book VIII: Smoking, Salting, and Curing

Chapter 1: Keeping Meats

Understanding the Techniques

Smoking

Curing

Salting

Assembling Your Ingredients

Spicing up the meat palate

Loving the sweeter side of meats

Gathering Your Gear

Sizing up the equipment

Consulting with experts

Chapter 2: Taking on Smoked Meats

Settling on a Smoker

Choosing a type

Deciding on sizes

Playing with Fuel and Flavor

Describing characteristics of woods

Choosing charcoal

Using a chimney starter

Testing Tips on Technique

Planking perfection

Saucing, rubbing, and mopping

Building your own sauces

Perfecting the Process

Hanging around

Packaging tips

Chapter 3: Curing and Salting

Considering Curing

Choosing dry or wet curing

Salting and sugaring

Knowing nitrates and nitrites

Experimenting with Salting

Choosing between brining or dry curing

Testing the techniques

Mixing up flavorings

Troubleshooting and Storage

Meeting the bad guys

Storage solutions

Chapter 4: Making Sausages

Assembling Your Equipment

Grinding and stuffing

Casings and wrappings

Pulling Together Your Ingredients

Meeting the meats

Filling with fillers

Processing with a Plan

Prepping the ingredients

Choosing techniques

Storing Sausages

Smoking for flavor and preservation

Freezing for long-term storage

Trying Some Troubleshooting Tips

Knowing the enemy

Spotting the problems

Book IX: Juicing

Chapter 1: Juicing for Better Health

Appreciating the Power of Juicing

Getting in the nutrition

Drinking it raw or cooked

Discovering the Types of Juicers

Finding Your Ingredients

Going organic

Growing or buying

Gathering Tips on Techniques

Choosing your flavors

Timing your juicing

Storing and Preserving

Keeping your juice fresh

Storing tips

Chapter 2: Juicing Fruits and Veggies

Capturing Fruity Nutrition

Avoiding sugar shock

Deciding on skins and seeds

Drinking Your Veggies

Chapter 3: Juicing for Health: Detoxification

Taking a Look at Toxins

Identifying toxins

Finding out how toxins get in

Adding up over the long run

Reaping the Benefits of Detoxification

Enhancing detoxification

Going organic

Eating the Detoxification Way

Cheat Sheet

Canning & Preserving All-in-One For Dummies®

by Eve Adamson, Traci Cumbay, Karan Davis Cutler, Suzanne DeJohn, Kathleen Fisher, Theresa A. Husarik, Amy Jeanroy, Rob Ludlow, Bryan Miller, Marty Nachel, The National Gardening Association (NGA), M. Brittain Phillips, Marie Rama, Tom Schneider, Cheryl K. Smith, Karen Ward, Kimberly Willis, Gerald D. Wootan, DO, M.Ed.

Canning & Preserving All-in-One For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011936916

ISBN 978-1-118-03419-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-17201-8 (pdf); ISBN 978-1-118-17202-5 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-118-17203-2 (eMobi)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Authors

Eve Adamson is a New York Times best-selling author who has written or coauthored more than 50 books on food, cooking, dieting, and lifestyle subjects, including several other For Dummies guides, several books on the Mediterranean diet, and a book on craft beer. Eve is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and a self-taught home cook who loves to travel and sample the cuisines of different regions and cultures. She lives in Iowa City with her family. To find out more about Eve, visit her website at www.eveadamson.com.

Traci Cumbay cooks and eats quite a bit and then writes about the experiences for publications in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she lives with her husband and son.

Karan Davis Cutler, a former magazine editor and newspaper columnist, is the author of seven other garden books. She publishes regularly in horticultural magazines and is an eight-time winner of the Quill & Trowel Award from the Garden Writers Association of America.

Suzanne DeJohn, a writer and horticulturist at the National Gardening Association for 14 years, now writes, gardens, and runs a pet-friendly B&B in northern Vermont.

Kathleen Fisher was an editor of The American Gardener, published by the American Horticultural Society, and a longtime newspaper reporter and magazine editor. The author of several books and many articles, she died in May 2005.

Theresa A. Husarik is a writer, photographer, crafter, fiber person, and animal lover who lives on a small plot far away from the heart of the city. When she is not tending to her brood (which includes llamas, alpacas, angora goats, cats, dogs, peacocks, and chickens), Theresa can usually be found either behind the computer writing something or in the craft room making something.

Amy Jeanroy has been canning and preserving foods for 20 years. She is passionate about filling the pantry with useful, delicious foods and creating healthy meals from her own small farm. Amy is a Master Gardener, Food writer for Foodista.com as well as an Herb Garden writer for About.com.

Rob Ludlow, his wife Emily, and their two beautiful daughters, Alana and April, are the perfect example of the suburban family with a small flock of backyard chickens. Like countless others, what started out as a fun hobby raising a few egg-laying hens has almost turned into an addiction. Rob owns and manages www.backyardchickens.com (BYC), the largest and fastest-growing community of chicken enthusiasts in the world.

Bryan Miller is a food and wine writer and a former restaurant critic for The New York Times. He has written and cowritten 11 books. In the past 25 years, he has received numerous awards, including three writing awards from the James Beard Foundation and the organization’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

Marty Nachel is a freelance writer on beer and brewing. A former president of the Chicago Beer Society and founding member of the Brewers Of South Suburbia (B.O.S.S.) homebrew and beer appreciation club, Marty has been brewing his own award-winning beers since 1985. His articles have appeared in All About Beer magazine, Brew Magazine, Brew Your Own magazine, Celebrator Beer News, Drink magazine, and Epicurious.com. His first book on the microbrewing industry, Beer Across America (Storey Communications), was published in July 1995. Marty’s second book, Beer For Dummies (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.), followed in 1996.

The National Gardening Association (NGA) is committed to sustaining and renewing the fundamental links between people, plants, and the Earth. Founded in 1972 (as “Gardens for All”) to spearhead the community garden movement, today’s NGA promotes environmental responsibility, advances multidisciplinary learning and scientific literacy, and creates partnerships that restore and enhance communities. For more information about the National Gardening Association, write to 1100 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT 05403, or visit its website at www.garden.org or www.kidsgardening.org.

M. Brittain Phillips didn’t used to think much about toxins, but after working with Dr. Wootan, he’s not putting anything in his shopping cart without checking the label for high fructose corn syrup. (It’s everywhere!) He studied biology and English at DePauw University, and he’s happy to report that he finally found a way to combine the disciplines. He works and writes in Charleston, South Carolina.

Marie Rama grew up in the restaurant business surrounded by a large Italian family of food professionals and entrepreneurs. She has worked as a pastry chef, a recipe tester, and an account executive and spokesperson for national companies and associations, such as Tabasco Sauce, Korbel Champagne, and Sunkist Growers. In addition to Cooking For Dummies, Marie also wrote Grilling For Dummies (with John Mariani) and is working on a cookbook that celebrates the many uses and irresistible enticement of bacon. Marie has two sons, Nicholas and William, and lives in Yonkers, New York, with her husband and literary agent Mark Reiter.

Tom Schneider’s passion for authentic barbecue arose during his high school days in Oklahoma and burgeoned over 20 years of uncovering traditional barbecue joints while traveling the United States. Tom is primarily a self-taught cook who, for the past decade, has leveraged his commitment to barbecue into award-winning barbecue recipes while competing in sanctioned barbecue competitions and formal barbecue judging. Tom is owner and pit master for Poppi-Q Bar-B-Que, a specialty catering business in the Indianapolis market.

Cheryl K. Smith has raised goats since 1998 when she got two Nigerian Dwarves. She published Ruminations, the Nigerian Dwarf and Mini Dairy Goat Magazine from 2001 through 2007 and published the book Goat Health Care (Karmadillo Press) in 2009. She has written for Dairy Goat Journal,Countryside, and other magazines. Cheryl served as legal counsel for the American Goat Society (AGS) from 2003 to 2005 and was on their board of directors from 2005 to 2009. She volunteers as a goat expert on allexperts.com. Cheryl lives in the community of Low Pass, located in the coast range of Oregon, with her herd of experimental miniature dairy goats, Mystic Acres Oberians.

Karen Ward, the author of Pickles, Peaches, and Chocolate, is a life-long home canner, home economist, and recipe developer. In addition to judging preserved food at the San Diego County Fair each year, Karen teaches canning and preserving to men and women of all ages. Karen has been a featured guest on many television shows, including QVC and HGTV’s Smart Solutions. She is a founding member of the San Diego Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a nonprofit organization mentoring women and providing scholarships in the culinary arts. Karen makes her home in San Diego with her husband, Chris.

Kimberly Willis lives with her husband, Steve, on a small farm in the thumb area of Michigan. When not writing, she works at the MSU Extension office in Lapeer County, Michigan, as a horticulturist and doubles as the resident chicken expert. Kim has raised a number of breeds of chickens and other types of poultry for over 30 years. Kim is also a garden writer and has numerous articles in print and online. You can read her work at www.life123.com or www.squidoo.com/gardeninggranny or her blog at www.gardeninggranny.blogspot.com.

Gerald D. Wootan, DO, M.Ed. is an osteopathic physician board-certified in family practice and geriatrics. He holds bachelor’s degrees in biology, psychology, and medicine, a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and a doctorate in osteopathic medicine with board certification in family practice and geriatrics. He is the medical director of Jenks Health Team in Jenks, Oklahoma, a medical practice that specializes in integrative medicine with a strong emphasis on natural detoxification and nutritional supplementation. Dr. Wootan is trained in and utilizes the Defeat Autism Now! protocol for treating children on the autism spectrum and is an active member of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine.

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Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

You’re not alone if you’ve thought about canning and preserving your own food but haven’t tried it because you’re afraid it’s too involved. Well, it’s time to set aside your hesitation. Today’s methods and procedures for methods such as pickling, freezing, smoking, and drying food are simple and easy. Many of the techniques may be similar to those your grandmother used, but you’ll find they’ve been perfected. In Canning & Preserving All-in-One For Dummies, you get all the information you need to can and preserve food safely.

About This Book

This book presents eight preserving methods — water-bath canning, pickling, fermenting and brewing, pressure canning, freezing, drying, smoking, and juicing — in an easy-to-understand format and walks you step by step through each technique. You don’t need any previous canning or preserving experience in order to start, or continue, your endeavor to become a first-class food preserver. Within these pages, you’ll find information like the following:

What to look for to ensure that you’re preserving the best, freshest fruits and veggies.