A good comprehensive textbook to have on hand. ( )

Just picked this up at a library book sale! Putting Food By is a little dated, but much of the material on canning and food preservation is still valid, because the authors came a the topic from the point of view of food safety. They do not recommend some of the older techniques that produce a questionable product, and they encourage the reader to keep food safety in mind when they are preserving. The book covers canning, freezing, drying, root-cellaring (one of the more interesting sections, to me, as I have a damp musty old basement and it sounds like that's exactly what you need!), curing, and some other "homesteading" topics like rendering lard and making soap. There are also some interesting old recipes at the end of the book (I am interested in the "baked stuffed heart" and "Old Settler Indian Pudding") There are also two mincemeat recipes in the canning section I am dying to try! ( )

I have not read the whole book - I have merely breezed through sections. This is a useful reference tool that I am sure to check back on many many times to come. ( )

An excellent quick reference book for food preserving with the hows and whys for doing each method, per each specific food. The book also gives good information to assess your equipment needs and concerns (freezers, canning equipment, etc.). It stays on the kitchen bookshelf with all my other favorites. ( )

A really good canning reference. ( )