When All Else Fails, Read The Directions

When my husband and I first got our little place in the country. We knew we wanted to have a garden and preserve the food that we grew ourselves. This is a daunting task if you have never done or been around this before. I didn't know where to start. It almost seemed that the art of preserving was some kind of magic lost long ago. Magic I was going to have to come up with since I am a stay at home mother and most of the canning was going to fall on my shoulders

There were so many questions. I was unsure of the do's and don't's. To be honest, I was just lost. Lucky for me we moved to the country after the growing season was over and winter was approaching. Like most towns they have jamboree's or festivals in the fall, so when the jamboree came to my hometown, I went to visit my family and take a look around. There is always a man selling used books every year by the grocery store. And being the book lover's than my mother and I are we let everyone else go on along as we looked through all the books.
That is when the Gods shone down on me and I spotted the book Stocking Up III. I snatched it up and hugged it to my chest like someone was going to try and take the book away from me for their own use. I just remember thinking "Oh. Thank God, cause I don't know what I'm going to do next year." I was hoping this was going to be my ticket to gain that magical knowledge.

The book has EVERYTHING in it. If you are just getting started with canning vegetable and fruit. Then this is a must have book, there are even some recipes as well. It is our preserving bible. I'll give you the contents of the book so you can see what I mean.

Vegetables and Fruits

Choosing Vegetable and Fruit Varieties
1
Harvesting Vegetables and Fruits
containers to use for freezing--freezer organization--thawing vegetables and fruits--how and why to blanch vegetables--blanching in a microwave--blanching in a pressure canner--steps to follow for freezing vegetables--preparing vegetables for freezing--freezing grape leaves--freezing fruits--preparing fruits for freezing--what to do if the freezer stops running--freezing herbs
27
Canning Vegetables and Fruits
Sterilizing food--choosing and preparing your vegetables and fruits--head space--canners--closures-tin cans--raw packs and hot packs--checking seals--labeling--storing canned foods--spoiled food-canning fruits--step-by-step processing of fruits, tomatoes, and pickled vegetables--step-by-step processing of vegetables
43
Drying Vegetables and Fruits
why drying works-nutritional value-preparing food for drying-blanching-drying vegetables--sun-dried tomatoes--special techniques for drying peas, beans, and corn--drying fruits--don't microwave your food dry--temperature and ventilation--drying outdoors--drying indoors--oven drying--home dryers--electrical dryers--stove top dryers-solar dryers--our solar dryer-a low-cost indoor dryer--when your food is dry--storing--freeze-drying:good, but not at home--re hydrating--cooking dried vegetable and fruits--using dried foods-fruit puree--fruit and vegetable flour--fruit leather-herbs
171
Underground Storage
vegetables--fruits--good storage conditions--where to store your stash--storage containers
193
Pickles and Relishes
salt-free pickles--ingredients--equipment--canning pickled foods--step-by-step directions for canning in a boiling-water bath--storing pickles--brine curing--Euell Gibbons's dill crock--if your pickles fail--signs of spoilage--sauerkraut--pickles--pickles vegetables--relishes-pickled fruits--chutneys--mustards
239
Jams, Jellies, and Fruit Butters
jams and jellies with honey--cooked-down and pectin jams and jellies--homemade pectin--extracting juice for jellies--jams and preserves from frozen fruits--jelly tests--if your jellied fruits fail--uncooked jams and jellies--using artificial sweetener--using low-methoxyl pectin--filling and sealing containers--step-by-step directions for canning in a boiling-water bath--making fruit butters-jams--jellies--preserves--conserves--marmalades
287
Juicing Your Harvest
tomato and fruit juices--steam-juicing--using juicers--apple cider--turning apple cider into vinegar--herb vinegars--pickling with homemade vinegar--juices
307
Vegetable and Fruit Recipes

Dairy Foods
347
Storing Milk, Cream, and Eggs
Freezing milk and cream--eggs--old-fashioned storage methods--freezing eggs
353
Homemade Butter
separating the cream--chilling and ripening the cream--churning--taking off the buttermilk--washing and working the butter--butter in a blender--in a food processor--using an electric mixer--using a glass jar--if you have trouble--salting and storing butter-butters
365
Homemade Cheeses
equipment--ingredients--storing cheeses--cottage cheese--ricotta--cream cheese--plain, semi hard cheese--cheddar cheese
389
Homemade Yogurt and Other Fermented Milk Products
yogurt--a thicker yogurt--using a yogurt maker--making yogurt in the oven--in a covered casserole--in a thermos--what can go wrong-yogurt cream cheese-kefir--piima
399
Homemade Ice Creams
hand-cranked--electrically cranked--freezer ice cream--sherbet and sorbet--how-to's--adding fruits and nuts--storing--ice creams--sherbets and ices (sorbets)
417
Dairy Recipes

Meats, Poultry, and Fish
439
Preparing Meats and Poultry for Storage
butchering your own meat--preparing wild meats--if you're having your meat butchered--headcheese and other pressed meats--rendering lard--sausage--poultry
469
Freezing Meats and Poultry for Storage
freezing in bulk--what wraps to use--freezing combination dishes--freezing soup stock--quick freezing--thawing and cooking frozen meats--drying meats-salt alert
495
Preparing and Storing Fish
cleaning and dressing fin fish--clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops--crabs, lobsters, and crayfish--shrimp--freezing fresh-caught fish--thawing and cooking frozen fish-extending the refrigerator life of fish--canning--fish recipes--drying
517
Meat and Poultry Recipes

Nuts, Seeds, Grains, and Sprouts

Nuts and Seeds
harvesting tree nuts--hulling--drying--cracking--harvesting--and curing peanuts--storing shelled nuts--sunflower seeds--pumpkin seeds--nut and seed butters
549
Grains
really fresh flour--storing bread--freezing baked bread--thawing bread--making breads moister--freezing unbaked bread dough--storing store-bought grains--harvesting and storing your grains
561
Sprouts
the how-to's--storing and using sprouts--diastatic malt--sprouts' vital statistics
569
Nut, Seed, Grain, and Sprout Recipes