Since long before mason jars became de rigueur in rustic-chic bars and restaurants, they’ve been integral to canning and preserving. One of today’s best-known manufacturers, Ball, has been producing molded glass jars since 1884.
Over a century later, The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving (Oxmoor, June) taps into a contemporary enthusiasm for homespun kitchen arts. “The DIY movement continues to grow; people are into CSAs, urban gardens, and container gardening more than ever,” says the book’s editor, Meredith Butcher; canning is a way to prolong those flavors. Recipes include some that John Landis Mason, who held the original jar patent, might recognize, such as strawberry-rhubarb jam, and some that reflect the growing influence of global cuisine on the current American kitchen, such as Asian pear kimchi.
That mix of tradition and innovation is a hallmark of several of the season’s titles. “People have been preserving for generations, but it’s evolving,” says Stephanie Fletcher, associate editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “Once people become comfortable, it morphs into something more complex.” Here’s a look at new books that guide readers through modern canning, preserving, pickling, curing, and more.
Naturally Sweet Food in Jars
Marissa McClellan
Running Press, Mar.
Recipes incorporating sweeteners including coconut, maple, and honey speak to the growing contingent of health-conscious eaters embracing unrefined sugars.
The New Wildcrafted Cuisine
Pascal Baudar
Chelsea Green, Mar.
Baudar, an experienced forager, links terrain to preservation through recipes for atypical edibles such as pickled acorns and currant capers.
The Field to Table Cookbook
Susan L. Ebert
Welcome, Mar.
It doesn’t get more local or seasonal than gardening, fishing, and hunting, as Ebert demonstrates in 175 recipes and lessons on curing, preserving, pickling, and more.
Better Homes and Gardens Jams and Jellies
HMH, Apr.
Readers will learn how to prepare toppings such as hot pepper jelly and carrot cake jam; proportion charts provide guidance for creating original recipes.
The Wurst of Lucky Peach
Chris Ying and the editors of Lucky Peach
Clarkson Potter, Apr.
With the goal of turning anyone into a “sausage savant,” this illustrated guide focuses on cured international specialties from Spain to Texas Hill Country.
Foolproof Preserving
Editors at America’s Test Kitchen
America’s Test Kitchen, May
Detailed tutorials explore the scientific processes of canning and preserving.
The Modern Preserver
Kylee Newton
Countryman, June
Newton emphasizes inventive creations such as raspberry rose jam, and carrot and citrus chutney.
Preserving Italy
Domenica Marchetti
HMH, June
Marchetti looks at the art of preserving on the other side of the Atlantic, from baby artichokes in oil to triple-citrus liqueur.
Cured
Charles Wekselbaum
Sterling Epicure, June
Wekselbaum, the chef behind charcuterie purveyor Charlito’s Cocina, draws on global influences in his entry-level guide to carnivorous as well as vegan dry-curing.
Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Rebecca Lindamood
Page Street, July
As typified by her signature recipe—candied jalapeños—Lindamood’s book discusses “modern canned goods and what to make with them,” in the words of the subtitle.
The Joy of Keeping a Root Cellar
Jennifer Megyesi
Skyhorse, Aug.
Megyesi, whose The Joy of Keeping Chickens (2009) has sold more than 12,000 print copies, per BookScan, turns her attention to canning, freezing, drying, and smoking.
