Putting Up More by Stephen Palmer Dowdney is an excellent canning cookbook for those who want to push the boat out and explore a world of preserving projects that are outside the typical array of recipes.
Stephen Palmer Dowdney’s first book, Putting Up
While walking by the Cookbook Stall at Reading Terminal Market about a week ago, I happened to spot Putting Up More
One of the things that makes Dowdney’s books stand out in the pack of canning volumes is the perspective from which he writes. He owned a commercial canning operation for more than 10 years and so isn’t as tethered to the home canning practices to which we all cleave. He sterilizes his jars in a bleach solution instead of a canning pot or dishwasher, utilizes the inversion method for sealing, skips a processing step for hot pack recipes and even gives you the intellectual tools necessary to check the pH levels of your goods.
Though he doesn’t specifically say it, his instructions on how to test acidity and how to adjust to bring your goods into a safe range is the information so many of us have been looking for. As long as you’re willing to follow his directions (to the letter), this technique will finally set you free from the confines of tested recipes. If this sounds appealing to you, I recommend that you get your hands on both Putting Up
He includes a section of canning notes in each recipe, which details whether the recipe is one that will need to have its acid levels tested, what the yield will be, his recommendation for jar size (a hugely helpful bit) and whether the recipe can be safely increased or decreased. Dowdney has also taken a great deal of time to offer up suggestions on how to use and serve each recipe. For those of you who make things and then question what the heck to do with them, this is fantastic.
Other high points of this book include the safe for canning soups (including butternut squash, which I imagine will make some USDA canners devotees freak out), an entire section devoted to products made from hot peppers and an eggplant chutney that sounds incredible. As soon as the eggplant, peppers and summer squash are in season, I’m making it.
Because I think they’re excellent books, I’m giving away the pair of Putting Up
In totally other news, I just started another year of a photo a day over on my other blog, Apartment 2024 (I used my birthday as the start). If you’re curious about what else happens in my life, feel free to take a peek. Recently, I drank a really tasty glass of iced coffee with condensed milk, voted in my local primary election and took a day trip to New Hope courtesy of Chevy.
Oooh, I’d LOVE to get my hands on these books! This summer, I’ve got plans for huge batches of bourbon-peach jam and tomato jam, since we couldn’t get enough of either of those all winter. And hopefully I’ll manage to make some pickles that are edible — both of last year’s batches were wonky — the bread-and-butters were just a little squishy instead of crisp and the dills were plain old disgusting (bad recipe, I think) 🙁
I am really looking forward to pickled fiddleheads. Tried them last year, but the recipe called for flour and the sauce was way too thick and tart. This year I have a recipe for pickled bread and butter fiddleheads which I hope will be awesome.
I am most looking forward to canning blueberry spice jam!
I want to make pickled cucumbers this year. I’ve been looking at all of your refrigerator pickle posts, which is where I’ll start. Then, I want to have some to keep in my pantry.
I just found your blog and love it!!! These look like great books to add to my library. I have pretty much stuck to the basics in canning, these books sound like they could open up a whole new world of canning to me. I’m almost out of home canned salsa and strawberry jam. I can’t wait to restock my pantry.
I know it’s simple, but I absolutely LOVE strawberry jam. I can’t wait to make a fresh batch!
I have been wanting to can some soups for a long time. I’m determined to do it this year. Those books sound wonderful. And how awesome that he used to be a commercial canner and is now sharing his knowledge. 🙂
I started canning last year and went with peach jam and pickles. This year, I’m looking forward to canning more produce from my garden, including carrots and zukes!
Apple rhubarb chutney….we went through it so fast this year that I need to make at least twice as much. But before apples come around, plenty of jam and tomatoes!
Tomatoes! Last year’s stash is getting perilously low and tomato season can’t come fast enough.
My boyfriend got me a canning starter kit for my birthday and I can’t wait to start! I think I want to do something with strawberries, or maybe an endless supply of pickles for myself!
We just tried out your pickled asparagus recipe, can’t wait to open the jar this weekend! The new recipe I’m most looking forward to trying this summer is pickled watermelon rind. I’m so excited to not to have to throw away all that rind!
I’m looking forward to pickled peaches. They are the first thing I ever canned and when I presented a jar to my visiting grandmother, it brought back memories of her childhood. She shared a lovely story of exchanging them with friends and neighbors like fruitcakes for the holidays.
After just planting half our garden with strawberries, tomatoes, cukes, red, orange, yellow, and jalapeno peppers, onions, cabbage, and asparagus (just a re-root – not a true planting), I think I’ll need all the help I can get learning to can. Our garden has doubled in size since last year and we still have another half to go. Anyway, I’m most excited to try my hand making jams this year (strawberry rhubarb and blackberry) especially since they will be with my own home grown fruit. 🙂
I made a bread & butter pickle last year as my first canning attempt and they were simply the best! Beginners luck? I hope not! So, we’ll see how they do this year and I want to make many more jars to share!
I can hardly wait to make watermelon jelly and can up some gingered peach halves from the surprisingly amazing peaches we have here in Colorado!
I had sooo many cukes last year that I made batches and batches of pickles – with a test recipe. They were so good that my family and neighbors ate them all! I’ll be hoping for more cukes in the garden this summer and also did dilly beans. Love them!
I also can venison.
I’m looking forward to trying some jam recipes, especially with strawberries.
Squash?? Really?? After I learned to pressure can the first thing I did was a huge bunch of butter nut squash soup that I then dumped when I did my Master Food Preserver certification. I really want to can butternut squash soup!!
Dilly beans, definitely. They are my favorite!
Boy, it’s hard to choose what I’m most excited about… I’m excited to make more peach butter because we LOVED the batch I made last year and I’m excited to make rhubarb jam because it is my absolute favorite.
I’ve been wondering for years about the possibility of testing for acidity yourself. This is great news! Would love to have a copy. I’m most excited about putting up stewed tomatoes this summer. . . those cheery summery jars allow me to survive the winter.
Wow these look really neat. I have never heard of them before. I will definitely be watching for them – if I don’t win. 🙂
THanks for the wonderful information! Let’s see, I am most excited about canning plain old produce from our garden. It’s been a few years since we’ve had a big garden and I miss plain old green beans or tomatoes in cans!
I’ve got my fingers crossed that this will be the first productive year for my apricot tree…
Would LOVE LOVE LOVE either of these books!
Thanks!
Wow, these two books sound amazing. They will be added to my collection one way or another. This summer I’ll be restocking my pantry with Peach Pecan Jam.
I’m looking forward to learning to can for the first time this summer! I’m particularly excited for peach & mixed berry preserves, salty beans and pepperoncini! 🙂
Strawberry Jam-but I would love to learn to can more than jam.
Thanks for this info as I’m finding it hard to pick a book about canning.
I’ve been meaning to make a standard dill pickle for some time now – maybe this will be the year!
Dilly beans and plum tomatoes.
I love making Autumn Olive Juice. It is so tasty and I didn’t make enough last year. Going to Double up this time around.
I have a new place without much garden space, but there is a HUGE rosebush falling over with it’s load of raspberry colored flowers. I’m going to make cookies, sorbet, and jam from them!
The content of those books is just what I am looking for! I definitely want to learn how to deviate from recipes or make my own up. This summer I am looking forward to canning soups. I could eat soup daily in the winter and if I have canned soups on hand, I probably will!
I can’t wait to try strawberry balsamic jam this summer!
Salsa! I’m new to canning, but definitely looking forward to salsa.
I made a wonderful Dutch chocolate fig jam with the last of the figs last summer…I ended up with only 4 pints…it was delicious…so this year I’m anxiously awaiting the ripening of the figs…I will certainly be making more than 4 pints!
I’m looking forward to canning peach butter and chow chow
i’d say i’m torn between fresh batches of fruit preserves and pickles. i can’t wait for pickles.
I am looking forward to trying some new recipies for dilly beans. The one I used last year was too tart! Also, I want to perfect crunchy dill pickles. Last years tasted good but we soggy.
I’m looking forward to canning some savory stuff, pickles, salsas and the like. I usually only do sweet stuff!
I can’t wait to make some spicy pickles!
Putting up dill pickles is something i look forward to every year. But this year, i’ll be canning everything i can fit in a jar.
My standard canning project (quince jam) probably isn’t going to happen this fall, so I’m looking around for other canning projects to take on instead.
Did tomatoes last year & pickles (which weren’t very good!) Definitely would love to try pickles again. as well the green beans!
I need to can tomatoes since we’re almost out but I’m looking forward to canning some beef.
Well, these look like fun! The plan this year is to do a ***ton of tomatoes. It’s a little boring, but it’s what we always run out of in January!
Pickles. This year, we’re doing pickles. I want to experiment with dill pickles as well as bread and butter.
I would love to do more small batch canning, as well as experimenting with the herbs I am growing. I also am making more pickles, which I have shied away from in the past.
I’d love to try canning tomato soup this summer.
Mmm I just had this amazing onion jam at Barbuzzo on Friday and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I would love to make that first!
I can’t wait to make pickle relish – always my favorite!