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
was one of my very first canning books. I bought my copy in early in 2009, around the time when I first started this blog. I used it as starting place when I made my first batch of pickled asparagus (how long ago that feels!) and I continue to reference it on a regular basis.
While walking by the Cookbook Stall at Reading Terminal Market about a week ago, I happened to spot Putting Up More
in the window. I was surprised, as I hadn’t heard anything about a new canning book from Dowdney, but I stopped and bought a copy right there and then (let’s hear it for supporting local book shops!).
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 and Putting Up More, as they’re designed to work as companion volumes.
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 and Putting Up More. This is not a publisher-sponsored giveaway, I just think these books are wonderful and I want to support Stephen Palmer Dowdney and the work he does in creative, inspirational canning.
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.
i’m really excited about experimenting with anything that I can put up with the bushel of Vidalia onions that my father in law just brought home from the farm. That jam looks delish!
I’m new to the world of canning, but have used the freezer to perserve the summer’s bounty of tomatoes for many years. Hope to have success with cucumber pickles, and plan to try my hand at blackbery/raspberry preserves.
Fingers crossed I win! Lord knows I could use some help over here!
This is my first year growing blackberries and I can’t wait to make a blackberry sage jam. I also make tons of strawberry balsalmic basil jam. Yummy!
Do his books cover canning at high altitudes?
Wow! I need to make that onion jam, so having won the book would be a good first step.
I’m also looking forward to canning some more tomatoes, as I used the last of them last week.
I’m most looking forward to making strawberry jam and preserves! When I did that for the first time last year, it was the most heavenly my kitchen has ever smelled.
I’m looking forward to making a lot of things this year…. pickles and different jams top that list.
We’ve pretty much stayed with canning peaches and apple butter the last several years. Last year I made jam for the first time, with mixed results. If our preschooler doesn’t kill the plants we should have lots of tomatoes to put up this year. It would be great to have a reference other than the Ball Blue Book, especially w/recipes for ideas of what to do with the goods you’ve canned.
I’m going to try my hand at something other than jams this year. Of course there would be a revolt in my house if I didn’t make a few batches of my triple-berry jam! Whole tomatoes, chutney, fruit pickles are a few that I would like to try.
I can’t wait to put back stewed tomatoes!
I look forward to making lots of jellies and jams using my own fruit. This will be the first year I have blackberries, gooseberries, currents and strawberries. Yeah!!!!
I’ve been using the boiling canner method for foods the last few years. I just bought a pressure canner to expand my pantry for the winter–can’t wait!!
I am most looking forward to making apricot jam!
No more label reading in stores to find food with basic HEALTHY ingredients. I dug out my canning supplies from the basement all 5 dozen jars , canner and recipes. When my children lived at home, I canned , froze and dehydrated a lot of fresh food. I had “fallen ” away from canning food. Well no more. I have a HUGE garden, and have decided canning is the way to go. With the energy issues , preserving food in jars is a solution. I just finished strawberry vanilla jam , my daughter Sarah’s recipe.
can’t wait to try all the relishes and Jardinere, as well as canning my own soups and stews, just like my grandma used to do! I love this page and the folks who have discovered ( and rediscovered ) preserving your food can be a part of a healthy lifestyle .
I am returning to my roots from many years ago in the midwest where my grandmother and aunts canned everything and now I started “putting up” some veggies this year…My new one will be okra. I hate okra, but my husband loves it, so I plan to pickle some. I can tolerate it pickled, tho.
I fell in love with pumpkin marmalade and 14 day pickles last year. Those 2 things are on the top of my to can list for this year.
Most looking forward to making tomato butter!
I can’t wait for tomatoes! Salsa, stewed, sauce – Yum!
Those look like lovely books! Even if I don’t win I may have to pick them up. 🙂
I’m definately looking forward to blackberry jam. It’s so simple and so yummy and there are approximately 1 billion blackberry bushes around my neighbourhood. Plus, it’s what I’m giving away at my wedding. I’m really looking forward to the sticky fingers.
I am looking forward to trying a friend’s B&B pickle recipe this year. Also salsa and the pickled strawberry jam recipe I found recently.
I’ve already done some canning and plan to do a lot more before the end of summer. I made some jalapeno & garlic jelly today. I would like to make some relishes and pickled stuff this year.
I have not canned anything in years, and even then I only ventured into pickles! I am looking forward to getting into canning again and venturing into many things!
Raspberry Jam. I ran out a couple months ago and can’t wait to have more.
I’m making pie-themed baskets to give away at Christmas this year, so this spring and summer I’ll be canning fruit fillings! Strawberry rhubarb, apple, cherry, raspberry… mmm, can’t wait!
can’t wait to can some dilly beans. finally perfected my recipe last year, but not until the end of the season, so this season will be making up for lost time!
Looks like a interesting read.
I Love canning and I dont have these two books. They would be an awesome addition to my collection. I put in 14raised beds last yr. I am hoping this yr to be a canning queen if they produce enough. I live in Oregon so this might be harder than I think, I havent lived here very long.
I’ve never canned before, but after our great crop last year I am really looking forward to canning our homemade salsa! Yummy!
I saw the recipe for pickled brussel sprouts and that is something I want to do this year. I’ve canned for years, anything from meat, to veggies, to fruits, to jams, butters and jellies. I would love to add these two books to my canning cookbook shelf!
The thing I’m looking forward to the most is experimenting with Ball’s Pickle Crisp! I made lovely tasting pickles last summer… but they were mushy and I can’t do mushy. I’m hoping that this product fixes it.
We’re also going to try canning tomato soup, or at least putting it up in freezer jars.
And of course, peaches will be turned into jam and peaches for eating and baking.
And, my sister in law is going to teach me how to make dilly beans!!!
I’m hoping to can a lot more tomatoes than I was able to last year…last year was not a good year for tomatoes in the NW – and once you have home canned it’s hard to go back to store bought! Also, some savory tomato jams, relishes, etc. – they add something special to any meal!
I can’t wait to make some more basil tomato sauce this summer. I didn’t make nearly enough last year! The books really look lovely…
I always look forward to pickles….pickles of all kind….dill, sweet, bread & butter, sweet-hot. I love them all and look most forward to the whole pickle canning event every year!
cowboy candy!
The books look very interesting! I’m looking forward to making many more jars of pears & ginger in honey syrup later this summer!
EVERYTHING! I live in california and up until right now have not even been aware of the pleasures that canning can bring! Not only do you now what is in your food…how it came to be in your pantry…..but you control all the flavors that go into a receipe! It saves time…ultimately saves money and will ease my stress when it comes to making a meal every night! This is all very new to me…but already I have made friends….learned from all the individuals out there that are willing to share….learned from those who are “masters” at it….and I will keep learning! I am going to try canning literally anything that is worth the time and effort…..which seems to be an eternity of things! I cannot wait to have a pantry full of already cooked…ready to use products! My pressure canner is on the way and I already have made several jams and jellys that are sitting in my pantry….I cannot wait to get some peaches this weekend and see what else the farmers market has in store! YAY…for this site….I love it!
I think my favorite thing to can is my sour cherry rhubarb jam. I’m especially excited this year because we just planted our own sour cherry tree and it is going to fruit this year 🙂
All I can think about is strawberries right now. I’ll pick way too many to eat and then make some jam.
I can’t WAIT to start canning when I return home to the states this summer I hope to start with some simple pickles!
I’m new to canning, so will probably stick to something simple like a jam or tomatoes.
Green beans,I’m a new canner and green beans will be replacing jam this year, hopefully, as my most canned item!
Sounds like a wonder set of books!
I’m growing Thai hibiscus in my garden for the first time this year, and dearly hope to can some in syrup, and also use them in jams.
I’m most looking forward to canning salsa verde this summer. We had great success with our traditional salsa last year, so I’m eager to try something new.
I’m looking forward to putting up zucchini relish. I never make enough of it.
I can’t wait to make new and different jams this summer. I might even try to pickle some watermelon rind.
I just did Vanilla Rhubarb jam and Rosemary Rhubarb jam with a combination of farmer’s market and mom’s garden rhubarb. Yum! I’m looking forward to Cherries! A friend’s family has a recipe for Moonshine Cherries, made with moonshine they make themselves. They’re ah-ma-zing!
I’m looking forward to making some more fruit butters this summer!!
I just moved to the East Coast, so I’m looking forward to canning different produce than I’ve had in California!
I’m *REALLY* looking forward to canning wild salmon as well as some pie fillings (using apples from the Mendocino coast). Oh yeah, also looking forward to canning more chili and chicken breasts as well, but not as much as salmon… 😉
I am looking forward to making bread and butter pickles. I missed out on making them last season and want to make a very chunky version!
I am looking forward to canning peaches and apricots, they were soo good in the middle of winter to have a little taste of summer!
I’ve canned alot of meat this winter (chicken, beef, pork) so also looking forward to getting back to putting up veggies & fruits.
I’ll be buying these books as well if I don’t win them!
I seem to be looking forward to canning whatever is growing in abundance in my garden–right now it’s strawberries–jam, syrup, jelly, you name it; if it has strawberries, I’m canning it (and my kids are eating it!)
home grown salsa with tomatoes, jalepenos & garlic from my garden
Blueberry syrup. I would like to make it for Christmas presents but I’m not sure it will keep that long.
I LOVE canning and am looking forward to making herb jellies, triple berry jam, rhubarb conserves and anything that I can
fit into a glass jar. Italian basil tomatoes also might just be the right thing on my pantry shelves! Oh, and the pepper relish, pickles, the list goes on and on….. YUM
The though of being able to go beyond tested recipes- wow! Would love to have the knowledge for that. I am looking forward to my childhood favorite- pickled beets with hard boiled eggs! Also, making cucumber pickles with spicy peppers and whole dill flowers.
These books look awesome! Seriously I have my fingers crossed in a most serious fashion with high hopes of winning this giveaway! But I have to admit to myself that I am not terribly lucky! But I’ll hold out hope anyhow 😉 Well I have only really been canning for two summers now and have been limited to fruit butters and fruit jams but this is the first year that we’ve had a CSA and we might be setting ourselves up for veggie overboard because I also planted a small garden for the first time! So I’m sure there’s much more canning in my future than I had initially anticipated but I’m excited. My goal this year is to make the perfect pickle. Which I’ve never attempted but a southern bbq place we go to make their own pickles and they are phenomenal so I have a high bar set for myself. But I also want to try out salsa, some new jams, chutney and some pickled veggies!
I tried canning for the first time last summer and really enjoyed it. I made a corn relish and tomatillo salsa. Although I was extremely nervous the first time I opened a jar, the end result was delish and I’m looking forward to canning more this year! I hope to do some fruit this year – maybe some jams and butter? I’ve been scouring your site for inspiration.
Peach and plum jams!
Peach-lavender jam, blueberry butter, and something with mangos.
I can’t wait to make some strawberry butter when I get my hands on a good haul of fresh strawberries!
I would love to get a handle on canning purple hull and black eye peas.We here in the South grow these like weeds.lol
Thanks for doing this.
Cindy from Rick-Rack and Gingham
Pickled garlic! And strawberry vanilla jam! (I couldn’t stick to one).
Spicy Dily Beans! Love your blog!
Pickly pear jelly, but not until the end of the summer when the fruit is ripe!
Green Beans, I know not that sexy but it is what I’m looking forward to canning.
thanks
I can’t wait for this year’s butternut squash! I’ve got 3 vines going for a 2-person household… there’s gonna be a lot to put up.
I’m 62 and just getting into canning. These books sound like they would be a blessing to the confused canner like me. Thanks.
I’m currently obsessed with anything pickled and can’t wait to make cucumber dill pickles, and although they’re kind of scary, I might even give fermeted pickles a try!
I would so love those! I’m pretty much a newbie to canning and haven’t really decided what this year… hopefully some jam of some sort.
I’m so ready to make salsa. The u pick opens today!
I’m looking forward to canning stone fruits. I’ve made batches of pickled plums the past two years, and this year I’m keeping my eye out for cherry recipes.
tomatoes in every form! sauce, chili, salsa…. can’t wait!
My garden is exploding with tomatoes!! I’m going to can: tomato sauce, chili, spaghetti sauce, peeled tomatoes… YES!!!
Really looking forward to canning some figs now that our tree is mature enough. I’ll also be canning some salsas and will be looking for something to do with our zucchini harvest.
I started canning salsa last season. I am going to try again and attempt to improve on a new venture.
It’s nothing exotic, but I love canning my own salsa. (I put in roasted red peppers with the tomatoes — I know! Non-acid veggies! I shouldn’t! — and it makes the whole sauce so much richer and sweeter.)
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes!
Last year was our first year canning. We bought tomatoes to make salsa. This year we already have 10 plants in the ground (although the hail may have gotten the best of one) and plan to make crushed tomatoes, sauce, more salsa, and who knows what all else . . .
I’m taking a canning workshop this summer and looking forward to preserving for the first time! At the top of my list: rhubarb pie filling.
looking forward to making italian plum preserves. Didn’t get to make it last year–plums were not great last year.
Hello! We are looking forward to the huge harvest of tomato’s, peppers, onions, and herbs… and then the hard work of canning some more salsa. We only have around 6 jars left from last year. I love to satisfying ‘pop’ of the lids.. I wipe the sweat off my face and grin sooo big! I would love to have your book! 🙂
I’m waiting on a big ol’ glut of tomatoes to ripen so I can try my hand at canning for the first time.
Pickles and tomatoes!
I’m most excited to make more blueberry-lime jam. I love it on pound cake and plain corn bread. The berries will soon be in season here and I can’t wait!
this is my first year canning and Im excited to make pickles!
Pickled beets please… mmmmm….
Pickled carrots straight out of my garden are a favourite, although I also make a roasted vegetable spread that I love on burgers. And I’m up to my ears in rhubarb right now, so I need to get creative with that.
The tomatoes again.
Especially since I’ve now gotten a friend and an eleven-year-old girl interested in canning, and can make them do a lot of the work.
Chow chow and BBQ sauce are the new ones I want to try.
I’ve never canned before but my Southern background, plus summer, plus this blog have made me decide I’m starting this summer. I think my first order of canning will be some strawberry jam.
I LOVE to can!! Because of a family move last year nothing ended up in jars 🙁 BUT this is a new season and I’m looking forward to trying spicy things like curries & chutneys. I figure if I’ve seen it in a jar in the store, I should be able to do the same thing at home. I’ve never thought much of the USDA controlling ways so it would be great to learning some new methods.
I’m hoping to do two of my grandmother’s recipes: strawberry jam and tomato sauce. 🙂
I’ve only been canning a couple of years, but I always enjoy putting up jams and jellies with unique flavor combinations. This year I hope to continue to expand my canning to include more tomatoes and pickles and perhaps vinegars.
I am looking forward to the making of jam – I know it’s pretty quotidian, but I love putting all those jars together, especially knowing many of them are holiday gifts. Christmas in July if you will.
This will be my first year of canning. I’m very excited and most hopeful to can a kitchen staple — tomatoes. I just discovered your site a few days ago and have gathered so much great info. Thank you!
I always look forward to canning tomatoes, but I am especially looking forward to a variety of pickles this year…..I’ve come to believe you could pickle anything and it would taste good!!
I’m so excited to try canning strawberry/thai basil jam! And of course homegrown tomatoes!
I can’t wait for berry season,