This is a "beginner's guide" in the sense that the author doesn't cover pressure canning. However, her beginners' hints are frequently surprising. Some are new (I had no idea how many non-refrigerated ways there are to preserve vegetables' freshness if you just can't get to processing them today) and some are simply thinking outside the box (prepare for next summer's canning by spending the winter training your family to handle all the non-canning chores of daily life). Some are more realistic and less authoritarian than you might expect: it is safe to can overripe tomatoes, but be sure to add a tablespoon of lemon juice per pint. In addition to this, her recipes are up to date and her recommendations for processing methods are well considered. It's a book that the experienced can learn something from, and worth reading cover-to-cover.

And the recipes so far are good. I just canned pickled beets. Since I'm planning to use them in borscht, and in any case I'm not madly fond of the cinnamon & cloves in nearly every recipe out there, I was delighted to find a recipe here that uses less sugar, leaving me free to add more savoury herbs and spices. Delicious! ( )