If you are a first-time canner and need good basic instructions, or if you are not sure the method you have been using preserves food safely, consult the
It contains processing times for all the basic foods that are safely canned. The recipes tend to be plain, lightly seasoned fare. All procedures have been tested in labs for safety.
Another site you can find USDA information on is
The Ball Corporation publishes a good canning guide called The Ball Blue Book. It is widely available for under $10, the information is scientifically accurate (they have a laboratory for testing the safety of canning recipes), and the photos and diagrams are excellent for beginners.
The Kerr Corporation also publishes a good canning guide with photos and tasty recipes that are safe to seal in canning jars. It is less widely available.
The USDA publishes many pamphlets on safe canning. These are available for under $2 at your local county Cooperative Extension Office. The USDA recipes tend to use plainer seasonings than those developed by Ball, but they have some excellent classic fermented dill pickle procedures. These pamphlets are a must for your canning library.
Your local library will have an assortment of cookbooks with jelly and pickling recipes that contain creative seasonings. However, not all of the published recipes available in libraries and bookstores follow scientifically safe principles. When sealing food in a jar; safety is critical. Before using canning recipes from unknown sources, they should be compared to recipes developed in laboratories.