Ball Blue Book of Preserving is a bit like one of those automobile repair guides; it’s a large format paperback, with lots of charts, cutaway illustrations, easy to follow step-by-step instructions and ‘how-to’ info for the do-it-yourselfer. There’s also plenty of luscious full-color photography. You don’t get a lot of that with the car repair books.

Published by Jarden home brands, makers of Ball® glass jars, plastic freezer jars, canning and pickling mixes and other fresh preserving products, the Blue Book is a great place to start for beginners and an excellent refresher course for more experienced food preservers.

The guide covers the subject of home canning thoroughly and also includes sizable sections on food freezing and dehydrating, with many, many recipes for all three fresh preserving methods.

With a tough economy and sky-high food prices, more people are returning to home canning as a way to enjoy the fresh taste of summer longer, and to save money while they’re at it. No matter the state of the economy, the Ball Blue Book may be a resource you’ll want to pull off the shelf every year around harvest time.