The Organic Canner: A Review

So you want to learn to can but have no idea where to start? There are so many resources out there. Some are good and some are quite honestly bad. Some are too technical and some are too dumbed down. This one is right in the middle.

How I Evaluate a How To Book

When I am reading a how to book there are two extremes that will turn me off for that book almost instantly. One that is written so technical that if you do not already have a firm understanding of the process you will get lost or one that is written in a way that it appears the author thinks their reader is a complete idiot. Believe me I have seen both.

I want a how to book that is clear, easy to understand, but written on an adult reading level. Am I too hard on authors? Maybe, but that is what I like. I want to be able to do what the book is trying to teach.

I have read canning books that were just not up to par. I have seen some that had old information, information that is no longer deemed safe by the Department of Keeping us Safe. I have seen canning books that honestly had good instructions, but didn't have any recipes that I wanted to try. After the instructions the recipes are the most important part of a canning book. People need a starting point.

The Organic Canner

The Instructions

Okay, now to the book at hand. The Organic Canner by Daisy Luther. The instructions are complete, safe, and written in a conversational manner, just like a friend was talking you through the process. If you use this book and follow the instructions there is no reason you cannot successfully and safely can anything.

The Recipies

Here is where it gets good. Like I said before as long as the instructions are correct and are easy to follow the recipes are what sets a canning book apart. This book contains 81 recipes and instructions on canning your own recipes. Stand out recipes for me are Dandelion Blossom Jam, Crockpot Plum Butter, The REAL Tomato Ketchup, Just Peachy Peach Slices, Awesome Asparagus, well you get the point there are a lot of recipes in the book that I like.

I wanted to give an honorable mention to the entire section on canning leftovers. We have been canning some leftovers for quite some time.

The Only Thing I Wish I Could Add

I like the book, it is a good guide to safe home canning. There are a lot of recipes that sound really good and several that I intend to try. If there is one thing that I would like to add it would be an index with the page numbers of the recipes. As it is you have to go to the section the recipe is in, then find the page number. Not a big deal, but you want me to be completely honest. 

So there you have it The Organic Canner is a book that would be invaluable to the beginner and handy to the experienced canner.  Well worth your time and money.

Canning your own food helps

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Praying Mantis A Garden Hero?

I regularly run into people who honestly think that every insect in the garden is bad. They try to make it their mission in life to have their garden a bug free zone. Some you can reason with others you cannot. Many insects are not only allowable in the garden, some are extremely helpful.

At times the Praying Mantis could be considered one of the "Guardians of the Garden". At other times the mantis is just a transient visitor. It is a cool insect and freaky all at the same time. A lot of people are afraid of them because they look so "evil".

The praying mantis is an ambush predator and will feed on anything smaller than itself but large enough to get it's attention.

When I say anything I mean anything. Tomato worms? Check. Potato beetles? Check. But at the same time honeybees, lacewings, and really anything. In fact, some species in the tropics have been known to eat rodents, frogs, and small lizards.

If there are not enough insects for them to feed on they will simply go somewhere else. The praying mantis can be helpful when you have an infestation but are really never harmful.

The mantis has great camouflage and can hide in plain sight. It captures it's prey with two spiked front arms and just rips it apart and devours it.

Cool insect, hero at times, neutral at others. I hope you enjoy these posts on insects.

May you achieve your

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes