Ball Blue Book - guide to preserving, 2011 edition: My review

The Ball Blue Book for many years has been a much-trusted resource for canners of all levels of experience.  In fact, the first version of the Ball Blue Book was published in 1909.  It was the first canning book I ever had when I got started.

The other day I bought the latest edition of the Ball Blue Book.  What follows is my personal review.

As far as the recipes go, the vast majority are still there.  Notably (and disappointingly) missing are squash pickles, stew vegetables, roasted tomatillo-chipotle salsa, cranberry apple relish (a huge personal favorite of mine and a very popular holiday gift), freezer tomato ketchup, and fruit crisp dessert (from the dehydrator section).

The directions and layout of the book are basically the same as the past 10 years.  All the instructions are easy to follow and make the canning process almost foolproof.  (Let me offer myself as evidence of that.  If I can do it, ANYBODY can do it!)

HOWEVER... (watch out, y'all, TennZen's fixing to go on a rampage)

I guess canning has become chic, or else Hearthmark, aka Jarden Home Brands, aka Ball Corporation is more concerned about the almighty dollar these days, because our beloved Blue Book has been turned into a glorified commercial for Ball products.

The marketing boys at Ball got sneaky and decided to "doctor" the recipes a little.

Let me show you an example.

Here are ingredients for a pickle recipe from the new edition:
cucumbers
sugar
Ball salt (listed as "canning salt" in previous editions)
vinegar
water
Ball Mixed Pickling Spice (listed as "mixed pickling spices" in previous editions)
Ball Pickle Crisp (optional) (not listed in previous editions)

If I were a novice and had never canned anything before in my life and had absolutely no idea about canning or pickling, I'd be scratching my head at ingredient #3.  Ball salt?  If I went to the canning supplies section of the store, I'd most likely see a jar of Ball canning salt.  That's what the recipe is calling for.  I would not know that there are other brands available or that I specifically needed to use canning salt.  The ingredients just say Ball salt.

If I, the theoretical novice canner, took the time to read through the entire book and its instructions, I may have noticed the "Salt" paragraph in the "getting started" section that says

"Use a pure granulated salt for brined and fresh pack pickles.  Pure granulated salt like Ball Salt for Pickling and Preserving does not contain iodine or non-caking additives that may cause pickles to darken or brine to become cloudy."  

Then I'd know that I needed special salt for canning pickles and I might even be observant enough to notice that Ball isn't the only company that makes canning salt.  Morton Salt also has a very good pickling and canning salt, for instance.

If I'm like a lot of people, though, I'll just go straight to the recipe and start from there.  In that case, the Ball salt ingredient may be meaningless to me.  I could either use Ball brand canning salt (score another sale for Ball Corp) or any old salt I may have on hand, which could yield unsatisfactory results.

I wish Ball would have clarified the recipe by listing the ingredient as "canning salt (such as Ball brand pickling salt)".  I could live with that.  Same with the pickling spice.

This isn't the worst example, though.  They got downright ugly with the jelly (and if you're familiar with this blog, you know I take jelly seriously).

Ingredients for a jelly recipe, new edition:
3 c bottled grape juice, unsweetened
6 Tbsp Ball Classic Pectin (listed as 1 pkg powdered pectin, previously)
sugar

This example, in my opinion, is playing dirty.  With the new recipe, it only gives the option of using Ball's new pectin, which is only sold in bulk jars.  It would seem that Ball doesn't have the single-recipe boxes of powdered pectin anymore.  There is not even a mention of substituting a box of any other pectin (like Sure Jell, Certo, or Jel-Ease) in the newest Blue Book.  I take that back - there IS a "how to measure" chart near the back of the book that says how to measure the bulk pectin, but even it is misleading, only comparing the Ball bulk pectin to Ball packaged pectin.  (Example: "6 tablespoons Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin = 1 (1.75 oz) package Ball original pectin")

Even the "Pectin" section of the "getting started" chapter introduction says:

"Use Ball RealFruit Pectin to make jams and jellies having a truer fruit flavor and perfect gel every time.  Ball RealFruit Pectin is available in Classic, Liquid, Low and No-Sugar Needed, and Instant varieties.  Each recipe in this guide will indicate the correct type and amount of pectin to use.  Use only the type of pectin indicated in the recipe as they are not interchangeable."

The way that reads to me, the novice canner, is that no other pectin other than the Ball pectin will work to make these recipes.

I'm here to tell you now that it just ain't so.

Let me make this clear to all you current and potential jam and jelly makers:

HOW TO CONVERT BALL BULK PECTIN MEASUREMENTS TO OTHER PECTINS:

6 TBSP BALL CLASSIC PECTIN = 1 PKG ANY OTHER REGULAR PECTIN
1 POUCH BALL NEW LIQUID PECTIN = 1 POUCH ANY OTHER LIQUID PECTIN
3 TBSP BALL LOW/NO-SUGAR PECTIN = 1 PKG ANY OTHER LOW/NO-SUGAR PECTIN
5 TBSP BALL INSTANT PECTIN = 1 PKG ANY OTHER FREEZER JAM PECTIN

The only caveat:  Do not try to substitute powdered pectin for liquid pectin, or vice versa.  If a recipe calls for powdered pectin, you must use powdered pectin.  If it calls for liquid pectin, you must use liquid pectin.

Pbbbllllttttthhhhh to you, Ball Corporation.  (That's a raspberry, in case you missed it.  Go make some jam with it!)

I understand that Ball and its various parent corporations are in the business to make money.  I am not against making money.  I am all for a free market.  I'm a Libertarian, after all.  I'm about as free as they come.

But, for crying out loud, Ball... don't go THIS crazy on us.  I mean, you already practically own the market when it comes to canning jars and supplies.  I have been many places where Ball jars and lids are the only options available.  Those jars aren't cheap, either.  Don't rub it in our noses and change your recipes in the Blue Book so radically as to exclude all other options.

This sort of thing - changing the recipes to constantly scream "Ball, Ball, Ball" all the time - is a big turn-off to me.  As brand-specific as this new edition book is, I almost shouldn't have had to pay for it.  It's basically an advertisement in disguise.

Maybe I'm being too much of a purist.  Maybe I'm just set in my ways.  Pardon my ranting.

If you need a good canning reference book, I recommend you go to the National Center of Home Food Preservation website and download their canning guide. It's bigger than the Blue Book.  It's also FREE.

Exercise your own right to freedom of choice.