44 books like Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

By Judi Kingry (editor), Lauren Devine (editor), Sarah Page (editor)

Here are 44 books that Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving fans have personally recommended if you like Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Mary Bryant Shrader Author Of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes From a Traditional Foods Kitchen

From my list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Mary Bryant Shrader, and I'm the creator of Mary's Nest, a YouTube channel and corresponding website devoted to teaching approachable traditional cooking techniques using whole ingredients to help everyone become a Modern Pioneer in the kitchen. I take a simple step-by-step approach to help home cooks of all abilities cook simple, healthy meals using every last scrap of food to work towards creating a no-waste kitchen. I live in the Texas Hill Country with my sweet husband, Ted, and our lovable yellow lab, Indy. Our son Ben is just a drive away, and he frequently joins us for cozy home-cooked meals by the fireplace, followed by an evening of rousing board games.

Mary's book list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen

Mary Bryant Shrader Why did Mary love this book?

In the late 1990s, Sally Fallon (now Sally Fallon Morell) and Mary Enig ignited the modern-day traditional foods movement by publishing the now immensely popular Nourishing Traditions.

This book taught us that it was okay to eat butter, lard made the best pie crusts, and if you were going to fry food, frying was best done in tallow. And that was just the beginning! The subtitle of the book says it all: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and Diet Dictocrats.

This book vindicated everything my mother had taught me. Eat real food—not just vegetables—but all real food, including animal foods, and make sure that you eat from the nose to the tail and everything in between. Additionally, don't forget that you must always properly prepare food through slow cooking, culturing, fermenting, or souring to aid in proper digestion.

Oh, and while you're at it, make sure you use…

By Sally Fallon,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Nourishing Traditions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods contains a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. Sally Fallon dispels the myths of the current low-fat fad in this practical, entertaining guide to a can-do diet that is both nutritious and delicious.
Nourishing Traditions will tell you: *Why your body needs old fashioned animal fats *Why butter is a health food *How high-cholesterol diets promote good health *How saturated fats protect the heart *How…


Book cover of The Art of Fermentation

Zuza Zak Author Of Slavic Kitchen Alchemy: Nourishing Herbal Remedies, Magical Recipes & Folk Wisdom

From my list on wild foods and ancient ways.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born in Communist Poland, and when we emigrated to the UK, I craved the tastes of my childhood. More than that, I missed the culture of foraging, preserving, fermenting, and the stories that accompanied these processes–there was something deeply ingrained in my soul that I have been called to explore within my own work. I have written four books on East European cuisine. Slavic Kitchen Alchemy is rather different from the others because of its focus on herbs, healing, and mythology. The books on this list have inspired me in my own writing, and I will keep returning to them again and again.

Zuza's book list on wild foods and ancient ways

Zuza Zak Why did Zuza love this book?

This is the bible of fermentation.

Once again, being a Polish cook, I felt I knew a fair bit about fermentation, yet this book opened my eyes to so many different traditions and processes. This is the kind of book everyone needs in their kitchens because if you are at all interested in fermenting (and you should be because it’s one of the best things you can do for your health), then you will come back to it again and again.

By Sandor Ellix Katz,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Art of Fermentation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'...The high priest of fermentation theory' the Guardian

'Sandor Katz's teachings and writings on fermentation have changed lives around the world.' Dan Saladino, The Food Programme BBC

The bible for the D.I.Y set: detailed instructions for how to make your own sauerkraut, beer, yogurt and pretty much everything involving microorganisms. The New York Times

International New York Times bestseller, translated into 10 languages and over a quarter of a million copies sold worldwide

New York Times bestseller The Art of Fermentation is the only fermentation guide you'll ever need! In this book, fermentation revivalist Katz contextualises fermentation in terms of…


Book cover of The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z

Mary Bryant Shrader Author Of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes From a Traditional Foods Kitchen

From my list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Mary Bryant Shrader, and I'm the creator of Mary's Nest, a YouTube channel and corresponding website devoted to teaching approachable traditional cooking techniques using whole ingredients to help everyone become a Modern Pioneer in the kitchen. I take a simple step-by-step approach to help home cooks of all abilities cook simple, healthy meals using every last scrap of food to work towards creating a no-waste kitchen. I live in the Texas Hill Country with my sweet husband, Ted, and our lovable yellow lab, Indy. Our son Ben is just a drive away, and he frequently joins us for cozy home-cooked meals by the fireplace, followed by an evening of rousing board games.

Mary's book list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen

Mary Bryant Shrader Why did Mary love this book?

When I first read Tamar's original book, An Everlasting Meal, I knew I had found a kindred home-cook spirit in her. And to be honest with you, I thought that book couldn't be topped. But then she wrote The Everlasting Meal Cookbook!

This cookbook is the definitive guide on how to use up every imaginable leftover in your kitchen so that almost nothing will go to waste. Chances are, when you begin to implement Tamar's leftover recipes, you will see very little going into your kitchen garbage can. You'll gaze upon every scrap, every crumb in your kitchen in a new light.

Next thing you know, you will be taking the heel of a loaf of bread, a sliver of a parmesan rind, and a few vegetables from your crisper (that look a bit past their prime) and turning it all into a dinner that friends and family alike will…

By Tamar Adler, Caitlin Winner (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Everlasting Meal Cookbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Vogue and BookRiot

The award-winning, bestselling author of An Everlasting Meal serves up an inspiring, money-saving, environmentally responsible, A-to-Z collection of simple recipes that utilize all kinds of leftovers-perfect for solo meals or for feeding the whole family.

Food waste is a serious issue today-nearly forty percent of the food we buy gets tossed out. Most of us look around the kitchen and struggle to use up everything we buy, and then when it comes to leftovers we're stuck. That's where Tamar Adler can help-her area of culinary expertise is finding…


Book cover of Bones: Recipes, History and Lore

Mary Bryant Shrader Author Of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes From a Traditional Foods Kitchen

From my list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Mary Bryant Shrader, and I'm the creator of Mary's Nest, a YouTube channel and corresponding website devoted to teaching approachable traditional cooking techniques using whole ingredients to help everyone become a Modern Pioneer in the kitchen. I take a simple step-by-step approach to help home cooks of all abilities cook simple, healthy meals using every last scrap of food to work towards creating a no-waste kitchen. I live in the Texas Hill Country with my sweet husband, Ted, and our lovable yellow lab, Indy. Our son Ben is just a drive away, and he frequently joins us for cozy home-cooked meals by the fireplace, followed by an evening of rousing board games.

Mary's book list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen

Mary Bryant Shrader Why did Mary love this book?

I'll be honest with you. Choosing this book was a toss-up. Should I pick Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore, or Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient with Recipes, also by Jennifer McLagan?

You can clearly tell that I am a modern pioneer in the kitchen and an enthusiastic traditional foods cook by the books that I chose to read! Even though both of Jennifer's books are outstanding, I have to lean slightly more toward Bones than Fat. Why?

Bone broth is the backbone of a traditional foods kitchen. So the more I can learn about bones, the better. And the more I can learn how to make my bone broth more gelatinous and nutritious, even better. If anyone can give you a thorough education all about bones, it's Jennifer McLagan.

By Jennifer McLagan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Top food stylist and food writer Jennifer McLagan has a bone to pick: too often, people opt for boneless chicken breasts, fish fillets, and cutlets, when good cooks know that anything cooked on the bone has more flavor -- from chicken or spareribs to a rib roast or a whole fish. In Bones, Jennifer offers a collection of recipes for cooking beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, and game on their bones.

Chicken, steak, and fish all taste better when cooked on the bone, but we've sacrificed flavor for speed and convenience, forgetting how bones can enhance the taste, texture,…


Book cover of Summer Cookery

Manju Malhi BEM Author Of Easy Indian Cookbook: Over 70 Deliciously Simple Recipes

From my list on easy peasy cooking with easy to find ingredients.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up as an Asian girl in the UK has its ups and downs. I was bullied at school but sought solace in cooking and learning from my mother about Indian cuisine. Now in my adult life, I’ve been awarded the British Empire Medal for cooking services to the community during the pandemic. A straightforward approach to cuisine has won me fans globally and a TV series broadcast to over 80 million viewers cooking British dishes for an Indian audience. After writing 6 books on the subject of easy cooking, I hope you like the choices on my very personal list which are dog-eared and spice stained with overuse and love. 

Manju's book list on easy peasy cooking with easy to find ingredients

Manju Malhi BEM Why did Manju love this book?

It’s an interesting cookbook concept because it has been aimed at the Indian market where the summers are extremely hot and one would feel less inclined to spend long hours over a hot stove in the kitchen. However, the recipes include cooling dishes using seasonal fruits and vegetables but with an Indian twist. My favourite is the non alcoholic Party Punch which uses Indian oranges and chikoos which look like potatoes but have a soft brown edible flesh. 

By Rohini Singh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Summer Cookery as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Summer cookery is a collection of recipes designed specially to help you cook and keep cool through the hottest months of the year. Simple, practical, with a minimum of fussy procedures, the menu card includes thirst-quenchers, unusually flavoured vegetables, simply cooked meats and surprisingly easy desserts, featuring fruits, ice-creams and jellies. There is a special selection of chutneys and pickles to enhance any menu....


Book cover of The Ugly Vegetables

Katherine Pryor Author Of Zora's Zucchini

From my list on to help kids like vegetables and one fruit.

Why am I passionate about this?

Katherine Pryor is the award-winning author of several picture books about food and gardens. In addition to writing, she has worked to create better food choices at institutions, corporations, and food banks. She gardens with her young twins at their home on an island in northwest Washington. 

Katherine's book list on to help kids like vegetables and one fruit

Katherine Pryor Why did Katherine love this book?

A young girl wishes her family’s garden looked as pretty as their neighbors’ gardens—bursting with flowers and fragrance rather than the “ugly vegetables” her mom insists on growing. Her mom assures her their garden is worth waiting for, and that these vegetables will be better than flowers. At harvest time, she makes a soup that brings the neighborhood together. Based on events from author/illustrator Grace Lin’s own childhood, The Ugly Vegetables is a story about how food rooted in culture can pass history and identity down through generations, and the importance of growing food that tastes like home.

By Grace Lin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ugly Vegetables as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this charming story about celebrating differences a Chinese-American girl wishes for a garden of bright flowers instead of one full of bumpy, ugly, vegetables.

The neighbors' gardens look so much prettier and so much more inviting to the young gardener than the garden of "black-purple-green vines, fuzzy wrinkled leaves, prickly stems, and a few little yellow flowers" that she and her mother grow. Nevertheless, mother assures her that "these are better than flowers." Come harvest time, everyone agrees as those ugly Chinese vegetables become the tastiest, most aromatic soup they have ever known. As the neighborhood comes together to…


Book cover of Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month

Bill Laws Author Of Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History

From my list on backyard veg.

Why am I passionate about this?

Veg. I grow it; I nurture it; I shield it from cold winds, protect it from voracious pigeons, warm it against sudden frosts. And then I share it with friends, family, and neighbours… and we eat it. In between times I might write something gardeny or historical, but you’ll usually find me back on my veg plot, a little urban allotment in the west of England. I do a lot of reading there too! 

Bill's book list on backyard veg

Bill Laws Why did Bill love this book?

A well-followed YouTuber, Huw Richards is a relative newcomer to the vegetable garden, one of the new generation. I like the way he explores the rich potential of the raised bed – that’s right: just one. And he manages to incorporate every backyard trick from harvesting pea shoots to making compost. As ambitious as it’s appealing, his Veg in One Bed will probably persuade most backyard veggie growers to expand their plots before the first season is even over. 

By Huw Richards,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Veg in One Bed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Top grossing gardening book of 2019 in the UK.

"Huw Richards is the future of gardening" (The Guardian)

"This beautifully illustrated book teaches you what to do month-by month in order to have success in the garden"(The Sun)

"Ideal for new allotmenteers and gardeners starting to dabble in growing their own crops" (The English Garden)

In just one raised bed, greenfingered wunderkind Huw Richards shows you how to grow vegetables, organically, abundantly and inexpensively so you have something to harvest every month of the year.

Grow your own vegetable garden with this practical, straightforward gardening guide.

There is nothing more…


Book cover of Grow Your Own Vegetables

Aranya Austin Author Of Permaculture Design: A Step-By-Step Guide

From my list on if you'd like to grow your own vegetables.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved nature and the idea of being more self-reliant, so growing some of my own food seemed like an obvious place to start. This led me to permaculture and the treasure box of goodies it provides for each of us to make a positive difference in the world. Almost by accident, I found myself teaching and I loved it so much it became my main vocation. I write to make sense of things for myself and this is how my Design Guide came about. Books are a gift so few of our ancestors had access to. I hope you enjoy my recommendations as much as I have. 

Aranya's book list on if you'd like to grow your own vegetables

Aranya Austin Why did Aranya love this book?

Unlike my other recommendations, Joy’s book lacks photos and includes only line drawings. Regardless, her book is a classic reference that was my go-to guide when I started growing vegetables back in the mid-1980s – before the pages eventually started falling out. This revised edition is full of detailed information on how to grow an extensive list of vegetables, along with everything else you need to know about the process of growing. While many other books may look prettier, there’s little that you might want to know about organic gardening that you won’t find within these pages. Buy a copy for your home library and another for your greenhouse or potting shed.

By Joy Larkcom,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Grow Your Own Vegetables as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This revised, updated and expanded edition of the classic guide to growing your own vegetables contains everything you need to know to create a highly-productive vegetable plot. Covering every aspect of vegetable gardening from preparing soil to manures, composts and fertilizers, from growing techniques to protection, pests, from diseases and weeds to making good use of space, this is a comprehensive guide to ensuring the best results from your garden or allotment. With cultivation information for over 100 vegetables, including site and soil requirements, cultivation, pests and diseases, and cultivars, this illustrated handbook is a must for vegetable gardeners of…


Book cover of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History

Lynn Coulter Author Of Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation

From my list on why we love old-fashioned tomatoes, beans, peas.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved gardening ever since I was five years old, when I followed my grandmother around her yard as she watered her dinner plate-sized dahlias. As a college student, I rode a bus to school each day and read every gardening book and magazine I could get my hands on. After I graduated with a degree in Journalism, I realized I wanted to write about flowers and veggies and show other people how beautiful and bountiful a garden could be. My first book, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds, led to a wonderful speaking experience in Orlando at Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival, and to contracts for two more books in the spiritual living genre.

Lynn's book list on why we love old-fashioned tomatoes, beans, peas

Lynn Coulter Why did Lynn love this book?

Have you ever wished you could grow those nutritious, meaty peas and beans your granddaddy used to grow? Some had cool names, like Rattlesnake Beans, Big Red Ripper, or Blue Podded Shelling. They were probably heirloom varieties, plants that have been around for 50 years or more. While heirlooms are harder to find than they used to be, and nurseries and garden centers don’t often sell them as young plants, you can still grow these varieties from seeds (tip: look for them online or search for “seed swaps” in your area). Weaver is an organic gardener and food historian who discusses the old-timey veggies our forebears ate and where their seeds came from. You’ll want to plant your own kitchen garden with many of the varieties he covers.

By William Woys Weaver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Heirloom Vegetable Gardening as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This book is sure to be a modern classic and is one of the most important books on gardening in the current century."
—Jere Gettle, founder, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Heirloom Vegetable Gardening has always been a book for gardeners and cooks interested in unique flavors, colors, and history in their produce. This updated edition has been improved throughout with growing zones, advice, and new plant entries. Line art has been replaced with lush, full-color photography. Yet at the core, this book delivers on the same promise it made two decades ago: It’s a comprehensive guide based on meticulous first-person…


Book cover of One: Pot, Pan, Planet: A Greener Way to Cook for You and Your Family: A Cookbook

Niki Webster Author Of Rainbow Bowls: Easy, delicious ways to #EatTheRainbow

From my list on healthy plant-based recipes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a fan of vegetables as long as I can remember, I went plant-based as a young girl and have never looked back. I love to celebrate vegetables in their wholesome, vibrant goodness and put them at the center of your diet. I love nothing more than pairing different flavours and textures to create feel-good food that tastes as good as it does for you and the planet. I have been running my blog – Rebel Recipes for over 6 years and have four plant-based cookbooks with fans from across the globe!

Niki's book list on healthy plant-based recipes

Niki Webster Why did Niki love this book?

I absolutely love all of Anna’s recipes and her latest book is wonderful. Like all of her books, her focus is on taste and being naturally healthy. This book has a sustainability focus, with recipes focusing on using up leftover veg and ways to reduce waste. But ultimately you are going to get recipes that work and are incredibly delicious.

By Anna Jones,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sunday Times bestseller

Award-winning cook Anna Jones blazes the trail again for how we all want to cook now: quick, sustainably and stylishly.

In this exciting new collection of over 200 simple recipes, Anna Jones limits the pans and simplifies the ingredients for all-in-one dinners that keep things fast and easy. These super varied every night recipes celebrate vegetables and deliver knock-out flavour but without taking time and energy.

There are one-tray dinners, like a baked dahl with tamarind-glazed sweet potato, quick dishes like tahini broccoli on toast, one-pot soups and stews like Persian noodle as well as one-pan fritters…


Book cover of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
Book cover of The Art of Fermentation
Book cover of The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z

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