The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables

This is a very good reference book. It covers a diverse array of food preservation techniques, including drying, freezing, blanching, canning, making pickles, jams, jellies, etc.

I have only prepared the Spicy Salsa recipe, but it worked really well. The explicit instructions for canning were a useful reminder, and even more important, they would be easy to follow for a novice.

One thing I really like about this book is that it is written for busy people. The author (Janet Chadwick) gives advice for streamlining food preservation so it fits a modern lifestyle.

This isn't a sexy glossy book with color pictures. However, there are line illustrations to show techniques, and they are effective.