All the canning books I have come across begin the same way, as they should: with an explantion of the tools and techniques you need to safely can and preserve your own food.  They then typically break into chapters organized by type of preserve or by season. Many of them offer the same general recipes: strawberry jams and tomato sauces and bread and butter pickles.

When I began canning, I wanted to can something beyond from the expected peach slices and diced tomatoes.  These pantry staples certainly have their uses and can serve as wonderful “blank slates” for many a meal, but they aren’t particularly exciting or unique.

Two summers ago, as I embarked on my first few canning experiments, I ordered Liana Krissoff’s Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry blind: I knew it only by title and cover photo. But the title alone seemed promising, so I gave it a shot.

The cookbook certainly delivers on its title. Alongside recipes for dill pickles, Krissoff offers a recipe for pickled fennel with orange and mint.  And while she includes a recipe for spiced apple butter, on the very next page she shares a recipe for candied-pickled apples with star anise.  In addition to the 130+ preserving recipes, Krissoff also offers freezing tips and over 60 recipes using the preserves, ranging from Mu Shu Pork with Plum Sauce to Snack-Size Faux Tamales to Onigiri.

Nearly all of my canning projects that first summer came from Canning for a New Generation, or were some variation of the book’s recipes: pear and ginger preserves, apple butter, bruschetta in a jar, zucchini pickles.  It is still the book I turn to first when I want to try canning something new.

A great book for beginner and experienced canners alike, I give Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff 5 out of 5 stars.