Book Review: Ball Blue Book’s 38th Edition

The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes by Ball Home Canning Test KitchenMy rating: 2 of 5 stars

This review is of the 38th Edition of the classic “Blue Book”, which ironically features a purple cover. That should have been my first clue that ‘good ole Blue’ may have finally jumped the shark.

The recipes are fine. I compared some tried-and-true recipes between my beloved 1998 edition and this new one (which has no publishing date, incidentally, just the edition number). There’s no problem with the recipes, or with the canning instructions either. But what’s missing is a sense of pride in the art of canning. This is a food preservation method that’s been passed through generations for over a hundred years. When I can green beans I’m shadowing my grandmother.

The 1998 edition is a workhorse. I’ve grabbed it countless times, often with wet hands, and it still looks pretty good, just a little frayed along the spine. The new ‘purple’ book is twice as heavy, and the cover is a semi-matte finish that is going to look awful after spending a few months in my busy kitchen.

But the worst update is in the artwork, or lack of it. Beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations (or at least they look hand drawn to my eye) have been replaced with utilitarian, glare-harsh photographs. There’s no beauty to these photographs, simply a ‘this’ll get the job done’ attitude. The ‘blue’ book was a helpful work of art. The ‘purple’ book is merely a cumbersome instruction manual.

I rather hope Ball sees this review. I’ve been canning for three decades now, saving the produce from my large country gardens for use through the winter months. Ball has always been my constant companion, reminding me of measurements, time limits, pressure levels, and of course helping me with the recipes. I’ll use the new purple book, but I won’t enjoy the experience nearly as much.

(Click any picture to see the full size version)

The Old:

The New: