the Ball canning book is exceptional. note too that many of the better pressure canners come with cookbooks which including canning recipes. I have an All American pressure cooker which I am thrilled with and have used for both pressure canning and water bath. last year I put up: concord & peach jams, three kinds of pickles, gallons of tomato sauce, sliced fruits, apple/green tomato chutneys, sweet corn relish, and lots of succotash.

just a note about canning deer meat: if you are canning it, you may want to also pickle it. it will soften some of the gameyness that becomes pronouced over time as well as tenderize it. (this is what the local Amish ladies do) otherwise if you are able, vaccum pack and freeze what you can.

The Ball canning book is one of the best I've seen! I use it and do a lot of water bath canning. Everything I've tried has come out great.

There is a "Blue Book" that one of the canning jar companies puts out. I think it is Ball jars --for pressure canning, be sure to read the directions and DO NOT let too much pressure build. If you have a canner with a guage, watch that closely, if one with the rocker, be sure it just rocks gently. It will take a while for the pressure to build, and then turn the heat down so it just rocks gently. Water bath canning is OK for things that are acidic. Things with vinegar like dill beans. It takes pressure canning for meats and things like green beans and non acidic items.
If you can find a neighbor or someone who has pressure canned and ask them to walk you through it the first time, it helps. Just taught a DS how to pressure can. After the first time he is doing great. has a fairly large garden and yesterday, canned a soup mix of carrots, green beans, and onions. That with his canned stew meat and some tomatos later on, he will have ingredients to put in crock pot.
You can dehydrate fruits and veggies too. With the moisture removed things do not spoil. I dehydrate onions, and fruits.

Definitely pick up the Ball Canning book. Invaluable. You will want to have both a pressure canner and bwb on hand. The first is for low acid foods and the second for jellies, jams, tomato sauce, pickles.
There is a great yahoo group called preserving-food. This board won't allow me to post the url, but do a search and you'll find it. Lots of old timers there and tons of recipes in the files.

I was going to say the same thing - and, if it turns out good, enter it in your local county or state fair. Have done that and what a terrific feeling one gets for getting a blue ribbon at the State Fair. Also, I use the water bath. Never had a pressure cooker. I love to listen to the "ping". Then you know you did a job well done - it pinged!!!!! Edie

I've been canning for 60 years. Started first with the water bath canner, green beans for 3 hours. Did it this way for years, and my folks finally bought me a pressure canner. So much quicker, and nothing to be afraid of. Now I use it for everything except tomatoes and fruits, jellies, pickles, and jams. These still need the water bath canner. My first pressure canner got warped and I couldn't use it last year so bought a new one. This year when I got out my water bath, there were small holes in the bottom, so I bought a new one of them. I can for myself and a lot of other people. I have won prizes at my local county fair as well as the Indiana State Fair. Those State Fair Rosettes are nice to receive.

be careful -green beans have to be done in a pressure canner-they are low acid and can cause botulism if done in water bath-

I do a lot of canning. I would suggest you get a Ball canning book and a pressure cooker. Your water baths are mainly for jams, pickles, fuits and tomatoes. If you've planning on canning any types of eat, you'll need the pressure. Please be sure and read you manual before beginning. Once you turn out that first batch, you'll be wanting to can everything. Good luck!

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Above are the best suggestions on this thread. DO CHECK OUT THE EXTENSION OFFICE. I am a volunteer food preserver with the Ext. Office locally. I teach jam/jelly making, canning, drying, freezing classes for the Ext. Office. PRESSURE CAN ALL MEATS, SEA FOODS, FISH, GAME, BEANS, LOW ACID FOODS AND VEGGIES ALWAYS! We had a family almost die of botulism from eating canned asparagus done in a water bath canner so make sure you follow the BALL Canning book directions. Make sure your Ball canning book is up-to-date. This book can be purchased at any store carrying canning supplies...Walmart, Bi-Mart, Kmart, etc. It costs about $7.99. They put out a new book on occasion because veggy seeds are hybids to get bigger, better, faster growing, etc. produce. Tomatoes USED to be high acid but now they've been hybrid to the point where you must use extra acid in each jar and process the tomatoes longer than you use to have to do. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS WHEN CANNING and you will have wonderful, safe food for your family.

Contact your county extension agent. We got a copy of the canning book that they use. Free. I don't know how they can give it away. But they did. (The 'book' was in a 2 inch folder). The Ball Canning book is what I use.