The Best Gardening and Preserving Products

Here’s a roundup of books, online sources, tools and products that we use to garden and preserve our harvest. Before we beginning any gardening project, we invest time in research, which usually means we read! Our first stop is primarily our local library.  We are lucky enough to live in an area that has a good public library system at our disposal. Many of the books we eventually buy, we checked out at our library first.

Here’ s a list of books, online sources , tools and products we use throughout the year that helps us garden, preserve our harvest and helps further our gardening knowledge. Enjoy!

Online Sources

• Living Homegrown
• Food in Jars
• The Herbal Academy of New England
• Ball Fresh Preserving
• National Garden Association

Gardening Books

• American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
• Traditional American Farming Techniques
• A Complete Foxfire Series 14-Book Collection Set with Anniversary Editions (Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 plus 40th and 45th Anniversay Editions)
• Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
• Armitage’s Garden Perennials: Second Edition, Fully Revised and Updated
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide
• Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses
• The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers, 4th Edition
• The New Organic Grower: A Master’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener, 2nd Edition (A Gardener’s Supply Book)
• Home Herbal

Preserving and Canning Books

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round
• Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving
• Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces from the author of Food in Jars
• The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables

Garden Tools

• Ergo Gel Grip Hand Trowel
• Ergo Gel GRIP 3-IN-1 WEEDER
• Warren Hoe
• 4-Tine Forged Spading Fork
• Long Handle Round Point Shovel
• Corona BP 3180 Classic Cut Forged Bypass Pruner
• Fiskars Softouch Micro-Tip Pruning Snip

Canning and Preserving Tools

• Granite Ware 0707-1 Steel/Porcelain Water-Bath Canner with Rack, 21.5-Quart, Black
• Ball Utensil Set 
• Cuisinart CSB-79 Smart Stick 2-Speed 200-watt Immersion Hand Blender with Attachments
• Ball Jar Mouth Pint Jars with Lids and Bands, Regular, Set of 12
• Ball Jar 16-Ounce Plastic Freezer Jar
• FoodSaver V2244 Vacuum Sealing System