This Saturday August 16, Jarden Home Brands will host the first annual International Can-It-Forward Day with special guest, renowned chef and Bravo’s Top Chef judge, Hugh Acheson! I ate at Chef Acheson’s Atlanta restaurant Empire State South last year and it was one of the more memorable meals of my adult life. Being a southern guy, Hugh knows all about the old-fashioned art of putting up food. I cannot wait to hear his tips during the live webcast on August 16.
A day to celebrate home canning, International Can-It-Forward Day allows food enthusiasts to connect via a variety of online and in-person activities. Can-It-Forward Day has been around for four years, but this year Can-It-Forward Day will become International Can-It-Forward Day with special events taking place in Canada, Australia and South Africa.
New and experienced canners can participate in a live webcast on www.freshpreserving.com. Taking place at the Brooklyn Borough Hall Farmers Market, the webcast will feature canning demos where viewer questions will be answered in real-time by Chef Acheson and other experts while they demo the most popular (and delicious) home canning recipes. In addition to the canning demos, there will also be segments on crafting, herb gardening and the brand’s new drink ware line. We will also be attempting a Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Mason Jar Mosaic. Twenty -five farmers markets across the country will also be hosting Can-It-Forward Day celebrations. So check the Fresh Preserving website to find an event near you.
This year, Jarden Home Brands, the maker of the iconic Mason jars, introduced a new, limited edition jar in Spring Green. These retro-chic jars come in both pint and quart sizes and will only be available for one year. I just received a case of each size for review and I am charmed by the pale green color, which makes these jars well-suited not only for home food preservation but also for decorating and crafts.
In honor of International Can-It-Forward Day, Jarden Home Brands has generously offered a terrific prize pack to one West of the Loop reader. Whether you are an experienced canner, an aspiring canner or a gardener, this prize pack has something for you. The giveaway, which has a retail value of $69, includes:
- The New Limited Edition Spring Green Heritage Collection Jars: These limited edition jars commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Ball brothers’ “Perfection” Jar and come in a beautiful green tint. These are being produced only in 2014 and are available in both pint and quart varieties. Winner will receive a case of each!
- Fresh Herb Keeper: Many new to gardening start with herbs as an easy first step. (Maybe that is where I should start?) To savor the seasonings, Ball has developed a new product to keep herbs fresh for up to two weeks.
- Dry Herb Jars: A perfectly-sized solution for storing your dried herbs. Great for storing seasonings, spices and rubs too! Stackable, low-profile design makes pantry or drawer storage more efficient than old, mis-matched containers.
- Frozen Herb Starters: Preserve your fresh seasonings in ready to use cubes filled with butter, oil or other liquid for easy and flavorful meal starters. What a great idea for the Chicago Food Swap!
- 5 Blade Herb Scissors: Stainless steel blades to gently cut and evenly slice herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro.
- Ball Blue Book: Offering 125 pages that will guide you while you learn about preserving, this book provides information on equipment, instructions for the preserving method and recipes! This was the first canning recipe book that I used and I still rely on it for some classic recipes.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment to this post telling me your favorite use for Mason jars. Do you love to preserve with them? Use them as flower vases? Or store healthy and beauty items in them, like Zuzu does? I want to hear all your ideas. Comments must be received by August 24. I will select one winner at random. Good luck!
Be sure to join in the fun on Saturday August 16 for International Can-It-Forward Day. Whether you watch Chef Hugh Acheson’s webcast from New York City or participate in a live event closer to home, celebrate being part of the home food preservation community. You can also join the conversation on social media by following the hashtag #canitforward.
Full disclosure time: Jarden Home Brands asked me to host the above giveaway and spread the word about Can-It-Forward Day. I received the prize pack listed above from Jarden Home Brands free of charge for review purposes. I have not received any additional compensation and as always, all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
My favorite way to use mason jars is to put homemade jams, jellies and pickles in them!
I love using mason jars for canning! I’ve started canning a lot this year, and my favorite recipe is pickled onions from Well Preserved. Yum!
I’m relatively new to canning so I’ve been excitedly filling up jars with fruit and veggies from the farmers market and our CSA. The latest project was Spicy Dilly Greenbeans.
Alison, you are the winner of this giveaway. Look for an email from me.
I like to use the big jars to make apple and pear vinegars in with fresh fruit from neighborhood trees.
I’m a canner, so I love preserving my goods in mason jars – my favorite is Calhoun peaches in vanilla syrup!
At the moment, I have jars at home holding canned goods (my favorite), dry goods, yogurt, frozen pesto, fresh flowers, and odds and ends like buttons, acorns, and feathers!
I used mason jars with river rocks and candles as part of the centerpieces for my wedding, and I love using them to make jams and jellys. I also use the largest ones for storing dry goods that I use the most on my kitchen counter – it looks so much prettier that way!
I use mason jars to make jams & jellies, and some for pantry storage.
I use them for leftovers, store staples (beans, rice, flour and such) and storage in bathroom
Drinking glasses.
Canning jars are spread out all over our home, hosting jams and pickles, containing dry goods, corralling craft and sewing supplies… but my favorites are a small collection of late 1800s aqua jars which simply sit on a high shelf and make me happy.
These jars are perfect for Arnold Palmer’s and summer cocktails. I have just started canning my first pickles and jams so I will look for Mason jars.
I use jars for everything! Several include canning, pickling (beets, cucs, jalapenos, and carrots), drinking, storing leftovers, and holding dried goods (lentils, quinoa, ect). I even incorporated a mason jar theme into our wedding last year (rsvp, invites, vases, and candle holders).
My FAVORITE use for Mason Jars is to use it as a Martini Shaker..LOL
I drink sweet tea out of them
Thanks to Chicago Food Swap, I’ve been inspired to try canning jams and jellies. Most of the my jars have been used for berry jam.
I use my jars doe canning. Seeing all of my canned items lined up on shelves makes me vary happy.
You can find mason jars in all uses in my house – baby 4oz to store spices, quart jars to hold rice and grains and beans and nuts, flower vases, informal glasses for wine for a party…and of course – all sizes for canning!
At the present time, i love to use mason jars for making individual salads in on a daily basis. However, I have tons of tomatoes and zucchini in my garden and would love to can them this fall.
I want to try canning,but currently I use them to store dry goods in my pantry.
I use them for preserving food. I love canning and do a lot of it each year.
I have several favorite uses for Ball canning jars but the one I use the most is preserving asparagus and stewed tomatoes.