Canning-tacular giveaway: Food in Jars book & Ball Canner Kit
Summer just snuck up on me, and I feel sort of unprepared. Spring lingered longer, rains fell. Blueberries came and went (already).
I live in Texas and it’s summer for about 9 months of the year, so summer isn’t usually a surprise, but that’s enough about my confounding climate zone. It’s nearly officially summer, which means the possibility of preserving wherever you are.
First off, I’d like to start this giveaway out with a small quiz:
This year’s July 14 is a special date because:
A. it’s Bastille day, vive le France!
B. it’s the 100-year anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth, vive le revolucion!
C. it’s National Can-It-Forward day, where canners across the country will seal some jars in solidarity, vive le Canvolution!
D. it’s my birthday, vive le cake!
E. all of the above
You got it right. The answer is E.
I’m so jazzed for this giveaway, a can-tastic (yes, I just went there) prize pack from Ball Canning paired with my good friend Marisa’s first (and very fine) book, Food in Jars: Preserving in small batches year-round. This is the perfect prize for newbies and old hats alike. And if you already have a canning set-up in place, then wouldn’t the Ball kit be a nice prize for an aspiring canner in your life?
You’ll get this 21-quart canner pot that includes the rack:
;)
And this utensil kit (half-filled jar of jam not included):;)
Aaaaand a copy of this great book:
The Food in Jars book is every bit as delicious as the blog by the same name, but tactile, with a sturdy hard cover and beautifully printed pages to turn. I had the pleasure of seeing the galleys for this book when Marisa visited in November of last year, and I must say, Running Press did a lovely job putting this book together. Moreover, Marisa’s recipes are simple and straightforward yet incredibly inventive with flavors. This book reads like afternoon tea with Marisa, like you’re sitting at her kitchen table and she’s pulling out jar after jar and telling you about each of them.
I’m especially excited to make her cranberry ketchup (must use last year’s fruit in the chest freezer!) and intrigued by the cantaloupe jam (hello exotic Creamsicle). I like the inclusion of other recipes, the non-canned goods and gifts you can put in jars, too. There’s a cinnamon vanilla sunflower butter that sounds delightful!
I just love how Marisa reminds us that canning is totally on our terms, that you don’t need tons of produce (and a car to drive it all home), a fancy kitchen or much equipment to make things you and your family like to eat. I hope with this giveaway you’ll find a way to make preserving your own, to wrap it into your life, whether it’s a small batch of dilly beans or a few jars of fig jam, or an entire closet tiled in the bounty of the seasons.
In order to get you your Canning-tacular prize pack in time for July 14, we’re running this giveaway through midnight CST, July 5, 2012. Enter by leaving a comment on this post, telling me What’s your favorite thing to put in a mason jar? Don’t forget to add your email address to the box on the comment form where I ask for it. No email address, no winner (because I can’t reach you).
Hey, while you’re at it, pop on over to Local Kitchen (through June 22) AND Punk Domestics (through June 20) for another couple chances to win Marisa’s book!
Canning, Cookbooks, Giveaways, Small-Batch Canning
Reader Comments (328)
PICKLES!! Pickled everything, spicy pickled everything!!!!
I love bread and butter pickles, my mom makes the best ones, I love to make fruit preserves.....blueberry, strawberry YUM
Thank you for the chance to win ;)
I think its gotta be tomato sauce so many things you can make with the sauce 2nd would be of course jams ans jellies
My favorite thing to put in a Mason jar is sweet and spicy beer pickles! Use a 12oz beer in the brine replacing some of the water and you can add a nice tangy, hoppy flavor to your pickles. I'm also in love with Cuppow and have been turning my pint and a half jars into iced coffee awesomeness.
Pickles. I know, the most boring and oft-canned item ever...BUT! When I was little, I loved pickles so much I got huge jars in my stocking at Christmas! I order sandwiches at sub shops with "mustard and a big handful of pickles...no, a little more than that please".
Our local farmer's market has a lovely lady who cans wonderful things, but her garlic pickles are...spicy. And I want to make my own, so I can make them less so.
My favorite thing to put in mason jar is my homemade salsa!!!
My favorite thing to put in canning jars is apple butter.
Berries of any kind, to keep us through the dreary Chicago winter.
I love canning my Elderberry Jelly. Everyone loves it and its not something that you can find easily in the stores. Last year, I put up 16-8oz. jars and 7 pints. I'm hoping to do up more this year.
Iced americanos!!! I love canning and I was going to say the amazing rhubarb bbq sauce I canned this morning. But I really love iced americanos. With some white chocolate... Yum.
Homemade jalapeño jelly is the best thing I've ever had from a mason jar! Love the blog- and the Food In Jars blog is excellent too!
I just made peach butter. It's so delicious!
My favorite so far has been wild-picked huckleberries from last year :) I'm hoping to go out picking again this year and hopefully will make a firmer jam this time around!
I am definitely put anything and everything in the mason jars I've recycled, though nothing canned at the moment. Currently I mainly use them as a vehicle for squishable snacks :)
My favorite thing to put in a mason jar is salsa.
Hands down, my favorite thing to put in jars is strawberry jam. Yum.
well, day to day my favorite thing in a Ball jar is water! :) but otherwise I would have to say pickles. thanks for such a fabulous giveaway (fingers crossed)!
I love tomato jam but can't find in any stores so will can it myself!
I am a newby canner. I have canned some tomato sauce. I want to do more. So my favorite thing to put in mason jars would have to be chocolate. That's right chips, M&M's, etc., I love to store them in the glass jars. (I might even keep them on my night stand).
My family gobbles up the pickle I make from fresh, young salad turnips. Yum.
It is so hard to pick just one favorite thing. I recently made Marisa's pickled spring onions and love them. Also, pickled beets!
Dilly beans are my absolute favorite!
I love making jams and candied cherries, but would like to expand my repetoire to include savory recipes as well!
My friend Amanda just gave me a canning lesson and we made the Rhubarb Chutney with apple, fennel, dried cherries and cardamom...sooo great. (recipe from Local Kitchen)
I don't have any of the equipment so this give-away is so great! I would LOVE to win :)
Any fresh veggie I can experimentally pickle.