(Family Features) Gardens, farmers markets and grocery store aisles are brimming with fresh seasonal produce. What better way to enjoy those fantastic flavors all year long than by gathering friends and family to share nature's bounty by canning together?
"Summer's bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables is upon us and there's never been a better time to learn how easy and rewarding canning can be," said Brenda Schmidt, Brand Manager for Fresh Preserving at Jarden Home Brands. "With our complete line of home canning products, hundreds of recipes and online resources, the Ball brand helps you every step of the way."Equipment You Need --Glass canning jars --Rings and lids --A non-reactive pot --Hot water bath canner with a rack --Jar lifter --Canning funnelThis holiday season, break out your recipe box and select a few you can turn into mixes. Then unleash your creativity and put your heart into creating some wonderful gifts for the people you value in your life � family, friends, co-workers, etc. Your mixes are sure to be well-received; after all, there is nothing better than warm soup on a chilly night and who doesn�t love brownies!? Happy mixing!For more information about National Can-It-Forward Day, visit FreshPreserving.com.Process pints 5 minutes*, quarts 10 minutes*, in a boiling water bath canner. Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer's directions. If jars do not completely seal, refrigerate and consume within two weeks.Quickly pour jam into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and cap jars.Choose a container that you know will fit all the ingredients you need to use. I love using beautiful, antique canning jars.??Once you've chosen your container, look at your recipe. Write down all the dry ingredients in one list, and all the wet ingredients in a separate list. Ideally you should have just a few wet ingredients; eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, etc.??Using your list of dry ingredients, carefully measure and pour those ingredients into your container in layers, patting each layer smooth with your fingers. Once you're finished, cap the container, and your mix is done!??Be sure to include instructions for use that tell the recipient what they need to add to the dry ingredients (all the wet ingredients), how to prepare the mix, what to bake it in, at what temperature and how long. Decorate your container with a lovely satin ribbon, or a square of cloth screwed into the lid, and give a gift that will warm someone's heart and kitchen!??Soup Mixes?Soup mixes are a wonderful seasonal gift, and especially good as we enter the colder months. To make a soup mix, first choose your recipe. You want to choose a recipe without a lot of prep work (for example, a meatball soup like Italian Wedding Soup would not work well), and with a lot of dried ingredients. Bean soups and stews and soups with pasta work great.??Choose a container or bag, and begin pouring in the dry ingredients in layers. Be sure to pour the fine ingredients, like herbs or cornmeal, first, and the big ingredients, like beans or pasta, last.?This way, the layers will stay crisp; if you reverse the order, the fine ingredients sift down through the spaces in between the larger ingredients, and your layers get jumbled.??Again, be sure to include all the instructions the chef would need to complete the recipe, and finish your packaging with a pretty detail.??Holidays aren�t the only time of year to give the gift of baking and soup mixes. Making mixes is also a perfect way to create economical, personal wedding favors! Make a mix that is relevant to the location of the marriage, or make a mix of the groom's favorite food! Wedding guests will be surprised and pleased to be given a favor full of the flavors of the area! You can include your gift in the �welcome package� many families provide to out-of-town guests who traveled a significant distance for the wedding.The Ball (script logo) and Ball, TMs Ball Corporation, used under license. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.Combine peppers, raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large stainless steel saucepan. Mash with a potato mashers over medium high heat. Stir often; bring to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1654198National Can-It-Forward Day*Note: Processing time for all recipes is listed for altitudes less than 1000 feet. At altitudes of 1000 feet or more, increase processing time 1 minute for each 1000 feet of altitude.Can it: Pour hot sauce into clean, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cap each jar when filled."Canning together is easy, and it's fun to make memories and great food," says Mrs. Wages spokeswoman Laura Strickland. Strickland recommends your group plan ahead to divvy up the canning supplies and that everyone bring different fruits or vegetables to share so you all can take home a variety of canned goodies.Wash fresh tomatoes. Scald 3 minutes in boiling water. Dip into cold water. Cut out cores, remove skins and puree to smooth consistency in blender or food processor.
Combine puree, sugar and pasta sauce mix in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Pasta sauce is ready.Medium Salsa Yields 5 pintsJarden Corporation is a leading provider of niche consumer products. Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia, Aero, Berkley, Campingaz and Coleman, Fenwick, Gulp!, K2, Marker, Marmot, Mitchell, Penn, Rawlings, Shakespeare, Stearns, Stren, Trilene, Volkl and Zoot; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire, Crock-Pot, FoodSaver, Health o meter, Holmes, Mr. Coffee, Oster, Patton, Rival, Seal-a-Meal, Sunbeam, VillaWare and White Mountain; and Branded Consumables: Ball, Bee, Bicycle, Billy Boy, Crawford, Diamond, Dicon, Fiona, First Alert, First Essentials, Forster, Hoyle, Kerr, Lehigh, Leslie-Locke, Lillo, Loew Cornell, Mapa, NUK, Pine Mountain, Quickie, Spontex and Tigex. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden has over 25,000 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit www.jarden.com.Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir in pectin. Continue to simmer about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Quickly skim off any foam.According to industry data*, home canning product sales have risen nearly 35 percent over the past three years as popularity for fresh preserving grows. Jarden Home Brands, makers of Ball brand fresh preserving products, has also seen sales of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving double in the last year.About Jarden CorporationDALEVILLE, Ind., May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The resurgence of home canning continues to gain momentum with many food insiders identifying canning as a top food trend for 2011. Fueled by consumers' desire to live more healthfully and eat fresh, local foods year-round, more Americans than ever are turning to home canning. Leading the trend is the iconic Ball home canning brand with its 127-year history of producing high-quality glass jars in America's heartland. The brand will celebrate home canning by hosting the first annual National Can-It-Forward Day on August 13.Can it: Pour hot salsa into clean, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cap each jar when filled.Process immediately in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.*Process 40 minutes* in boiling water bath. Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer's directions. Store up to one year. If jars do not completely seal, refrigerate and consume within one week.SOURCE Jarden Corporation
Wendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.com
No comments:
Post a Comment