Preserve your Produce on Bernardin National Can-It-Forward Day with the Home Canning Starter Kit-Giveaway

One of my favourite things about cooking is learning new techniques that let me make even more fun food for my family. We all have our favourite dishes but sometimes I want something specific that I haven’t yet learned how to make, or I have a surplus of a certain fruit or vegetable and want to use it in a new way.

Canning is easily one of my favourite ways to preserve extra fruits and vegetables, but it’s something I’ve only attempted for a few years. Part of the reason was that I didn’t really know what equipment I needed and so if recipes required that jars be processed in boiling water, I didn’t attempt the recipe. I mastered a delicious plum jam that the boys absolutely love but I didn’t know how to progress from there.

Fortunately, Bernardin, the company whose canning jars and lids I’ve been using since I first learned how to make jam, has a solution that’s perfect for anyone that’s ever wanted to start canning and hasn’t known how to get started.

The Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit contains a rack, a 21-quart canner, a jar lifter, a funnel, a lid lifter, a bubble remover, a four-pack of jars and a recipe book so that you can just open the box and get started canning! I received one of these kits for myself and I was so excited to try out a more challenging recipe.

Whether you’re a brand new canner or a seasoned vetran, Bernardin is launching a fun event you will want to check out: the first annual National Can-It-Forward day! Participating is easy. Just register on the Bernardin website or the Bernardin Facebook page before August 11, 2013. Then come back to the website to watch the live event on August 11, 2013 at 1pm EST.

Chef Emerie Brine will conduct a canning demonstration to help walk you through the process and you can even ask questions via live chat and get the answers you need to have you canning like a pro! And don’t forget to follow @Bernardin and use the hashtag #CanItForward to join in the conversation on Twitter too!

To celebrate National Can-It-Forward Day, Bernardin is very generously offering one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader their own Home Canning Starter Kit, a $50 value! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about what you would try canning first if you won!

I’m so excited to try all kinds of different canning recipes now that I have the proper equipment and after learning a few tips and techniques from Emerie Brine on August 11, I have a feeling I’ll be going a little bit canning crazy for awhile! Tune in for the demonstration on National Can-It-Forward Day and see for yourself how easy canning can be with the right equipment and great tips and recipes from Bernardin.