July 28, 2015

4 Ways to Celebrate National Can-it-Forward Day + Giveaway

Can it Forward Day | The Naptime Chef

I love to wax poetic about the wonders of preserving. It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated, it truly can be simple and fun. Every year I join my friends at Jarden Home Brands to celebrate National Can-it-Forward Day. This year it is on August 1st! The day is full of events featuring prominent home preservers sharing their tips and expertise. Luckily this day will coincide perfectly with my yearly trip to Cooperstown. It is the time of the year when I do a lot of preserving, mostly of seasonal fruits I find at the Farmer’s Market, and this year will be no different.

Jarden Home Brands recently released all sorts of new products for home preservers. These include cool lids and straws that can screw onto the top of a regular mouth jar to turn them into drinking vessels for children. They also came out with snazzy red and purple designer lids to fit on top of jars when you finish your canning. I love that canning is now so fashionable!

Here are four ways you too can celebrate National Can-it-Forward Day:

Blueberry Pie Filing | The Naptime Chef

1) Pick one canning challenge this year: One of the hardest things about home preserving is getting over the intimidation factor and getting started. Picking something simple like Strawberry Jam and just go for it! This year I am going to challenge myself to make Rhubarb Raspberry Jam because I’ve never done so. I’d also like some fresh jars of Apple Pie Filling and Blueberry Pie Filling.

Can it Forward Day | The Naptime Chef

2) Make Hot Fudge: Canning extends beyond preserving fruits and vegetables. Try making a delicious dessert sauce like spiced rum, butterscotch, or hot fudge. It is can be a nice break from endless pots of hot fruit, plus you’ll always be the most popular guest if you take a pot of salted caramel sauce wherever you go!

Can it Forward Day | The Naptime Chef

3) Drink a Milkshake: I know this sounds unusual for a canning celebration, but I adore milkshakes in the summer and this cool jar lid makes Ball jars perfect drinking vessels. I think my kids and I are definitely going to be enjoying more milkshakes than usual just because they’ll be so fun to drink out of purple jars!

Can it Forward Day | The Naptime Chef

4) Hack your Jars: There are so many uses for Ball jars other than just preserving. Here are a few of my favorite:

– Table luminaries.

– As a vase for flowers.

– To hold crayons and markers.

– To store grains and dry beans.

– To take salads on-the-go.

– As drinking cups for cocktails.

– To catch lightening bugs.

– To hold shells from the beach.

– To bake cakes in.

– To hold spare change.

Enter to win a case of purple Heritage Collection Jars:

1) Share your favorite thing to use Ball jars for.

2) Contest will run from July 28th through August 4th at 7:00am. Winner will be announced in the August 7th newsletter. Good luck!

(Disclosure: I received Ball Jar products for this post. The photographs and recipes and opinions are wholly my own.)

24 Responses to “4 Ways to Celebrate National Can-it-Forward Day + Giveaway”

  1. S. says:

    I like to freeze my green smoothies.

  2. Tricia says:

    I like them for quinoa salads for lunch and overnight oats for breakfast!

  3. Stephanie G. says:

    I love to freeze anything from jams to soup. Now I just need to get over my fear and try canning.

  4. Dandi D says:

    I like to use them to make pasta sauce and apple butter.

  5. AnnaZed says:

    I like to do canning with Ball Jars (they are the best). I make a Blackberry/Lemon/Vanilla/Turbinado Sugar Jam which is exactly what it sounds like it is that would look fantastic in a purple jar. If you make this add Lemon Zests and use an entire Vanilla Bean – not extract.
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  6. T Engberg says:

    I use Ball jars for canning as well as for drinking. I love the new attachments. I really love the blue jars I bought last year. I made Peach jam this morning. Can’t wait to taste it!

  7. Melissa says:

    I use ball jars for drinking, salads, storage…. allot of things…. love this purple color… brought the blue ones last year… havnt saw the purple ones in my area!!!

  8. Susan T says:

    In addition to canning, I use Ball for for spice storage, freshly grated Parmesan cheese container in my fridge (using the cute flip top available for the pint size) and I do the same for homemade red pepper flakes from garden grown hot peppers. Purple is a lovely color for these jars!

  9. Steph says:

    I like to
    Use them to store jam

  10. latanya t says:

    salads to take to work

  11. Rust says:

    I like them for rooting cuttings and herbs in my kitchen window.

  12. Laura Scott says:

    Making fruit jams!

  13. MK says:

    I like to use Ball jars to fill with homemade salt or sugar scrub and give them as gifts. I LOVE the purple jars and drinking lids!

  14. Christina C says:

    I love the milkshake idea! I would use them for smoothies!

  15. Karen D says:

    I love using them for storing bulk purchases of grains and seeds, in addition to canning

  16. Kristen says:

    I love using them as flower vases 🙂

  17. Rhonda Grisham says:

    I love making candles to put in them, also as vases for my flowers.

  18. Meghan Finley says:

    My favorite thing to can is peaches!

  19. Julie Lee says:

    I use them to can my salsa and also for parties and decoration centerpieces!

  20. Mkpez says:

    I use mason jars to store every thing!

  21. Kristen says:

    I like to use jars to store things like nuts & raisins in my pantry.

  22. […] of my favorite food events of summer is Can-it-Forward day. I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating it for the past four years, each time showcasing […]

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