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Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit Review & Giveaway

Starter Kit BoxGrowing up my parents did a lot of canning.  Jams, Salsa, Relish, pickles and more.  I was actually pretty spoiled and never had store bought jam or green relish at home.  As a matter of fact the times I have had store bought jam or relish I felt incredibly blessed that my parents took the time to make it homemade.

Now that I have my own family I have taken up canning for myself and we always have a stockpile of homemade jams, salsa, pickles and more.  I generally go berry picking in the summer at “u-pick” farms as its way cheaper than the alternatives.  As for the rest, my other half is Jamaican and has friends who are seasonal migrant workers who work all summer and fall on a farm about 2 hours away.   Every year he goes to visit them a couple times and brings back giant garbage bags full of farm fresh produce.  Onions, Hot Peppers, Sweet peppers, Tomatoes, beets and more.  You just got to love living in Canada, and especially Ontario – so much amazing produce gets grown here!   Can you imagine how much of that produce would go to waste if we didn’t can it all?

Last summer I shared my Mom’s Tomato Salsa Recipe, along with the fact that I didn’t actually have a canner (which makes things difficult, although not impossible.)  Now, thanks to Bernardin and their Home Canning Starter Kit I will be able to get all my canning done with ease from now on.  The Home Canning Starter Kit includes a rack, a 21 quart canner, jar lifter, funnel, lid lifter, bubble remover, 4 pack Collection Elite decorative jars with lids, Original Crystals pectin and recipe booklet as well as an instructional DVD featuring Bernardin’s Executive Chef Emerie Brine.

Starter_Kit_Canning - Contents

When I think of canning, the company that immediately comes to my mind is Bernardin. Growing up it is the brand my parents relied on for their canning supplies, and the only brand that I trust when it comes to canning.   They have another hit here with their Home Canning Starter Kit – this is a great kit for both beginners and experts.  It makes it near impossible to not be a success at canning and includes everything you need to get started.  Just add fresh produce.

The kit retails at Canadian Tire for $49.99 and you better believe it will easily pay for itself several times over!

 

Join Chef Emerie on National Can-­‐It-­‐Forward Day!

Who:  All levels of canners! Whether you’re an experienced canner, or just looking to try it out, we invite you to take part in National Can-­‐It-­‐Forward Day!

What:  National Can It Forward Day is Canada’s home canning awareness day.  Bernardin’s Executive Chef Emerie (See Below) will be hosting a live canning demonstration which will be live streamed for free.

When: Sunday, August 11, 2013 at 1pm EST

Where:  The canning demonstration will be live broadcast from Cirillo’s Culinary Academy in Toronto.

How: 

1. Before August 11, 2013, register on Bernardin’s website or Bernardin’s Facebook page.
2. On August 11, 2013 at 1pm EST, join the online demonstration by visiting Bernardin’s website.
3. Get your canning questions answered live by asking questions in the chat room.
4. On twitter, be sure to use the hashtag #CanItForward and follow @Bernardin to join in the conversation! 

Check here for more info.

About Chef Emerie

EmerieBrine-BernardinFor Chef Emerie Brine, the love of fresh food started as a young child. Growing up on a farm on the east coast, Emerie shared in the toils of his large family garden. As one of eleven children, home canning was a yearly tradition in his home, not only providing nutritious foods at a busy table, but acting as an avenue for the creative palate of a budding chef.

Emerie credits his mother with his love of food. “Until my youngest brother and I started school and my mother returned to work, I had no idea that you could purchase sliced bread, meats, and cereal at a store. Everything my family ate came directly from the farm”.

While Emerie’s roots are firmly planted in the country, he now enjoys the opportunities that urban life in Toronto provides. The global food market allows for experimentation and a full year of culinary fun. However, Emerie’s belief in the value of “fresh-picked” foods makes his partnership with Bernardin a natural.

An alumnus of Kraft Foods – Emerie worked both as a Food Technician and a Consumer Relations Associate – he is an expert in the tastes of the Canadian palate.
His own catering company specialized in dietary-needs menus, and after a proud 3-year service as chef for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Emerie has mastered the efficienciesthat preserving can provide.

As the chef for Bernardin, Emerie is looking forward to continuing to experiment with new recipes for home canners. “As a child, my family picked, pickled and canned everypossible fruit and vegetable that we grew. Now, with the abundance of herbs, spices and vinegars available, we can add some zip to traditional recipes, and create new taste combinations that will become family favourites”.

Win Your Own Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit

One Canadian Frugal Mom Eh reader will win their own Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit.  Giveaway ends August 23rd 2013 at 11:59 pm EST.  See GiveawayTools form for entry and full T&C.

 

 
Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and remain my own.

natasha severson

Friday 23rd of August 2013

jam

Soozle

Friday 23rd of August 2013

I would make salsa

anita nickerson

Friday 23rd of August 2013

Pickles are the first thing I would make!

Brandee

Thursday 22nd of August 2013

Beets!

Christy Martin

Thursday 22nd of August 2013

I would make a large batch of chilli sauce.