Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit Review & Giveaway

ByElizabeth Lampman Updated on
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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.

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!

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301 Comments

  9. Strawberry Jam – I’ve always wanted to make my mom’s recipe but have never, ever canned anything in my life! But if I win this I WILL 🙂

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  34. I would can tomato sauce, just like my nonna used to do! (Well, I couldn’t only hope the sauce would be remotely as tasty).

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  45. i would do wild strawberry jam. My mother-in-law’s doing around 50 jar a year and i could learn how to do it myself

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  65. Only one thing?! I can a lot especially pickles. But I think I’d do some canned fruit as we don’t use a lot of preserves.

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  69. well besides needing a new one as my old canner sprung a leak; the first thing I would make would be my canned tomatoes

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  70. I have only tried canning once and I really enjoyed it. I was hoping to do some more this year and this would really be great to have handy – the kit would be appreciated. i

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  74. I’ve never canned before but would love to can some fresh tomato sauce and salsa. Nothing would be better than opening some garden grown salsa in the middle of winter 🙂

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  80. MY usual batch of salsa, then pickles, then jams/jellies then whatever else tickles my fancy! Please oh PLEASE I would LOVE to win this!!!!! 🙂

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  90. Our garden is full of little tomatoes that will turn into big ones that we couldn’t possibly eat them all. The first thing I would can would be tomatoes. 😉

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  91. The first thing I would make with my canning kit would be blackberry jelly, we just moved to a house that has many full blackberry patches, thank you:)

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  94. My Dad makes the best Red Currant jelly from currants he grows himself. I’d share the kit with him because he usually shares the jam with me. 😉

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  95. I would make a batch of chili sauce, then on to icicle pickles, two family favourites. My canning pot has seen better days and could do with replacement!! Made apple jelly last week – the pot is thin on the bottom and the jelly wanted to stick. Love opening jars of homemade goodness, especially in the winter, when it is so good for the mental health!

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  110. Jams and Pickles and Pie Fillings!! I have a huge list of things I’d like to put up this year…

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  118. I’ve grown up with canned food, I fell in love with a friends Grandmothers Blueberry jam on pancakes! I’ve made Tomato Relish’s and Zucchini Relish and summer wouldn’t be right without Blackberry Jam or Jelly! especially since my brothers live in Alberta and just shake their heads in disbelief that Blackberry’s are considered a weed!

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  128. If i won the Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit the first thing id would make is jar up a bunch of salmon for sandwiches later on and then some fruit

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    1. Hi, just thought I’d let you know, to do any meat or fish and any non acidic foods you need to use a Pressure Caner, otherwise you’ll be known as the Salmonella and Botulism Queen!!
      Safe Canning!

      Reply

  130. this is the time of year i get ready to put down everything for the winter i learned it from my mother from jamsto pickling beets, tomatos, and chili

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  134. If i won this the first thing I would make is strawberry jam with fresh strawberries from my garden.

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  142. The first thing I would make would be rhubarb jam. I do a lot of canning but had to get rid of most of my stuff in a cross country move 🙁 Would love some new stuff to set up the place! 🙂

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  145. totally going to can pumpkin. they went crazy this year! pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins that is all my garden grew well…

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  146. I would love to win the canning equipment. I am working on preservative free homemade alternatives to the store bought stuff. Tomatoes, salsas, pickles, jams, jellies…you name it! I need to get on making my hot pepper jelly which I give to family for Christmas. It’s always a big hit!

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  149. If I won the Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit, the first thing I would make is strawberry rhubarb jam!

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  169. If I won the Bernardin Home Canning Starter Kit, the first thing I would make would be strawberry jam

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  175. I would make some raspberry jam and tomato salsa sauce that I can never get enough of because it’s so yummy.

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  178. Since my tomatoes are really doing well this year, I’d can some chili sauce and some salsa first.

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  195. Applesauce! My tree is loaded with apples. If I don’t win I guess I’ll just have to borrow my mom’s stuff

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  204. I would can what ever comes out of our huge garden first, I would say homemade pasta sauce, salsa. We can food every year and I would love to have the starter Kit.

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  221. I would makes pickles first for sure. Then dive right into some salsa, sauces and jam. My little guy loves jelly on toast, so def jam. But pickles as a first is a must.

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  241. I would definitely try canning tomatoes. I have canned corn relish and red pepper relish before but I would love to get away from store bought tomatoes. This kit would make it so much easier to feed my family well. It would be such a help.

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  245. I would like to make salsa and maybe a base tomato sauce — can be seasoned and used for pizza, spaghetti, lasagna..whatever you may need 🙂

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  250. I have never done any canning, but would love to do it. Thinking of all the wonderful Ontario produce I could make into jams, marmalades, different cukes, etc. And it would help me to eat healthier.

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  253. I grow my own vegetables and fruit so the first thing this year would be to make some strawberry jam

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  258. I Love canning, but I am slow & nervous! Lol. I am looking to become more comfortable with it as there are lots of things I’d like to try canning!

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  261. Have to say tomato sauce….we use it all year long in so many recipes, open a jar int eh middle of a cold canadian winter adn feel like it’s the middle of summer with the freshness!

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  262. The first thing I would make is rose hip jelly. There are tons of wild roses where I live. Great winter source of vitamin C 🙂

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  264. I’d can some peaches – I just love canned peaches. It would be amazing to have my own product in the middle of a cold dreary Canadian winter. It would be like canning some sunshine!

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  272. This would be perfect for my family and myself – we can all summer and fall as we live in the Okanagan Valley – canning capitol of Canada! Our canners are from my grandmother and look like they have been through war. YEA for this giveaway and Bernardin. The first thing we would put up are PEACHES!

    Reply

  288. I have Saskatoon and Raspberries waiting to get made into jam, so I would probably go with that 🙂

    Reply

  297. Not really sure as I have never done any canning before but something with fresh chilis so that we can have them all years round

    Reply

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