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Can It Forward with this Herby Giveaway

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Happy International Can-It-Forward Day all! It’s that time of year again where I suddenly decide I need to can, pickle, freeze and do everything I can to preserve the last bits of summer to last all year long.  This year’s Can-It-Forward day, sponsored by Jarden Home Brands brings a special guest, renowned chef and Bravo’s Top Chef judge, Hugh Acheson!  You can check out his webcast taking place at Brooklyn Borough Hall Farmers Market. I also totally dig the fact that over Twenty five farmers markets across the country will also be hosting Can-It-Forward Day celebrations! So cool……

Just like last year, I knew that making homemade organic jam was on the list.  I turned these super sweet organic blackberries…..I got this entire flat for $20 – deal!

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Into a bunch of jam that we will can enjoy all year long.  It’s so easy to make – here is a link to how I did it.

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We also bought a bunch of organic cucumbers for $1.00/lb. that I turned into Bread and Butter pickles that I think will have a spicy kick as I used a sweet red Fresno Chili in them.

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This year, Ball really went the extra mile creating new ways to preserve summer all year long ~ this time with all things Herb.

First up ~ the Fresh Herb Keeper that keeps herbs fresh for up to two weeks.

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It’s so easy to use ~ fill the bottom with water up to the –max- line.

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Add any herb you’d like to store in the fridge that has stems.

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Close and put it in the fridge door.  You can keep your herbs fresh longer by simply pouring out the water and refreshing it every few days.  I usually do this whenever I grab a handful to cook with.

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I think the thing I am most excited about is the Frozen Herb Starters. Preserve your fresh seasonings in ready to use cubes filled with butter, oil or other liquid.  Then, simply add them to soups, pastas and recipes all year long. 

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The tray is flexible so it makes it really easy to pop out just what you need.

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While the recipe book gives you so many ideas ~ I love the fact that I now have a way to save herbs versus taking just a handful and eventually tossing the bunch.

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The one gadget I never knew I needed in my life until now is their 5 Blade Herb Scissors.

These are some serious scissors – they have 5 blades to gently cut and evenly slice herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro.

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The little green tool helps you scoop out the herbs and makes clean up a synch.

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Of course I had to buy pretty much every herb I could find at the Farmer’s Market and of course pull everything I could from our gardens to try these out.

I “started” with ~ Thyme, Cilantro, Chives, Basil, Parsley

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Then, I used these scissors to “finely chop” up every single herb.

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I am not sure I’d chop chives this well with my kitchen shears or knife ever….

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I have plans for all my herb cubes and decided to put them in alphabetical order so I would not forget what is what.

Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Parsley, Thyme and the bottom 3 are my low-fat homemade pesto.

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I used olive oil for the chives and thyme and broth for the everything else.

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To preserve pesto, I always put a layer of olive oil on top to keep it fresh….it also melts making a great sauce in soups or fresh pasta.

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Put the lid on a fresh ~ tadah ~ see, it really is that simple.

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The next thing I started today was “drying” the rest of my herbs to save in these Dry Herb Jars which are such a great idea for storing your dried herbs, seasonings, spices and rubs too!

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I’ve never dried herbs before but I’ll be sure to report back if it worked.

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These containers are awesome – shake, measure or pour.

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I wanted to be able to share in the fun with you all as well so I am kicking off today’s International Can It Forward Day with a fun giveaway too!

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN THEIR OWN HERB PRESERVING KIT: 

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You will get everything that is included above so you can start canning it forward too!

  • The New Limited Edition Spring Green Heritage Collection Jars (two cases – one pint size and one quart sized): These limited edition jars commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Ball brothers’ “Perfection” Jar and come in a beautiful green tint.  These are being produced only in 2014 and are available in both pint and quart varieties.

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HOW TO ENTER:

1) Simply leave your FIRST comment telling me what herb you’d preserve first.  If you have a favorite herb recipe, I’d love to see it (the recipe part is totally optional, I just have a lot of herbs to use up) Open-mouthed smile

BONUS ENTRIES:

2) TWEET and/or Facebook about this giveaway, “Ready to #CanItForward & win a @BallCanning Fresh Herb Preserving Kit? Enter this #Giveaway hosted by @danicasdaily http://danicasdaily.com/?p=48525“. Be sure to leave your SECOND comment to let me know you did.

3) Follow @BallCanning on Twitter and leave a THIRD comment letting me know you did.

4)  ”Like” BallCanning on Facebook and leave a FOURTH comment letting me know you did.

5) If you have a blog, LINK back to this contest and leave a FIFTH comment letting me know you did.

If you do not have a blog, just leave a comment below telling me someone you told about this giveaway.

The Fine Print: Thanks to Ball for letting me participate in this year’s International Can-It-Forward celebration and letting me “Can-It-Forward” by giving away one fantastic herb preserving kit like the one I received.

The Winner will be randomly drawn and announced on Wednesday, August 20, 2014.

Good luck everyone!

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  9. 9

    Those herb items are amazing!! I want to try them all!! I might even get the scissors for my Mom too. I hope I win! Thank you!

    Reply
  36. 36

    I would preserve cilantro. We make fresh salsa weekly, and I am never able to use all of the cilantro before it wilts.

    Reply
  37. 37

    So glad to see a post! I would make roasted red pepper pesto to freeze! Just like basil pesto but reduce the basil by half and a jar of TJ roasted red pepper! It’s great raw on eggplant sandwiches or added to pasta.

    Reply
  50. 50

    Also, I don’t have a blog, but I mentioned this contest to my neighbor and my two bff’s 🙂 I would love to win this contest!

    Reply
  51. 51

    Always plant to much basil, but it is so great in many of my dishes, especially pesto! Can never have enough! 🙂

    Reply
  64. 64

    I’d start with basil…last year I felt like I ran out of fresh basil in the summer so this year I went a bit overboard with my plants! I would love to preserve it to keep some of that fresh flavor in the winter months.

    Reply
  65. 65

    I am a big herb fan but the first one I will do is Sage. I will dry it to use in my Thanksgiving stuffing and chicken soup all winter long.

    Reply
  68. 68

    I told my Craft Club all about this give-away. We preserve herbs every year, usually by making herb flavored oils and vinegars. We also made strawberry and raspberry jam together.

    Reply
  69. 69

    A gift herb idea: My friend picked an herb assorted bouquet, washed it, tied it with twine and put it in a paper bag that had a few holes punched in it to dry. Then she labeled them, tied with ribbon and gave them as gifts. The one she gave me was “Roasted Chicken”- a bouquet of sage, thyme, marjoram and rosemary inside a brown paper lunch bag. I will let it dry completely, then use it this fall. I loved this gift so much!

    Reply
  85. 86

    I would preserve Mexican Mint Marigold. It smells and tastes like Tarragon but easily grows in my hot Texas garden( unlike tarragon)

    Reply
  92. 93

    I’d preserve basil as a start- So many uses for basil, pesto, and Hungry Girls Chicken Amore, my Veggie Lasagna, Eggplant Parm….so many recipes!

    Reply
  97. 98

    I just love basil. It always makes me think of summer! If I could keep it fresh throughout the cold winter months, I think I wouldn’t care how much snow we got.

    Reply
  109. 110

    Pickles and peppers…I’ve done a quick ones that keep in the fridge for a week or so but I’d love to can some!

    Reply
  110. 111

    I would preserve all of my basil and chives that I grow every year and *mean* to preserve for the winter… I have good intentions!

    Reply
  124. 125

    I told two of my friends and work. The Herb kit looks like such a fun way to preserve your herb plants. I would start with basil and move onto dill then sage etc. Thanks for the chance to win.

    Reply
  125. 126

    I would try some basil. I don’t cook with many herbs and would like to branch out which could help with making my food tastier.

    Reply
  129. 130

    Oh Danica,
    I have many herbs as well and would love the chance to save the taste of summer by preserving these. Thanks
    Liz

    Reply
  138. 139

    Totally would go for basil first with your chives right behind. And then your pesto mix. Followed and liked BallCanning. Thanks for showing off these great products and ideas = I love adding these things to my want list!

    Reply

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