WINNER!
The winner is April J! She said, “From Lark Crafts I liked the jewelry, and from Foodsaver, I love the FoodSaver® V3840 Vacuum Sealer Kit!”
Send an email to kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com to claim your prize.
THE PRIZE
One reader will win a FoodSaver FRESHSAVER Handheld Vacuum Sealing System AND Canning & Preserving with Ashley English, written by Ashley English and published by Lark Books.
MY REVIEW
I love this time of year for lots of reasons, but one of the big ones is canning and preserving. I love fruit especially, and having all my favorite fruits all winter long in pie filling, syrups, and jams is the best thing ever.
A good preserving reference guide is a must, and Canning and Preserving with Ashley Enligsh has great recipes but it also has pages and pages of information on the science and art of canning for both newbies and old pros.
Two of my favorite sections begin on pages 29 and 35 – Boiling Water Bath- and Pressure Canner Processing Step-by-Step. At the beginning of each canning season we all need a quick refresher and this book has a thorough overview of all the steps from cleaning the jars, lids, and screw bands, heating the jars, prepping the lids, checking head space, processing the jars, cooling and checking the seals, reprocessing if needed, and storing.
I also love the scientific explanations about canning chemistry, acidity, and altitude – knowing the behind-the-scenes information really helps me to feel like I know what I’m doing.
There are charts throughout the book about food safety (fruits/veggies with high and low pesticide traces), seasonality of ingredients, pectin, ideas for gift baskets, and definitions of everything from jam to curd.
The second half of the book is full of recipes and I can’t wait to try the strawberry jam, apple butter, and strawberry and vanilla sauce. There’s a vast collection of pickling recipes in this book too. I’ll be posting recipes and my results as the canning season gets fully under way, so stay tuned!
And to go along with Ashley English‘s canning book, we have another preserving tool for more year-round needs. I’ve been wanting a FoodSaver for a long time, and this handheld, cordless, and rechargeable version is perfect for my small kitchen.
The FRESHSAVER comes with
- 1 Charging Stand
- 2 Deli Containers
- 5 Quart Vacuum Zipper Bags
- 5 Gallon Vacuum Zipper Bags
We have a hard time keeping our sandwich meat fresh so I use my FRESHSAVER most for that, but there are so many great uses. The deli containers are great for meats, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, cookies, and the freezer bags are fabulous for any kind of leftovers, smoothie fruits/veggies, baking chips, butter, ANYTHING!
Both of these products are perfect for keeping all your food fresh and delicious. Thanks to Ashley English for the words of canning wisdom and to Lark Books and FoodSaver for sponsoring this giveaway!
GIVEAWAY RULES
- Visit LarkCrafts .com AND FoodSaver.com
- Make a comment on this post telling me your favorite products and why you’d like to win before midnight Sunday, September 12.
- A winner will be selected and announced in a new post on Monday.
- Only one comment per person unless you earn extra entries.
- Giveaway open only to residents of the continental United States…sorry.
- Winners must email me to claim their prize within 5 days.
EARN EXTRA ENTRIES
You may earn 1 extra entry each for doing the following (make a separate comment for each thing you do):
- Become a Facebook fan of Lark Crafts
- Follow Lark Crafts on Twitter
- Sign up for Lark Crafts’ E-Newsletter
- Sign up for Email offers from FoodSaver
- Subscribe to Vanilla Joy on YouTube
- Become a Facebook Fan of Vanilla Joy
- Facebook about the contest with a link back here
- Add the “Back to Craft School” banner to your blog
- Subscribe to my feed
- Sign up for my newsletter
- Add my button to your sidebar
- Comment on any non-contest post (must contribute to the conversation)
GOOD LUCK and THANKS!
I love the food saver containers to keep fresh produce in. I’m new to canning, but really love to do it! My fil bought me a water bath canner last year – i love it!
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I agree with Kristen, Food Saver is great! I would love the hand held sealer, it would be so convenient.
I have never seen this canning book but would sure enjoy it. I have used my Ball Blue Book till it is starting to feel like a good friend!
I am a Facebook friend and Youtube subscriber.
Their canisters are cool.
I’m just starting to have the desire to can – this would motivate me to turn the desire to a hobby I’m sure. The Food Saver would be awesome to have.
my favorite product is prolly the new upright sealer, i need to replace my huge eyesore that is way too big for my counter. But the one u r giving away would possibly be even more convienent.
I also subscribed to your feed!! u r on my igoogle home page!! thanks for the great website.
I am doing a ton of dehydrating and preserving right now. Have wanted a food saver for so long. I’d never seen the compact handheld model but it would be perfect for me. The book looks awesome too. I collect cookbooks, especially those about canning and preserving. I’d love it.
Signed up for your newsletter. Thank you!
Became a fan on facebook too! :)
Signed up for email offers from food saver – I really want one of these!!!
I would love the food saver containers to keep fresh veggies fruit in! I hate that produce goes bad so quickly. and that stuff’s not cheap!
The compact foodsaver would be great in my small kitchen. I also liked the fabric remix books.
I subscribe to your feed.
This would be so much fun to try – thanks for the giveaway.
from lark crafts I like the earings from stitched jewels and from foodsaver I like the FoodSaver® GameSaver® Silver
fb fan of lark crafts. amy bolda pugmire.
fb fan of yours. amy bolda pugmire.
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I have your blog button.
I just got into canning and preserving a year ago after finding some of moms recipes now im addicted to it and foodstorage let me win let me win!
Visited both sites and found them very interesting. The top 2 things on my learn to do list have been canning and preserving and then sealing foods for long term storage. I can’t believe your giveaway is covering both! The other sealers on the FoodSaver site look great but the handheld one seems 2 good 2 be true since space is at a premium in my kitchen!
I visited Lark Crafts and roamed around a bit and found a posting I love. The
Artist Feature: Joan Rzadkiewicz post with the hand painted purple light the pink is really pretty too. I love it.
I visited Food Saver and I like the FoodSaver® GameSaver® Silver
VACUUM SEALER KIT. My husband is a deer hunter so it would go well in my home.
I am a yahoo rss feed subscriber.
I like the size of the handheld version–I would use it to keep cheese longer.
I subscribed to Vanilla Joy on YouTube.
I subscribe to your feed.
I am signed up for your newsletter.
I made a comment on your post Home Preschool: Hello World.
From LarkCrafts I enjoyed the post, “We Share the Same Sky” about bracelets crocheted by Rwandan artisans.
My favorite FoodSaver product would be the hand-held vacuum system. The big FoodSaver Vacuum Saver Kit would be great, but my kitchen is small and space is at a premium so I’d choose the hand-held version.
I used to do some canning and preserving but got busy with other things in recent years. I’d love to get back into it, and this book would be a great place to start! Thanks.
I like Lark Crafts on facebook.
(Sharon Olivier)
I follow LarkCrafts on twitter @sharonjo2
I signed up for Lark Crafts email newsletter.
(sharonjo at gwtc dot net)
I signed up for email offers from Food Saver.
(sharonjo at gwtc dot net)
I’m a facebook fan of Vanilla Joy.
(Sharon Olivier)
I subscribe to your feed on Google Reader.
I subscribe to your email newsletter.
I enjoyed the jewlery and beading on larkcrafts. My favorite product on food saver is of course the vacuum sealer. I do not own a vacuum sealer but have always wanted one. I would love to win. I watched my mother can all growing up and I would help every now and then. Now that I am on my own I am constantly calling her for advice, but sometimes you just want someone right next to you telling you it looks right and giving that emotional support. I would love some new canning recipes too. What a fantastic giveaway. Thanks!
I subscribe to your newsletter.
I commented on How to Properly Fold a Fitted Sheet Video post.
I have been using Food Saver products since they first came out and I can tell you that this product has saved me LOTS of money on food that otherwise would have gone bad. I absolutely LOVE Food Saver!!
I would very much enjoy having a Hand Held Food Saver so that when I am sealing my 6 gallon buckets with mylar bags inside, I don’t have to wrestle my counter-top Food Saver down to the bucket, boy would THAT be a nice change,
Thank you so much for offering us the opportunity to win one!!
Rori
I also subscribe to your newsletter, receive your RSS feed, have a link on my Facebook page, subscribed to Lark’s Crafts newsletter as well as their Facebook and Food Saver’s newsletter and Facebook, too.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
I LOVE VANILLA JOY!
The quick marinator looks really interesting and helpful sine I always forget to plan ahead! I would love to win to save on the everyday items that go bad too quickly like the deli meats that you mentioned.
I’m a fan of Vanilla Joy on Facebook.
I subscribe.
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I receive your newsletter.
From Lark Crafts I liked the jewelry, and from Foodsaver, I love the FoodSaver® V3840 Vacuum Sealer Kit!
FB fan of Lark Crafts. (april jacobson)
Following Lark Crafts on Twitter. (aprilja)
Signed up for Lark Crafts newsletter.
Signed up for Foodsaver emails.
Subscribed to Vanilla Joy on You Tube.
FB fan of Vanilla Joy.
Subscribed to your feed via Google Reader.
Subscribed to your newsletter.
I’ve got your button on my sidebar.
aprilsblogtoday.blogspot.com
I would so use this. I can’t really pick a favorite, because I would adore any foodsaver product.
I am going to take a class next weekend on dehydrating, canning and yogurt making. I am so excited about this class and I look forward to canning much more in the future so this book would be great to have.
I like the lark crafts delft blue jewels and the FoodSaver® V3840
VACUUM SEALER KIT
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