Sign up for my newsletter and get a copy of my "28 Ways to Slash Your Grocery Budget"

One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

{Giveaway} Enter to Win a Bon Ami Canning Clean Up Kit

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By on ·

If you are a home canning enthusiast like me, then you’ll really appreciate this giveaway.  The fine folks at Bon Ami sent me a canning clean up kit a short time ago, and I just LOVE it!  And guess what?  I get to give one away too.  Yee-Haw! I LOVE giving stuff away!

Did you know Bon Ami is America’s Original Natural Home Cleaner?  Yep.  They’ve been around since 1886 and you can actually pronounce the names of all the ingredients in their products. You can learn more about Bon Ami natural cleaning products on the Bon Ami website.

Only lucky reader will win

  • {1} 25 oz bottle of Bon Ami Dish Soap {Tangerine & Thyme scent}
  • {1} 25 oz bottle of Bon Ami Liquid Cleanser {Tangerine & Thyme scent}
  • {1} Red Bon Ami Apron with a super cute baby chick on it
  • {1} Bon Ami Dishtowel
  • {1} Wooden tasting spoon to sample all those delicious jams with

To enter this giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment below telling me:

1. If you have ever canned anything.

2. What is the favorite thing you have ever canned {or tasted that someone else canned}.

That’s it!

This giveaway ends on Friday, September 28th, 2012 at 9pm PST.

1 Comment will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize.

Good Luck!  I hope you win!

♥ Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Hang out with Mavis & Lucy right in your Inbox!

Comments

  1. My family cans food every year. Our favorite thing to make is apple sauce and pie fillings. We can an average of 300 jars a year. The best thing I have ever tasted is my neighbors berry jam. It was an amazing blend.

  2. I have never canned anything before, but I am hoping to soon. I would LOVE to be able to can homemade apple butter, so many good uses for it!

  3. I have just started canning in the past two months, and so far have canned 19 quarts of applesauce, 9 quarts of plum sauce, and 21 pints of plum jam. My favorite thing I have ever canned is by far, the applesauce. It took all of 1 day, and I had to go buy a food mill, but it was so worth it. Next I hope to can some blueberry or blackberry pie filling. 🙂

  4. I love to can just about anything. I mostly can fruit because I have 2 young ones at home but my most favorite item is not one of my own but my grandmothers applesauce.

  5. I can jams, salsas, and tomato sauces.

    My favorite is my ultra top secret Kelly Jelly jam, it is a blend of berries and fruit that is simply AMAZING!! It is regarded as the top pick among my family and friends, they fight over it 🙂

  6. I can ALL the time 🙂
    Right now my favorite thing(s) to can are cherry tomatoes…. made the greatest sauce with them.

    Thanks for the chance to win

  7. I’ve only canned jams. My favorite is raspberry. I’d love to branch out and try making dill pickles next year. (No, not dill pickle jam, just dill pickles.) I tried the vanilla pear jam recipe and now I need to make myself some pancakes to put it on!

  8. I am new to canning, but my backyard has several huge rhubarb plants and a mature fig tree, so I gave it a whirl this summer. We used the rhubarb jam recipe from your blog, and it turned out very tastily! I am planning on putting in about 100 square feet of raised garden beds for spring planting, so hopefully I’ll be doing a lot of preserving next year.

    A friend served some homemade habanero jam on softened cream cheese with crackers at a recent book club gathering that was delicious. Just the right amount of spicy and sweet.

    Your canning clean up kit would be a welcome addition to our kitchen! Thanks for the post.

  9. Whoops! I have canned stewed tomatoes so far… yep! That’s it. My neighbor canned kicked up apricot jar (made with hot peppers) and it was AMAZING!

  10. I have been canning for about 4 years. Love making any neat combo spreads or jams. Raspberry Rhubarb, Tomato Apple, Blackberry Balsmamic, Peach Habanerno just to name a few faves!!

  11. This is my first year of really canning. My mom makes wonderful blackberry jam.
    Thanks for this give away and thanks for all you do.

  12. I am a canning fool, I LOVE it! I can a lot every year. So far this year fig preserves, orange marmalade, dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, sweet relish, ketchup, bbq sauce, blackberry jam, rasberry jam, strawberry jam, plum jam, and peaches. Oh, tomatoe sauce, spaghetti sauce and a buttload of salsa!!

  13. My mother-in-law canned pickled okra. I’m italian, it was southern. My kids and I grew to love it so much, we had to start canning it to have enough.

  15. So far this year I have canned a case of beans, a case of peaches, 3 cases of tomatoes, 3 cases of marinara sauce and I still have tomatoes coming out my ears so salsa is next. I’m also eyeballing my neighbors pear tree with dreams of the vanilla pear jam you told us about the other day. My favorite is marinara sauce.

  16. I have only canned tomatoes so far, so I am a newbie. But my favorite by far is pumpkin butter! I have my fingers crossed that my pumpkins will grow with my first attempt, and that I will be canning my own pumpkin butter in a matter of weeks. Yay!

  17. Hi Mavis,
    I’ve yet to can but my mum makes apricot jam every year and i hope to help her can it next time, hers is the best jam!!!
    thanks!

  18. I can anything and everything I get my hands on. Apple sauce and berry syrups are the favorite in our house. I also made enchilada sauce this year. I sure hope it tastes as good as it smells.

  19. I have only made jams. but your site has inspired me to try and can more. I made low sugar orange marmalade for my mother in law and she loved. it . Thanks for all your hard work on this site.

  20. I have never canned, but I’ve been researching and learning. I’m hoping to start canning next summer. My favorite thing I’ve had canned (mostly from my awesome sister in law)are vegetable soup, apple butter, and salsa!

  21. I remember canning stewed tomatoes (pressure canning) with my mother when I was little, but have never done anything on my own. I’m planning on building raised garden beds in the spring and then canning anything I can get to grow next summer. I can’t wait!

  22. I have canned jams and jellies, but want to branch out…. My favorite home canned good is my grandma’s dill pickles!

  24. I canned pickles for the first time with my sister and mom and canned strawberry jam all by myself for the first time last weekend. Right now, I love my strawberry jam!

  26. I guess I’ve just always grown up with canning – so I don’t know if I love it or not – its just a part of life. I keep it up because I love the results! So far this year: saurkraut, zucchini relish, dilly beans, salsa verde, peaches, applesauce, spicy peanut sauce, peach jam and a few tomatoes. I still need to do marinara – and I”m definitely going to try that curry green tomatoes! If I had a supply of berries – I would love to do more jams. I’m also planning on apple butter, pumpkin butter and peach butter (for teacher / staff gifts) this fall.

    How did your pumpkin/apple pie taste to you and your family?

    Thank you!

  28. I have never personally caned anything, but my family always did when I was growing up. I especially enjoy homemade (and home canned) green tomato relish that my grandma makes every summer.

  31. I have done canning of mostly apples and jams. I am working on a salted caramel apple butter in a crockpot right now. My favorite thing I have ever tasted canned was this great Chevre cheese in tarragon oil.

  32. I LOVE canning! I haven’t done a lot of different kinds of canning, but do plan on it!

    My favorite thing to can is my spaghetti sauce. I love that canning a large amount once will help make lots of dinners (pizza, spaghetti, chicken parmesan, lazanga, etc) easier over the next few months and that I can easily give a jar away to someone to show that homemade sauce is loads better than the store bought gross Ragu.

    Also, my sauce is so good (I am not modest when it comes to this sauce) that several people that claimed to not like spaghetti have been converted into spaghetti lovers.

    Recipe, canning and single meal quantities – http://smiles4u2have.blogspot.com/2012/01/spaghetti-sauce.html

  33. i haven’t canned anything but i need to start because i have blueberry bushes and pear, peach, and fig trees along with a veggie garden. the best thing i’ve ever had canned was a friend’s mom’s dilly beans sitting out in the sun on their dairy farm.

  34. Yes I have canned! My favorite thing I have canned would have to be tangerine vanilla marmalade

  35. I’ve canned before, but not a lot. Favorite thing i’ve canned: homemade salsa. Someday i want to make my own jam…

  36. I’ve canned quite a bit! This year, though, I’ve only did some Blackberry jam using your recipe!!
    I’ll probably can a little more before this fall is over!

    My favorite thing canned is my mom’s dilly beans- so good!!

  38. Yes, I can every year. I learned about four years ago; my mom taught me how to can apricot jam! I love canned jams- so fresh and better for you than high fructose corn syrup jams from the store.

    Do hope I win!

  39. The first thing I ever canned was the strawberry basil jam recipe you posted. I LOVE it. I use it to make a reduced strawberry basil balsamic chicken recipe. Yummy!

  40. Thanks for the giveaway. I have canned a little before, and my favorite so far is apple butter I cooked in the crock pot.

  41. I’ve been canning for longer then I can remember. We’ve done tomatoes of course, beets, all kinds of beans, salsa, green tomato relish. Recently I’ve started on apple butter, my sister is into applesauce. Pears, peaches, corn, plum butter. You name it, we’ve probably canned it at one time or another. The best I have ever tasted has to be the salsa my mom put up using Hungarian peppers in it. So much better then stuff bought at the store!

  42. I just canned some spicy plum sauce yesterday! 🙂 I think my favorite thing ever was stewed tomatoes… they ended up being pretty expensive though ($6/pint), but they were gone within 2 weeks!

  45. My favorite is my mom’s crabapple jelly recipe!!!

    I was SO sad when our tree didn’t produce this year! I will have to find out what went wrong with it. But in the mean time I raided a neighbor’s tree down the street. They won’t miss a few I am sure. Their’s was loaded! HA ha.

  46. Yes, I’ve been canning since the late 70s. My favorite thing to can right now is pickled jalapenos. They are so good on many different things and we never seem to have enough.

  47. I love to can anything! Have some more pears sitting here just waiting on me to find the time…..

    My Fav things to can, or I guess to eat….is green beans! Theres nothing like cracking open a bit of summer in the dead of winter. Plus, I love the texture that canning gives the beans.

  48. I made apple butter for the first time ever! I have never canned before! Next I am going to try blackberry jam!

  50. Hi Mavis! I have canned lots of stuff with my mom over the years, but the thing I love to can most is homemade soups. I love being able to provide my family with on the spot easy to eat soups that I have made and know what all the ingredients are. I sure would love to get the clean up stuff though, cuz it is a messy job!

  51. Depression era mom taught me to can.

    41 qts of green beans pressure canned
    26 pints of pickled beans
    21 qts of pickled zucchini
    + jams/jellies.

    Favorite things – Bruschetta in a Jar, mint pear jam, ginger pears

  52. Hi Mavis! I am a new independent canner, but have canned applesauce, tomatoes/salsa, apple butter, pear sauce (even better than applesauce I think!), pickled dilly beans, and much more with my mother off and on for as long as I can remember…it’s always a fun project, good memories!! Thanx for the chance to win 😉

  53. Canning up to my eyeballs right now! Peaches are by far my favorite! Thanks for the awesome giveaway 🙂

  54. Mostly I can jams, and the occasional taco truck style spicy pickled carrots. My favorite item so far has been a walnut fig chutney that my neighbor made a few years back. Heaven!

  55. I have only canned pickles, but I’m hoping to get into canning jams. My favorite canned thing I ever tried were my aunts spicy green beans (awesome in Bloody Marys!)

    I LOVE Bon Ami products!

  56. I can everything (you know that).

    Do I have to pick a favorite? Ugh. Hmmm. Maybe apple butter? Nah, I’ll go with chow chow. This year was the first I canned it. I used my grandma’s recipe. It’s the best.

  57. I have canned green beans, green tomatoes, corn and pickles. My favorite canned food was my mom’s white sweet potatoes.

  58. I spent summers helping my mother & grandmother canning, then fell off that wagon for close to 20 years, now if it can be canned I’ve probably set it in a water bath.

  59. As crazy as it sounds my most favorite thing to can is tomatoes, nothing like opening a jar of home grown to throw in soups, stews, chili’s and sauces all through the cold dreary winter months!

  60. I actually canned for the first time yesterday! A batch of huckleberry preserves. Now I’m excited to keep canning!

  61. I have never canned anything…yet. I was all prepared this year but I chickened out. And the kids ate up the blackberries so quickly! I am prepared for next year though 🙂 My favorite thing I have tasted canned was homemade applesauce from a lady I met at a coupon swap. I grew up in Yakima, WA but until last year I never knew that apples could taste so darn good!

  62. I canned a little a few years ago, but now I have a much bigger kitchen and am looking forward to canning next year. I used to make lots of jams and jellies, one of my favorites to make, but not to eat was mint jelly. It was so pretty in the jar, but I really didn’t love the taste. I have seen a bunch of receipes you have given that I will definitely be making next year! I can’t WAIT!!!

  64. I’ve canned all sorts of stuff, this year we canned, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, low salt dill pickles, muscadine jelly and jam, elderberry and blackberry jelly, and most recently green tomato salsa. My favorite is probably fig preserves, but wild plum jelly is close behind.

  65. I have canned but not as much as I would like. My favorite canning project so far has been ruby red grapefruit marmalade from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Delicious Recipes to use Year-Round By: Ellie Topp, Margaret Howard. I have also canned deer meat and it was awesome over buttered noodles.

  66. I love to can!!! I can applesauce and jellies the most. I think my favorite thing I ever tasted canned was persimmon butter from a farm house in Missouri. YUMMY!!

  68. I love canning! The best thing I’ve ever had is something my aunt gave me a few years ago. It was a jar of peach amaretto pecan jelly. It was absolutely delicious!

  69. I have “helped” can strawberry jam this year from reclaimed strawberries. It was so fun and tasty too!

  70. I just canned blackberry jam for the first time last weekend. This weekend I did more blackberry and apple pie jam. It’s fun! My favorite canned food was my grandmother’s bread and butter pickles. The first time I had them I ate the whole quart by myself!

  71. I can tons of veggies from my garden and make jelly (grape, strawberry, hot pepper). I also can lots of fruits as well as freeze them. Salsa is my favorite thing that I can. I so need a good cleaner. My stove reflects that I cook a lot!

  72. I have canned jams in the past but I just canned my first tomatoes this last week. In was so excited when the lids popped as they sealed. It meant that I did it right. (I hope). My favorite thing I’ve canned would be blackberry jam.

  73. I can many different things, but my absolute favorite is blackberry fig preserves. It’s so yummy!

  74. Oh yes, I have canned many things. Many, many. Tonight I am doing pickled red cabbage. My counters and tables are covered with drying trays of cabbage. They were soaked in salt for 24 hours, then rinsed and drained. So I have that to look forward to after I finish working for the day, doing a couple errands, and going to a meeting at church.

  75. This is my first year canning, and I LOVE it. I have canned jellies, applesauce, dilly beans, peaches, pears and apple pie filling. My favorite is the applesauce though.

  76. Yes – canning is something my husband and I love to do together (when we have the time). By far our favorite thing to can is Colorado Western Slope Peaches, however we are getting some very yummy ideas from this site!

  77. I have never canned anything but would like to give it a try. The best canned item I have every had is my grandma’s Raspberry Jam. She passed away a long time ago but Raspberry Jam always brings back fond memories of her.

  78. I have never canned anything, but my mom’s neighbor gave us the best apple butter I have ever tasted, I would love to can that!!

  80. I ALWAYS can yellow plum jam and syrup and give it
    away as gifts. Our tree is very prolific and we are lucky
    to have fruit most years.

  81. Thanks to your inspiration I went on a canning spree this year. Our favourite is Apple Butter (with Maple syrup) and canned peac.hes(with vanilla bean)

  82. I love to can too! (It’s good to see all the canners put there!)
    My favorite thing that I’ve canned so far this year would be the Peppered Peach Rosemary Jam! Yum-o with some Laugjing Cow Soft Swiss cheese and crackers!

  84. I have never canned anything but my mother in law has all the equipment and is going to teach me!! I would LOVE to use some of your recipes. I just love my step moms spaghetti sauce! 🙂
    Thanks for the chance!!

  85. I grew up in a family that canned every summer. My mom’s applesauce and apricot pineapple jam is the BEST! I live in the big city now and do not have the time or space to do the big batches I remember her making, so I just do a few smaller recipes these days. My husband’s favorite is Blueberry Lime Jam. It’s a hit at Christmas time.

  86. My husband-to-be and I have gone full force into canning this summer/autumn. Some successes were peach salsa, dilly carrots, and 24 LITRES of pickled beets (his favourite!), but I think my favourite would have to be the pickled blueberries we did (sooo yummy with goat cheese) and the lone jar of basil cherry preserves (which I am squirreling away for January)!

  88. Yes, I have canned applesauce, pears, marionberry jelly, spaghetti sauce, bread and butter pickles, and chile con carne.

    My favorite thing I’ve ever had that someone canned was my grandma’s black raspberry jam. (I so wish we could get black raspberries around here!)

    Thanks, as always for your awesome blog. You are making me smarter!

  89. A couple of years ago some friends and I got together and we had a cooperative can-a-thon. Some of us provided the food, others provided the jars and canning equipment, and all of us chopped and mixed and processed. In 2010, we did jam, salsa, apple pie filling, and apple sauce.

    My favorite thing that someone else canned: my friend Melissa has a great recipe for green tomato relish. It’s fabulous.

  90. The favorite thing I have canned is pickles. I’m picky about how they taste and could munch on the ones that I made all day. I’ve also done a bunch of jams and fruits, including fig jam from the fig tree in my front yard. This evening’s adventure is to can applesauce 🙂

  92. I have never canned anything, but my mom did when I was young. She canned green beans and grape juice. I think that my favorite canned item would be peach jam.

  93. I picked blackberries with daughters on my friends farm this summer and we made seedless jelly. It was my first canning experience and I am hooked! I took a class recently at Seattle Can Can and am confident I can do jams and jellies on my own. My favorite canned item would be applesauce!

  94. My grandmother’s applesauce – delicious!! I bought the supplies and have been researching different recipes, I am about ready to dive in. This clean up kit would come in handy 🙂

  95. Ooohhh what a fun prize!!
    I used to only can Marionberry Jam and seal the jars with hot wax.
    But now…after reading your blog. I got brave and have been canning using the hot water method. Should have done that much earlier!
    Now I’ve canned:
    – Raspberry Jam
    – Blackberry Jam
    – Rhubarb Jam
    – Apple Pie Jam (yes recipe from your site 🙂 )
    – Applesauce
    – Applebutter

    My favorite: Apple Pie Jam (with a spoon!)

  96. I can fruits every year (jam, applesauce, salsa) but my absolute favorite canned item was local tuna from a friend – so delicious! I’m not brave enough to use a pressure canner yet.

  97. This is my second year canning. I am very proud of my tomato sauce. I love the taste of my canned pears best.

  98. I have indeed canned and my all time favorite (s) is a split decision from my old stand-by blackberry jelly and my newest delight tomato jam.

  99. This is the first year I’ve really canned anything other than quarts of tomatoes. And I have discovered food swaps for canned goods! So far I’ve canned over 200 jars this year and there is still so much more I want to do. Best thing so far has been Balsamic Cherries.

  100. Canning Year Two over here! And I’m a big fan of my raspberry jam. Big, big fan. Although this year our apricot BBQ sauce is giving it a run for the money.

    And I’d love this Bon Ami kit!

  101. My favorite canned item is my homeade pizza and spaghetti sauce from my garden tomatoes. But my most interesting canned item would have to be the sugar-free rasberry zucchini jelly that my mom made this year. I never would have thought to make jelly from zucchini, but it worked! As a side note—Bon Ami is my FAVORITE household cleaner! I discovered it while helping to clean and restore my sister’s appliances after the Joplin tornado—someone had given her a can of Bon Ami, and I went to work with it—-Wow, did it clean the appliances in a jif!!! Ever since, it’s all I use!

  102. I like making jam. For several years family and friends received a variety basket with homemake jams and small sweet bread loaves at Christmas. Everyone loved it. Plum, apricot, peach/necterine and raspberry jams with spicy pumpkin, lemon blueberry, banana and almond pound cake loaves.
    I made the rhubarb jam from the blog and it’s great and want to try the pear jam next. Next month is the pear harvest and festivals in Hood River, Oregon.

  103. I have canned tomatoes, blueberries, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, beets, pickles. And, this is just from learning to can about 2 months ago!!

    To toot my own horn, my applesauce rocked this year. I completely surprised myself.

  104. not my first year canning, but i am REALLY getting into it this year. So far, my favorite thing canned in the strawberry basil jam. yum yum in my tum tum. 🙂

  105. I have never canned anything myself, but my step-father-in-law makes really great bread and butter pickles! I always save jars for him and tell him to fill-er-up!

  108. I have done some canning; I’m hoping to make some time to get back into it soon.
    One of the things that I made that was our favorite was spicy pickled cauliflower. It was so good!

  109. I haven’t canned anything yet, but I plan on doing lots of canning. I would love to win this. I have been pinning all kinds of canning recipes, so I am ready to start once I have all the supplies lined up.

  111. I have only just started canning this year. I canned some strawberry jam.

    I am not a jam person, it was for my husband, so I will have to wait until I’ve canned something I like to have a favorite! I was hoping to do some pickles this year, but my cucumbers did not do well.

  113. I just finished canning salsa and this year I have canned applesauce, tomatoes, green beans, and assorted jams. And 95% of it was free. Even the jars lol I just had to buy lids. My favorite is banana nut bread jam. Its good on everything.

  114. I have been canning for a few years now and even taught my sister to use a pressure canner!! My favorite canned food this year is lime pickles…yum!!!

  115. I helped a friend make blackberry jam years ago, and some friends helped me learn how to make Guava Jam last year. We gave the Guava Jam away as Christmas presents and it was well received! Since I didn’t do much with the blackberry jam, and it was a long time ago, I’d have to say that Guava Jam was my favorite thing to can. I’d like to do it again this year if it works out so we can! =)

  116. Peach chutney! My favorite thing to can by far. Use it in baked beans or eat it with a good cheddar cheese.

  117. I canned peaches and pears. Peaches are easy … pears are way to hard! Never do that again 😉

  118. Any homemade jam is awesome! Strawberry, peach, blackberry, yum! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!! You rock

  119. I have been canning since my mom and grandmothers taught me as a youth. I have canned lots fruits, tomatoes, beans and corn. I tried a new recipe this year of lavender jelly. My favorite has got to be pickled beets!

  120. I have canned applesauce for the last two years. My apple peeler-corer-slicer makes quick work of those apples! I usually buy 3-4 different varieties (including honeycrisp) so the applesauce will have lots of flavor. But my favorite canned item is bread and butter pickles. My grandparents always put up lots of those when I was younger. I did make some for the first time last weekend, but I had small batch so I just did refrigerator pickles. They were easier than I thought they’d be!

  121. I have been canning for many years but have canned more this summer than in recent years. My favorite for the last two summers has been Spicy Orange Fig Jam from the Simply Recipes blog.

  122. I love to can. My favorite thing is home made vegetable soup with all the leftovers from the garden.

  123. I can jams, hot garlic pickles, dill pickles, but my favorite thing to can and eat is hot pickled okra.

  124. I have canned and I prefer the hot water bath instead of the pressure cooker. I love to make home made pizza sauce.

  125. Absolutely canned, and fave- Strawberry Vanilla Jam. The berries were made into jam less than 2 hours from being picked.

  127. I love my Granny’s canned tomatoes and green beans. They’re from her garden and are the best!!

  128. I have never canned anything before. Would like to learn but probably won’t happen, lol. My FIL can’s his elk meat. He gave us some from his hunt last year and made then into elk steaks and canned them. They were very good.

  130. I can a lot every year- well if the garden does well it’s a lot! Our favorite has to be green beans -takes you back to summer every time you open a jar. Wonderful

  131. 1. I am on track to try canning out tomorrow! Haven’t done it yet… 🙂
    2. Since I haven’t canned yet, I’ll go with what my boyfriend says: his favorite thing has been salsa.

  133. I have never canned anything, but this year I made a whole bunch of applesauce and put it in glass jars in the freezer. Does that count? The best thing that I’ve ever had that was officially canned is the various jams that our friend Helen makes every year. She wins ribbons at the fair with her stuff. Yea, Helen!

  134. What a fun giveaway … I have been canning for a few years now … started with jams and jellies and then each year adding something new … strawberry lemonade concentrate, applesauce and tuna last year … peaches and apple pie filling this year. By far my husband and son love the strawberry lemonade concentrate … especially in the middle of winter. My favorite thing to can is applesauce … well at least so far. Hopefully next year we will have a garden and even open our horizons even more!!! 🙂

  135. Grew up with parents and grandparents that canned. Have canned myself for years. My husband also cans. I love the convenience of home canned meat….homemade convenience food right in the pantry. Would love to win!

  136. Yes, I have canned before….last week was my first try at it. I made applesauce from the apples off the tree in my grandmother’s back yard and I am very proud of myself! Thank you Mavis for giving me the courage to try canning! I love your blog. You have inspired me to make my backyard garden bigger and better next year too. 🙂

  137. I put up fig lemon ginger preserves yesterday. My favorite recipe is bread and butter pickles- my Great Grandma’s recipe. When I smell that magical aroma of sweet and sour, it transports me back to my Nanny Smith’s kitchen. Heaven!

  138. My favorite thing I have canned is a copycat recipe for Wickles which are super spicy bread and bitter pickles

  139. My mother-in-law taught me how to can last year and now I’m hooked, I love canning! Last year I made a lot of different berry jams and canned salsa. This year I canned some carrot cake jam, it’s my new favorite, it was fun to see that you made it as well! 🙂 I love looking at your canning recipes, I also made the pear vanilla jam and the apple pie jam that you posted.

  140. I have never canned anything but I would really love to! I have just bought a canning pot, and planted my first garden this year. This year is all about learning – I’m hoping to be able to preserve lots of veggies next year 🙂 I make most of our food from scratch (pizza sauce, pasta sauce, soups) but I’m so new to canning that I’m a bit hesitant lol!

  141. My wonderful mother-in-law taught me to can 15 years ago. Since then I’ve taught my mom and sister! Now it’s a tradition for us to get together over Labor Day weekend and can hundreds of quarts of food. It’s a ton of fun! I tried your carrot cake jam and it’s wonderful! But my 2 favorites are apple pie filling and apple cake! Yes. You can, can cake! Love, love, love your website!!!

  142. I canned for the first time ever this year. I made cherry jam and pie filling, lots and lots of salsa, dilly beans (your recipe), and pickles and relish. I’ve totally been bitten by the canning bug and will probably do some apples and pears later. (Hubby was invited by a neighbor to come pick all he wants, and we’ll be taking advantage of the free produce.)

  145. I’d never canned anything until I started reading your blog.

    I’ve tried cherries (a royal flop), strawberry-rhubarb jelly & your carrot cake jam.

    The carrot cake was a hit with EVERYONE…

    Thanks for your inspiration!!!

  146. My favorite canned item is my grandma’s canned green beans–I remember picking them in her garden every summer.

  148. I have been canning for about 3 years now. I love it, fresh veggies and fruits all year round.
    It is very difficult to choose my favorite canned item, but I think I would have to say the mixed berry jam we made last year with our own garden grown berries. Very very tasty, better than any of the single berry jams we have made.
    Thanks for this chance to win!

  149. I’ve been canning since I was about 11 years old. Applesauce, pickles, jalapenos, apple butter, and tomatoes as a teenager and even more as an adult. Mostly everything has been water-bath canned since I’m still scared stiff to use my pressure canner! I’d have to say my favorite canned goods are my Spiced Peach Butter and my Pineapple-Apricot Jam. Both are fabulous on fresh baked biscuits!

  150. No canning yet. At least as an adult:) Just put a down payment on our own little slice heaven and plan go have a massive garden. I will be canning out of neccessity next year. I can not wait:)

  151. I have been canning for 3 years now & I <3 it! I've canned pears, peaches, pumpkin butter, pickles, applesauce, blackberry syrup, and jams just to name a few 😉
    By far my favorite thing canned is green beans! Sooo yummy!
    Thanks Mavis, you're blog is awesome!

  152. I love canning! I make cold pack dill pickles every year. My favorite this year has been our wild blackberry jam. I would love to make your pear preserves or the carrot cake preserves. Definitely today’s green tomato curry recipe! Love your blog! It’s the only blog I read every. single. day. 🙂

  153. I LOVE canning, once I’m finished! My favorite canned food is strawberry jam, from fresh farm picked strawberries or pears. It is such a toss-up! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂

  154. I have really enjoyed the recipes you have given for canning. You have inspired me to give it a try next summer. My sister gave me some canned figs this summer and they are wonderful.

  156. I have been canning since childhood. I used to help my grams every summer. My favorite was your carrot cake jam, yum! I wish I had made more. Love your blog, so inspiring!

  157. yes! I love canning!! My fav recipe that I’ve ever tasted has to be…. my grandma’s straberry rhubarb jam. simple, but there’s nothing like it!

  158. Zucchini Relish, Strawberry & Blackberry Freezer Jam. 🙂 I don’t have a canner, so I can’t REALLY can… just stuff for the freezer! 😀
    Thanks for the opportunity to get cleaning supplies!

  159. I have canned lots of things over the last 20 years. It is hard to pick a favorite. I most enjoy canning things that I grow myself. This year was different because our family made an 800 mile move. We were too late to start a garden! Last month, one of our new neighbors called and asked if our family would like to come to their home and pick all of the apricots we could use. We gladly went over there and into their backyard where they had 4 very large, healthy apricot trees! We picked to our heart’s content. I finally had something to can AND we made some great new friends! You can’t beat that!

  160. Being relative young to canning, it has been an experience! I’ve canned peaches in the past…more into making jam. LOVE all the jam recipes you share!
    Two weeks ago I canned applesauce, which was a very costly experience for me….each spoonful of applesauce is like gold now, since I sliced into my hand & required stitches! But it is ALL worth it (I went right back to canning more all applesauce) as my young kiddos love it!

  161. I’ve canned strawberry jam, pickled jalapenos, pepper jelly, dilly beans, and salsa. The dilly beans were my favorite.

  162. I have canned for several years and I love to can jams of all types and this year I made Danish cherry sauce which I love!!!

  163. Hi Mavis!

    I’ve been canning for a couple of years now and have really fond memories of watching and helping my mom make real Concord grape jam from grapes we would harvest from wild vines in New England. I even hunted down an eastern concord grape vine to plant in my yard here in CA this year so i can carry on the tradition in her honor.

    Another favorite of mine that I discovered in Arizona a few years ago is fresh prickly pear jelly!!! It’s amazing and totally underutilized!

  164. I love to can. My favourite thing ever to “put by” is salsa. A close second for me would be peaches. Thanks for the chance to win this cool prize.

  165. I started canning this year. So far the best thing I made was the balsamic red pepper jelly, recipe in Ball’s Complete Home Canning book.

  166. I discovered canning three years ago. My first attempt was blackberry jam, and I was hooked. My current favorite is dilly beans.

  169. I have never canned but I have wonderful memories of seeing all the fruits of my mothers labors lined up on the basement shelves…tomatoes, peaches, chili sauce and pickels

  170. I can as much produce as possible – I just don’t trust my freezer to keep everything fresh (or the power grid to keep the freezer running). My favorite thing to can is ginger-pear jam. My friends all start asking for it months before pear season!

  171. My favorite canning project was this year’s tomato soup. There are peppers and onions in the recipe. When it’s opened, you can add potatoes, corn, and clams for a wonderful chowder. I enjoy your blog and I also love Bon Ami. (hasn’t scratched yet!)

  172. I have not canned by myself……yet…just with my family. Green beans and sauerkraut. Next year I will be canning on my own, after all the research and information I have gathered this year from your blog and the trusty internet!

    Thanks!

  173. Hi Mavis, I have canned beets and pears in the past and even though it was a LOT of work and my family was somewhat underwhelmed by my efforts, I will do it again this year. It always makes me feel so Ma Ingalls to squirrel away the fruits of the harvest for the approaching winter!

  174. Hello Ya’ll, I have been canning on and off for years, green beans, tomato’s, jams and jellies. But recently I have been in to preserving jams. My favorite is Concord Grape with Blueberries, it is a favorite for two reasons. First is the taste , it amazing and second but the best reason is the me and my kids pickked the fruit ourselves to make the jam. Growing or harvesting your own food just makes it that much better.

  175. I’ve (helped my mom) can tomatoes, jam, taco sauce, beets, and all kinds of things. My favorite thing I have canned myself has been hot pepper jelly! I’m going to use it for Christmas gifts this year!

  176. I just started canning this year, thanks to you! And I love it!!! I have canned 14 pints of pears, 6 pints of applesauce, 4 pints of strawberry jam, and my absolute favorite:

    Apple Pie Jam! Love it! I canned 6 – 1/2 pints and after giving some away, I only have 2 left for my family. Going to have to make some more I guess. Darn! 😉

  177. We just started canning this year! We’ve made strawberry jam, triple berry jam, peach vanilla bean jam, carrot cake jam (from your site!), dilly beans and pickled carrots so far!

  178. I’ve canned for 40+ years so done plenty of cleaning up. Worst was when a bottom broke on a qt. of grape juice when lifting it out of the canner!! A fav thing to can is sweet and sour chicken,yum.

  179. I’ve canned pickles and tomatoes and such, but my favorite thing I’ve ever preserved was dill green beans and carrots. Those are super yummy!

  180. The best thing I have learned to can thus far is peach jam 🙂 Nothing better then fresh peach jam!!

  182. i can everything possible! muscadine jelly, green beans, new potatoes, salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, cream corn, black eyed peas! i have to say my favorite is green beans.. my mamaws recipe.. everytime we open a can it makes me think of being at her kitchen table 🙂

  183. I’ve canned peaches, blackberry jam, applesauce, pickled asparagus and soup for Christmas gifts. My favorite is the blackberry jam my Mom used to make, it’s the best of course!

  184. I’ve only canned freezer jam – strawberry and a strawberry-blackberry mix. They were delicious.

    My favorite thing – probably is the strawberry freezer jam. First time I had it, it was like tasting summer in the middle of winter.

  185. I just scored THREE free canners! I knew if I held out long enough I would not have to pay for one and I ended up with more than I needed. I plan on canning your rosemary jam this weekend using some rosemary from a plant I bought my mom for Mother’s Day a year ago. WOO HOO!

  186. 1. This is my first year canning! I’ve got about 3 dozen quarts under my belt now.

    2. My favorite canned item was the 6 quarts of strawberry jam I got off my strawberry plants last June… yeah they’re the kind that only produce once, but they went gangbusters!

  187. Oh! Great giveaway! My favorite thing I ever canned was the 40 pounds of apples we picked on a road trip to North Carolina. We live in Texas, so getting to pick apples was a great, and having all that sauce for the rest of the year brought back those memories of a wonderful trip.

  188. I can jams every year I swap some with my sister who cans tomato puree for sauce. My favorite is peach jam.

  189. I have been canning since I was able to stand on a chair to help my mom and grandma. Mom and I would arrange the peaches in the jars since our hands were small enough to fit inside of the wide mouth jar without getting stuck. Needless to say, Mom still can do this but my hands are now a lot bigger so it isn’t as easy for me now. It was always great fun to help grandma, mom and the aunts with the canning since that meant all of my cousins were together.
    My favorite home canned product is my aunts pickled beets. I have her recipe but mine don’t taste quite the same.

  190. I have never canned anything but I plan to start a garden very soon and fully intend to can. A friend of the family gave us some amazing canned strawberry-fig jam, it was the best!

  191. Last year was my first year canning and I really enjoyed it. This year we expanded our garden and now are canning even more. We love trying different recipes. One of my favorites so far is a Christmas Pickle recipe I found. They are really good. Lot of work, but worth it. Carrots are still presenting a challenge. Tried a Glazed carrot recipe and it didn’t turn out very well. I have a ton of apples I’m working on now and waiting for more tomatoes & pumpkins to get done.

  192. I’ve canned salsa for the past few years and give it away for Christmas gifts to friends and family. I’ve also done homemade vanilla. My grandma also used to make the best strawberry jam. She passed away 10 years ago and I still have a jar of it in the freezer. I can’t get myself to use it!

  193. I can a lot and my favorite, while it isn’t fancy, might be my blackberry jam. However, my apple butter won first place in the County Fair, so I’ve got a warm spot for it in my heart.

  194. I have made wild grape jelly, that’s my favorite thing to preserve! I’ve also made cherry jelly and apple butter.

  195. This is the first year that I have started canning and I am addicted. I have canned several different jams with blueberry(which I picked the berries at a farm) being the most popular. I have actually sold some to support my habit. I also tried a Major Grey’s Chutney and pickles. It’s been a blast! I have also never tried Bon Ami and would love to win this!

  196. I haven’t canned anything before, but I stocked up on some canning supplies last year and my grandma gave me a recipes for pickles.

  198. I’ve only been canning for a few years, nothing to your caliber, but my favorite food to can would have to be Spicy 24 hour Half Sour dill pickles!

  199. We can jams, tomatoes and pickles so far. We hope to expand on this, and have really been enjoying collecting some of your recipes! I have to say one of my favorites will always be just plain old red raspberry jam, on a piece of fresh baked bread – yum!

  200. I love to can. Haven’t had time this year but I am hoping to find some time to can before fall is over. Maybe apple butter…. Oh, wait, I made refrigerator pickles. 🙂

  201. Well I am certainly a beginner “canner” and the last few years I have only canned berry jams for the boys PB&Js. This year, though, I have been greatly inspired by your blog and have attempted successfully – whole tomatoes, dices tomatoes, salsa, applesauce, zucchini relish, etc.! So far I think my favorite thing to can is raspberry jam. It is so quick to mash them with very little prep. With 3 boys and my own HH time is always of the essence!

  202. I have never canned but it is something I really want to start doing. The best thing I ever had was a salsa my husbands co-worker made. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway 🙂

    Renee
    fattybumpkins at yahoo dot com

  203. I use to can several years ago, but am trying to recover financially so that I may start again! My favorite thing was apple pie filling in a jar, because not only was it a delicious pie, my husband now loves it just out of the jar! 🙂

  204. I started canning a few years ago. My favorite is the new salsa recipe I tried this year, “annie’s salsa”! It is the BEST! I am excited about this giveaway.

  207. I have never canned anything, but my aunt sure did. One of my favorites were tomatoes. I could literally eat an entire quart jar in one sitting. Yes, they were that good. Many thanks to you and Bon Ami for offering such a generous giveaway.

  208. I have never canned personally but I can remember watching my great-grandmother canning during most of my childhood years. I hope to follow in her footsteps soon. I plan to have a large garden next year and can what we don’t use immediately – God willing! My favorite thing was her pear butter… best thing EVER on fresh, home-made biscuits.

  209. We can green beans, and this year tomatoes too. The green beans are def my favorite. However, I really want to try your vanilla/pear spread recipe!!

  210. I canned green beans once and it did not turn out well 🙁 I hope next time will be better, I haven’t given up yet!

  212. I have never canned anything, but my mother has. Her canned peaches are the most delicious canned thing I’ve ever tasted!

    Thank you for the giveaway – reading the blog has been fun!

  213. this year I learned the joys of small batch canning (who knew you didn’t have to drag out the gigantic canner?) I did sweet and sour peppers. I’ve previously done jams, applesauce, etc.

  214. I haven’t canned anything on my own but I have helped my mom can many many things. My favorite is homemade sweet pickles.

  216. I canned for the first time a couple of years ago and made enough blueberry and blackberry jam to last a full two years. I also canned apple pie filling and cinnamon pears. My favorite thing to can though was dill pickles…they were fantastic and I am mad that I haven’t canned any this year yet.

  217. I love canning. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment and makes me feel connected to all the women of the past who actually had to work for their food instead of opening a box from the supermarket. Plus, I love knowing exactly what went in the food I am eating!

  218. My most favorite memory is eating my mom’s bread &butter pickles with a beef roast,it was so tasty! She also put up melon balls,honeydew,cantalope and watermelon,it was heaven! I make pom jelly and apricot jam with pineapple and almonds,so good on toast!

  219. I have been canning since I was 9…any way I started helping my mom to can when I was nine…almost 50 years ago! My favorite thing to can is wild caught salmon.

  220. This is my second summer canning and I love it! The favorites at my house are peaches, pears, and applesauce. I do love tomato basil jam for a more fancy appetizer!

  221. I LOVE to can! I caught the bug and can’t stop. The hubby was a little nervous when he came home and caught me canning bananas (hey- they were 8 cents a pound!). I told him that I would can grass if he would eat it (he doesn’t, so I won’t). I now am canning the 4 Walmart bags full of tomatoes that I got to glean from my neighbor’s garden. The only thing better than canning? Canning FREE produce. Peace out.

  223. I know nothing about canning. I wanted to learn from my grandmother but she passed away before I ever had the desire to can foods.
    My favorite thing that she canned was her green beans! No matter who canned green beans besides her, they were never as good as hers. I dont know what she did to them to make them so wonderful.
    Thanks for the opportunity to win
    Lisa

  224. Canning, sweet canning how I love you. My favorite thing to can is salsa. I love the cutting of all the veggies, I love the smell of the spices and my family can’t wait until it is cooled to try. But REALLY it is all very satisfying.

  225. I canned for the first time ever this year after a bumper crop of Cucumbers. I made pickles and they were a hit with everyone. That gave me the confidence to can more so I canned Jams, Jellies, pickled beets & relish. I am totally hooked and can’t wait for next years canning experiences!

  226. I have not canned YET, but I will say you have totally inspired me. I just hit the Farm and Fleet and picked up my supplies and this weekend after hitting the farmers market bright and early me and my little helper (7 yr old daughter) will be attempting our first canning with your applesauce recipe =), we can’t wait. The single best thing I’ve ever tasted was canned spaghetti sauce. I was 7 years ago and I still savor every bite!!! Love your blog – thank you for sharing all your great experiences. Love Bon Ami too!

  227. I’ve never canned before, and I don’t know that I’ve ever even had canned produce that wasn’t store-bought. I’m planning to start canning next spring, and it will be an adventure!

  228. Although I have never canned anything I’ve always wanted to try! Especially tasting all the yummy jams that are produced by other people. My favorite would have to be apple butter and what better time to try to can some than in the fall!

  229. I like making pickle relish and corn relish. I like all the spices and all the ingredients and all the chopping. Is very relaxing. BON AMI products would be really good for getting those yellow turmeric stains off my white countertops!

  232. So far I’ve just made freezer jam–raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry. I recently tasted a canned jam my girlfriend made. It was raspberry jalapeno! Yummy. I’d like to start canning soon. 🙂

  233. I have never canned but constantly entertain the idea. Best canned food I’ve ever had would be strawberry preserves made by my mom.

  234. Growing up my parents alwasy bought direct from local New Jersey farms, and e canned everything from peaches, to tomoatoes and peppers. The best thing I ever ate was my mother’s roasted red pepers. Becasue of a huge kitchen in my new apartment, I plan on canning this Spring and Summer.

  235. I have never canned anything myself, but my Mom does. The best thing I tasted was canned green beans from the garden.

  238. I have canned everything from pickles to jams and jellies to meats and chili. All have a special place in my heart and in my pantry.

  240. I can every year and this year we had a tremendous tomato crop so we did everything from ketchup to spaghetti sauce, tomato soup to just plain tomato juice. My favorite thing to can is apple butter and the best thing I have ever tasted that someone else canned was seedless black raspberry jelly…love, love, love it!!

  241. Sadly I have never canned anything. I bought the cans this summer (on sale with a coupon) but the drought dashed my hopes of a bountiful harvest. Next summer?

  242. I love to can, especially making delicious jams with the fruit that grows in my garden.
    My kids love our mixed berry jam ( a blend of raspberry and several varieties of blackberries ). It’s apple sauce time in my kitchen these days. Happy canning and happy cleaning, with Bon Ami it will be a blast.

  243. I have been canning consistently for about three years now. My favorite canned item has to be either my Earl Grey Tangerine Marmalade or plum lavendar or strawberry rose jam. I know… I make too many jams that it’s hard to choose. My hubby (and some of his lucky customers) would probably say it’s the chocolate orange marmalade. But he does love my bread and butter pickles (made with lemon cucumbers).

  244. Hi Mavis! Thanks for the Bon Ami giveaway~! I LOVE your website and am so glad Bon Ami shared it on Facebook! I’ll enjoy meandering on your many fun blog pages! I’m a gardener also and I LOVE Bon Ami! It’s so nice of you to be a “good friend” to us online! To answer the can-do canning question: I have had my boyfriends homegrown, homecanned green beans which were DEE-lightfully DEE-licious! I appreciate anyone who has good old fashioned skills like canning to share! P.S. My neighbors are a sweet couple in their twenties and they can too! I hope to share my Bon Ami “bounty” with them if “we-all” happen to be the lucky ones since I know they will love to try it! Love, Jeanne, Emily, Ethan and Waltham (“Wallykins”) the Cat!

  245. Mavis, thank you for the opportunity to enter. Bon Ami is wonderful. One summer we canned 50 quarts of green beans from our large back yard garden and vegetable soup mix. Family members loved the the food we were able to share. I no longer garden on that scale but still grow vegetables for my use and remember how much everyone looked forward to those green beans. They were so sweet and delicious.

  246. I took a canning class and hope to do it myself in time. We made a great tomato jam.

    Thanks for the giveaway, I love both Bon Ami and that scent…my favorites is anything citrus so this would be a win-win. Fingers crossed!

  247. I have never canned before, but I want to really bad. I have the pot and the rack, but no jars, and such. And nothing to can! 🙁 The best thing someone else canned that I loved was some cherry jelly! So Delicious! Thanks for the giveaway!!!

  249. Yes, my grandma actually taught canning and preserving to housewives back in the 60s, and she canned EVERYTHING! My favorite thing ever is Pear Preserves…on a hot, buttery biscuit…

  250. I have never canned anything by myself but I come from a long line of canners. Both sides of my family canned everything imaginable. I remember helping my mom can pickles and my job was to put the dill and the cucumbers in the jars for her. Her pickles were amazing! Good memories 🙂 She was also a big fan of Bon Ami!

  251. I have canned a lot. Great grandmom taught mom who taught me and mow I am teaching the kids.
    My favorite thing to can is the spaghetti sauce that is on the stove now (it will be canned tomorrow morning) because it is the first time the kids have been directly involved with the process and it is fun teaching them such an important skill.

  252. I have canned hot pepper mustard sauce and cold packed some venison. I subscribed to your blog because I believe we will need to be more self sustaining in the very near future. Thanks for your blog. It is the best one I have ever seen. I was raised in the Seattle area and now reside in wild and wonderful West Virginia. Thanks for all you do to help people make it on a limited budget. Keep it up Mavis.

    Mike Houston in WV

  253. I have never canned anything. It is on the list though. My grandmother makes the most amazing pickled asparagus ever.

  254. Over the years I’ve canned jams, jellies, and pickles but my favorite thing to can are the beets from my garden.

  257. I have never canned, though I am planning on starting soon and have been stocking up on supplies! My favorite canned food is my grandmas pickled baby eggplants!

  258. My mother and I used to can all the time. I loved making jams and jellies with her. Especially corn cob jelly!

  260. Hey! I have actually canned! I canned peaches and jalapeno jelly two years ago. It was a great experience and I really need to do it next year :). My favorite canned item is spicy green beans! Bought some at the farmer’s market last week! YUMMM.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy