With summer’s bounty in full glory we decided to put the canning novices on our team to the test. Could they, with the help of Ball’s beginner-friendly Canning Discovery Kit, properly can on the first try without visual or emotional scarring? (Those at ESS with more experience in this department could share a litany of tales involving burn marks, repulsively runny jelly, second and third canning attempts on the same can, etc.)
The results are in and, using the kit’s jar rack, which slides in and out of your average pot with ease, three canning jars and simple instruction booklet, our canners produced three perfectly preserved containers of assorted plums and apricots in a ruby-colored syrup.
The verdict? Ball’s kit makes canning simple, clean, safe and, dare we say rewarding? (If our canners are any indication, popping your canning cherry is akin to inventing the light bulb!)
