When gardens and farmers’ markets start going into overdrive, we start thinking about capturing all of this bounty and preserving it for later consumption--in other words: canning. Whether it’s making jams or marmalades, tomato sauce or ketchup, chutneys or pickles, or any other overwhelming quantities of summer’s bounty, canning is an easy way to enjoy the produce of summer throughout the year.
I used to think canning was mysterious and difficult, but it isn’t. There are lots of good books out there about how to do it, and there is very little more satisfying than sharing and enjoying your treasures from the summer when the weather is dismal.
To get started in canning, you need a really big pot and canning jars and lids, but there are also a few essential tools that make canning a lot easier: a good funnel for putting things in your jars, a jar lifter to take jars in and out of the water bath without burning your fingers, and a lid lifter to lift the jar lids out of the sterilizing water bath (again, without burning your fingers).
Progressive has thoughtfully packaged a set of well-designed tools to make your canning exercise easier; each of the tools in this set is a model of efficiency and functionality. Cool Tools, each and every one!
