I was excited to see this coupon! Why? Well, I just started canning for the first time last year! We started with 15 lbs. of organic plums from our co-op and turned them into plum jam (after the dozen or so the kids consumed!!). It was a very intimidating task for me before-hand, but it as really fun and turned out well!
So, with that, if you are or want to start canning, there are a couple of things you can do right now to help you save. First, we would recommend the following for the jars. Head to the thrift stores now to get your glass cannning jars. They are significantly cheaper and will be near impossible to find in the few weeks. We found Ball and Kerr for .15 a jar (vs. .75 in-store). Also, we were able to borrow canning equipment from others in our church as well and so if you can find friends, neighbors, etc. where you can all share equipment, it will save loads of money! Now just watch for those cheap produce deals, or if you are blessed to have a fruit tree, then you are set!
Second, if you can’t find any or just want to start with a supply of new Ball or Kerr canning jars, there is a great coupon you can print for $3 off 2 cases of jars. These cases of jars start at $7.47 for a case of 12 at Walmart and go up depending on the size and type of jar. With the coupon, you can get a case of 12 new jars for $5.97 = .50 each jar. The benefit of the new ones, they already come with the seal and rings included in the price. With used, you will still need to get the rings. So if you can’t get used for less than .50, you probably want to print this coupon.
Third, there is a coupon for $1/1 Ball Real Fruit Pectin or Food Mix in the 06/03/2012 Smart Source Insert (exp 07/29/2012). This will give you a nice discount on the full-size jars of Pectin, or you can get the pouches for a single jar for FREE! We bought 4 of the pouches for quick freezer jams for the berry season!
On a side note: our organic plum jam is awesome! The first taste test was on homemade bread – YUM! However, I changed the recipe as I was floored that the fruit to sugar content was the same!! No wonder why we love Jam so much!! I canned 8 cups of plum jam, but only used 2.5 cups of sugar. The taste of the natural fruit was already pretty sweet (they were very ripe when I used them) and so that amount of sugar was the right combination. However, if anyone has sweetener alternatives that you would recommend for the future, I would LOVE to hear!!
Print your $3.00/2 Cases of Ball or Kerr Canning Jars HERE
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My mom has never used as much sugar as the recipe calls for when making jam. In fact she started getting the “no sugar needed” pectin and hardly adds any at all. We want fruit not sugar!
It’s really just a “to taste” thing. With that pectin you can use honey to sweeten instead of sugar. You could probably use agave too. I LOVE home made jam, especially mom’s strawberry rhubarb. One of these days I’ll make some myself. I actually have everything I need just haven’t wanted to try it in my little kitchen.