For the second year in a row, I recieved a lucky visit from the pear fairy! This year’s delivery happens to be timed just right for my contribution to National Can-It-Forward Day on August 17!

Communal canning is something I love doing; see previous years’ parties here and here. This year NCIF day doesn’t fall on my birthday (like it did last year), so I’m hosting a pear canning class here in Austin, Texas with the amazing org Women.Design.Build. We’ll be tweeting along with canners across the nation with the #canitforward hashtag while pear buttering and brandying pears deep in the heart of Texas.

In celebration of all things preserved, Ball has offered up a Canning Utensil Kit & free case of any size jars to 3 lucky HGGH readers!

Think about sharing the kit with a hopeful canner if you already have a canning kit, and I’m sure you’ll not have any trouble thinking of what to do with a free case of jars.

View restrictions and enter via the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Austinites can join me at these two events on August 17:

• 9:30-11:30 Free peach jammin’ demo and tasting at the Cedar Park Farmers’ Market, come by to sample and pick up tips for small-batch jam making and other preserving projects. Lots of great giveaways including a canner pot, canning utensil kits, cases of jars, and much more! (We’ll have the same demo and celebration with giveaways on August 18 at Mueller Farmers’ Market from 11-1, too!) 

• 1-4p Pear preserving class with Women.Design.Build. This intimate class will provide participants with an extensive understanding of waterbath canning with a focus on preserving pears (pear butter and brandied pears)! Attendees will go home with a jar of each project and a recipe/methodology packet. Sign up via link above.

Both events will have lots of great canning and jar giveaways thanks to Ball Canning & Recipes!

Disclosures: Jarden Home Brands has offered up these kits and jar coupons at no cost to me. Jarden sponsors my preserving classes throughout the year by providing an in-kind donation of jars. I personally support this brand and am thrilled they’ve stopped using BPA in the lid sealing compound.