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Tuesday 30 July 2013

Making County Fair Candy Apple Jelly with Bernardin!

I was so excited to finally fulfil my dream of learning about canning with the help of Bernardin recently!

They gave me one of their starter kits to try out and I have to say it was just perfect. It's everything a beginner needs to get started, but it has all the tools you need to take you through as you learn more and more about canning and get more and more adventurous.

You'll want to hang in until the end of this post today because I'll be sharing a really fun recipe with you and one of my readers will even get to win a kit of their own!


Of course I had to come up with a fun recipe to try, even though it was only my first time. I mentioned the idea of this jelly recipe to Kennedy and she was so excited! So that settled it. This is a perfect no mess, no fuss type of jelly for when you're just getting your feet wet.


I also think it's perfect for this time of year. It has great end-of-Summer-and-into-Fall flavors and now I've got a whole batch just waiting to be enjoyed once the weather starts to cool down.

Here's the easy-peasy recipe!

(Adapted from Taste of Home)

4 cups of Apple Juice
1/2 cup Cinnamon Heart Candies
1 package of Bernardin Pectin (57g)
4 1/2 cups of Sugar

That's it!

In a large saucepan, mix the juice, candies, and pectin. Bring it to a full boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the sugar and bring it back to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Place the new lids on top of your jars and close them up with the metal bands until they're just finger tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. See how easy that was?

I only made 4 jars because I had these really pretty little jars that came with my kit, but I could have probably made 6-8 little jelly jars from this recipe quite easily. I just put the extras in the fridge to enjoy right now.

It really only took about 45 minutes including clean up! I can't believe I waited so long to learn about canning!

Here's how it all went down:


The kit arrived just like this all together in a big happy box.


Really simple, straightforward instructions were included. They really made it seem easier than anything else I've read online. Look how happy those ladies are on the front! It can't be that hard if they're laughing like that!


They also included a whole bunch of goodies for decorating the jars for gifting with my kit. Bernardin will be selling jar decorating kits at Canadian Tire stores in Canada starting in the fall. That's how I managed to get my jars looking so cute, in case you were wondering. No decorating skills needed!


These cute jar labels are included in the kits too!


Speaking of jars, here's a close of up the jars included with the kit.


I washed them and then warmed them up in the canner just like it said to in the instructions.

And speaking of the canner...


Isn't it a beauty? I thought I was a little strange for being so in love with a big pot, but then Kennedy came home from camp and said "Oooo! Pretty! Did they really give this to you?" So the love of canning must be genetic.


I mixed up my simple recipe and got my canning complete in no time flat.


I may have stolen a candy or two along the way...


Here's how it looked when it was all done! It really looks like it was done by someone who knows what they're doing, doesn't it? That's the power of having the right tools!

Bernardin will be hosting an event called National Can it Forward Day on August 11th at 1pm this year. Whether you're an experienced canner or are just looking to try it out, they have a whole day dedicated to getting you excited about canning! You can follow along with the event hosted by the Bernardin head chef Emerie Brine and even ask questions in a live chat or on Twitter! You'll have to check it out if you're at all interested in learning about the art/craft/awesomeness of canning!

So are you ready to win a kit of your own and get started on a lifetime of canning?

Just fill out the form below! The winner will be announced after National Can it Forward Day on August 11.

Please note that this Giveaway is only open to Canadian residents.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much to Bernardin for sponsoring this post and for providing me with the kit to help me achieve my canning dreams!

Good luck everyone!

34 comments:

  1. Canning is on my kitchen bucket list of things to try! Recipe looks yummy!

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  2. I love canning and usually do it with a friend. A second canning pot would make things go a bit quicker.

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  3. Love canning! We recently made Red currant & Raspberry jelly. Yum! It would be fun to bless a friend with a starter kit and do some canning together :)

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  4. My mother used to make this jelly for Christmas gifts. This brings back lovely memories.

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  5. Love canning and I have not done any for about 10 years and would love a kit to get back into it...the jelly looks like a fun one to try too!

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  6. I love canning and have just recently started canning in earnest so that I will have home grown food to feed my family year round. The canning kit would make the process so much easier!

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  7. I love knowing just what is going in my food, and being able to bless friends with something I have made is an added bonus. It is nice to be able to "rak" people! (Random Acts of Kindness).

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  8. I so want to learn more about canning. This recipe that you shared seems extremely easy & oh so yummy. This canning kit would be a blessing in my quest to start canning!

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  9. I have attempted canning in the past, but failed miserably. Perhaps this might help get me started on the right foot for a successful jam!

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  10. Just starting to do some canning.

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  11. have been canning for years, definitely need a replacement kit

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  12. I would really like a starter canning set because I have never made anything canned before, and where we live there is a huge blackberry patch, and I was wanting to try making blackberry jelly, thank you:)

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  13. I have dabbled with canning a few times, but now, I would Love love love to share it with my sons, daughter, and daughter in law. Having the right tools makes this family time a joy.

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  14. Mary-Ann Parsley30 July 2013 at 15:21

    I'm planning to hold an old fashioned canning circle - you know where a bunch of friends get together and each makes one type then we all share with the other. That way, each friend ends up with a variety of jams or whatever we're preserving - like the Bernardin Salsa which is AWESOME and every bit as easy as your Candy Apple Jelly recipe :)

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  15. Hi! I am like Courtenay I have never done canning before of my own but when I was about 8 or 9 I did it with my aunt and mom they made peach jam and apple sauce.They use to put wax on the top to preserve it.I don`t think they do that any more do they.I know I have always wanted to try it have some recipes in mind I know once I do I will be hooked.
    Cindy de Nottbeck

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  16. Hi, While I've never done canning MYSELF, my parents ALWAYS canned when I was younger and OF COURSE I was drafted to help! LOL! Now think pre-air conditioning!!! I've often wanted to start but had no idea where to begin, so this set would be an answer to a dream!!! Thanks for giving the opportunity!

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  17. Very nice kit--looks like so much fun. I remember that my mother loved to can green beans rather than freezing them, and she also made the absolute BEST sweet pickles and canned them.

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  18. I so need a new canning kit!

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  19. I would love to use canned items as Christmas gifts. This looks like a great kit to start with.

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  20. Would love to have the opportunity to can some fresh jams and jellies just need a kit to give it a go!

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  21. I love to can and if I win I will pass this along to my son to get him started with canning!

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  22. This sounds like an awesome receipe and a great starter kit! Going to try out the receipe soon!

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  23. I would love to have this kit to get my best friend into canning!

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  24. Oh wow! How cool is this?!? I'd love to win and get busy! Thanks for sharing your recipe too!

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  25. Love love love this recipe, the hubs dose all our jams, but I'm going to jump on board and give this yummy treat a try:)) great giveaway, thanks for the chance, love the cute canning kit...

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  26. Sign me up! I have about a million apples waiting to be picked this fall, I could use all the help I can get!

    thanks Courtenay!

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  27. Living on a tight budget is easier when you can buy fresh things on sale and can them for later! cherry jam all year long... yummmm!

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  28. I've been wanting to learn to can for a few years now. But I haven't wanted to purchase the products and I'm a little nervous about it. I'm doing freezer jam and storing things in the freezer for now. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  29. Just the motivation I need to do more home canning for my family! I would love to win the Bernardin home canning starter kit! Put my name in the canning jar :)

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  30. I'd like to win this kit because I've canned a couple times without the tools and canner (just jars and lids) and having a canner would make it much easier.

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  31. I would love to win this. I would give it to my daughter in law to get her started canning.

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  32. I would love to learn to can, my Mom canned everything, jams, fruit pickles. Mom is gone now and oh how I miss the homemade jam, pickles, fruit, to this day store bought is tasteless and bland. I feel its time for me to fill that void.

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  33. This sounds like an awesome receipe and a great starter kit! Going to try out the receipe soon!

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