a lotta labels

i am happy to say that canning is on the rise!

the new york times published an article the other day all about it called preserving time in a bottle (or a jar). where it stated that jarden, the company that makes mason jars reported a 50% increase in sales over last year.

dorie greenspan is pondering whether its a new trend. -and she knows about trends.

is canning the new baking?

there is a flood of new books on the subject (my favorite of these thus far; well-preserved: recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of seasonal foods and the joy of jams, jellies, and other sweet preserves: 200 classic and contemporary recipes showcasing the fabulous flavors of fresh fruits) and new editions of timely classics, particularly of note linda zeidrich's the joy of pickling, revised edition: 250 flavor-packed recipes for vegetables and more from garden or market. you may remember my statement on the earlier edition of this book from over here. basically, run don't walk...

people are frequenting farmers markets now more than ever before, or pick-your-owns, or joining CSA's, or like me, have let their inner farmer out. canning is the next step in enjoying the flavor of local, in-season produce. it's artisanal with a capital A. :)

and it's coming to a jar near you.

people the word is out!

so i thought i would share with you a little site i found a couple of years ago called a lotta labels. it's virtually a treasure trove of labels for use on your canning jars, on the lids to be exact - which is perfect because you cannot re-use your lids once you actually can something so no scraping the labels off of used jars. they offer over 150 designs for regular size or wide-mouth lids. they are printed on moisture resistant, high gloss photo quality stock, the customer service is impeccable, and they get to your mailbox quicker than rhubarb grows. (if any of you have a rhubarb patch you know what i'm talkin' about).

they also do custom designed labels too, my favorite.

see:


i supplied the tigress image and they did the rest. (photogenic aren't i?)
i've even bothered them a few times about finding odd size labels for my weck jars. which they happily obliged.

oh, and if you tell 'em tigress sent ya, they'll give you 5% off your order. just put the word tigress in the box that says promotional code upon check out.

see how nice things can be?