Celebrate International Can-It-Forward Day: Preserving Your Container Garden Harvest

𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑒𝑠, 𝑝𝑒𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠, ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑢𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒!

August 1st is 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐧-𝐈𝐭-𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲, a celebration of preserving the fruits (and veggies!) of your garden labor—no matter how big or small your harvest may be. And if you’re growing in containers, yes, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑛.

Whether you’re working with a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes or just enough jalapeños for a small batch of salsa, this is the perfect time to learn how to stretch your harvest into fall and beyond.

🥫 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧-𝐈𝐭-𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲?

Started by Ball® Canning, this day encourages gardeners and food lovers alike to learn the art of home canning and preserving. The goal is simple: 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆, 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔.

🍅 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞

Even small harvests can lead to delicious preserved treats. Here’s what container gardeners are preserving this season:

* 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬: Whole, crushed, or sauced

* 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬: Pickled or added to spicy relishes

* 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬: Made into pestos or herb vinegars

* 𝐂𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬: Pickled into crunchy snacks

* 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 (𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐬): Jammed and jellied with love

🛠️ 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬)

𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥

* Try a simple refrigerator pickle or herb-infused vinegar—no fancy equipment needed.

* Make a single jar of jam or tomato sauce and freeze it if you’re not ready to water-bath can.

𝟐. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞

* A stock pot and canning rack are often enough to get started.

* You can even freeze herbs in ice cube trays with olive oil for later use.

𝟑. 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

* Include the date and ingredients.

* Trust us—future-you will thank present-you when reaching into the pantry.

𝟒. 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝

* Kids love mashing berries, measuring sugar, and making labels.

🌿 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬

* 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐞 – Use up ripe tomatoes and extra herbs.

* 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 – Great for burgers and sandwiches.

* 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 – A flavorful way to preserve that overgrown mint plant.

* 𝐂𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬 – Classic, easy, and perfect for snacking.

* 𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 – Sweet, spicy, and beautiful in a jar!

🎉 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲

* Share your favorite canning recipe or photo of your pantry shelf.

* Try a new preserving technique and post about your experience.

* Start a mini challenge: preserve something from your garden this weekend.

Your container garden is more than a moment—it’s a movement! By preserving your harvest, you honor the work you’ve put in, the flavors you’ve grown, and the joy of sharing it all.

So grab your jars, fire up the stove (or fridge), and can it forward with pride. 🫙🌶️🌿

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