I first bought Ball Holiday Canning Lids to make Photo Ornaments with my Daughter's Brownie group. This year, I bought them to use on some of my canning.


MY EXPERIENCE

This is my first year of canning. I started out making jams and I admit, I have made enough to feed a entire town! I am surprised how fast we are going through them - kind of like the first couple days after stocking up at Costco. Feeling mighty proud of myself, I was more than willing to share a jar here and there but then all of a sudden these people start having requests - for the jams and then for the other things I started making, especially the Dilly Beans and Brandied Cherries.

When my sister mentioned how she would love some of them for Christmas, it dawned on me this would work for all my siblings since we all have to make at least part of each gift and keep the total under $25. I ended up making 24 pints of the Brandied Cherries and figured I give each of them each three jars and along with my "famous" (LOL) cheesecake - that will taste even better with the cherries on top! And, I will have stayed under the $25. It was my daughter that remembered the Ball Holiday Canning Lids, and she was right; they did make the jars look Holiday ready!


THE LIDS

The Ball Holiday Canning Lids come in a set of six -for around $3.00. They fit standard mouth (70 mm) mason jars so they can be used on most sizes. One of the things I like best is the fact the Poinsettia design is on both the dome lids and the bands.

Another nice thing is they are made by Ball and therefore, are the same high quality as all their other lids. Since you can't use the dome lids more than once, it would be nice if they sold just the lids along with the two piece sets. Since the rings are also decorated, I guess you could mix them with a plain or ginham lid and add an Holiday Labels but they do look more complete as a set.

Note: If you can't find the Ball Holiday Canning Lids you can pick up Holiday Oval Assortment Labels for around $3.50. They come in a pack of 54 and are an easy way to make your already canned items look more festive.

Here is a really easy recipe for the Brandied Cherries that uses a water bath.

Brandied Cherries

• 6 lbs. dark, sweet cherries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup brandy


• Wash and pit cherries.
• Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to to a simmer.
• Add cherries and continue simmering for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in brandy.
• Pack hot cherries and syrup into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
• Place a hot lids on top and close with the bands.
• Process in a boiling-water bath, for 10 minutes.
• Makes 6 pints of brandied cherries.



~~**~~**~~2BUZY’S FINAL THOUGHTS~~**~~**~~

I used the Ball Holiday Canning Lids on Brandied Cherries, Jams and Dilly Beans in three different size jars. They made the items look very festive. The Poinsettia design works well for all of the Holiday season, not just for Christmas. For example, we have some Jewish friends that LOVE hot, spicy foods. I made them some EXTRA HOT Dilly beans and used the Ball Holiday Canning Lids which will work just as well for Hanukkah as it will for Christmas.



Recommended: Yes