Originally uploaded by Range Kleen

Home canning has come back to the mainstream. Many home chefs are canning gourmet versions of common foods, saving the bounty from a garden, and making gifts for friends and family.
If you are thinking of doing some canning for the first time, or scaling up your operation, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Take advantage of farmer’s markets and sales on in-season produce. Right now, berries are at their peak. Jam is an obvious choice, how about also making some cans of blueberry pie filling to keep ready for a quick weeknight dessert? Tomatoes are also in season. If you are making a batch of your family’s famous tomato sauce, make the batch a bit bigger and can some to enjoy later.

• Home canned goods make great gifts: housewarmings, hostess gifts, holidays, reunions, gift baskets and more. Make some signature flavors and keep them on hand, your friends and family will appreciate that your gift is practical, healthy and made with love. But, watch out! You may get more requests than you can handle!

• When making big batches, it can be difficult to keep an even temperature with your heating element weighted down on the stove. The heat builds up underneath and can also cause discoloration to the stovetop. We make a  Canning Kit http://www.rangekleen.com/index.php?cPath=16_35_384 with a taller, sturdier element and deeper drip pan to eliminate these problems.

Also, check out our canning recipes at www.rangekleen.com

http://www.rangekleen.com/recipes.php?pID=5&category=Canning&submit=View+Recipes)

Originally uploaded by Range Kleen

A little something that you might think about when you are on the go: you can use an insulated bottle to keep things hot as well as cool. Not just for drinks, we make wide-mouth food jars in a variety of materials and sizes. The expanded opening is perfect for hot food: stews, curry, stir-fry, pasta… dishes that are easy to cook at home in a single pot are perfect to eat on the go, and the insulation of a food jar will keep them hot and ready. Or, pack a cool dessert like parfait to finish your picnic. You’ll save money, reduce waste in landfills, and you can control the calories!

Originally uploaded by Range Kleen

Fuel your outdoor adventures with delicious, cool crisp salads and fruit. Perfect on a hot day – but too hard to pack and keep fresh, right?
GO GO Salad keeps your greens snappy by holding the dressing in a separate compartment until you are ready to eat. Just push a lever to release the dressing, shake to toss and you’re ready to enjoy. We especially love these clever containers in the summer time, when fresh produce is abundant and the weather calls for food that won’t weigh you down. We make them in a larger size (8 cups of salad) for outings with the family, and a personal size (4 cups of salad) for lunch at the office. GO GO Veggie & Fruit is great for fruit and dips – chips and dip – a small snack that halts fast food frenzy with hectic summer schedules.

Originally uploaded by Range Kleen

Summer temptations are upon us. With all the cookouts, and the deafening never changing ice cream truck repeatedly driving by taunting you to eat ice cream, and not to mention the heat and humidity rising, can drive a person crazy when they are trying to eat healthier.

Here are a few suggestions to reduce at least 100 calories.
1. Instead of eating Ice cream try a frozen yogurt.
2. Instead of eating chips and dip try eating veggies and dip.

Range Kleen offers a great on the go fruit and veggie container. The Go Go Fruit / Veggie container has a separate compartment which can hold 3 oz. of dip, great for portion control. Not only is it great for dressings, dips, and salsa this container is microwave safe with the lid open and also top rack dishwasher safe.

3. For taco salads or regular salads instead of using salad dressing try creating your own salsa dressing, chopping up fresh vegetables and adding cilantro.

4. Another great calorie cutter is instead of eating a sandwich, try eating an open-faced sandwich which is half of your bread intake.

Originally uploaded by wowpdx!

Protect your child from the sun.
We all know that it is best to put sunscreen on repeatedly throughout the day to protect ourselves from getting badly burnt which can eventually lead into skin cancer. But what we didn’t know is it is also better to wear sunglasses outside as well, especially when kids are younger, by not teaching your kids to wear sunglasses at a young age you are setting them up for issues with their eyesight. When your children get into the age of 60 or 70 years old they will be more likely to have cataracts which can be very painful and can also cause a person to go blind. The best sunglasses to look for are the ones labeled 100% UV protection, or both 100% UVA and UVB protection.