did you know?

it's no secret that i love learning at least one new thing every day.  among other things, those seemingly random tidbits of information come in quite handy when making connections or conversing with a wide variety of people.

today's fact comes from "mason jar nation" by joann moser.  in this summer season when we think about canning and preserving food, did you know that the mason jar's history actually begins in europe?  nicholas appert, born in france in 1750, was a chef, baker and brewmaster.  in 1795, appert accepted napoleon's challenge to devise a means of preserving food for military consumption.

it would take 14 years (and further history with the mason, kerr, and ball families) for appert to perfect what we now call "canning" and win the emporer's 12,000 franc prize.

it's fun to look around the pantry (or your grandmother's pantry) and see the size and style of jars there.  some of them may have history and some not as much, but either way they are useful.  what will you store up for winter?