One farm woman wants to start a protest over the loss of a preserving
tool.
The Bernardin company stopped making the gem series of jars, lids and
bands in 2001. It said the gem series is being replaced by two other
jar sizes that are metric sized and were selling better. Store supplies
have disappeared and Bernardin says it will not be making any more of
the gem parts.
Marla Rauser of Mervin, Sask., said she has 500 gem jars and uses about
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two-thirds of them each year. She cans vegetables from her garden,
fruit from the store and meat from chickens and beef they raise and
deer her husband shoots.
She can’t afford the hundreds of dollars to replace her canning
collection. And neither can others, she figures.
“I want to put out a plea to all other western women to deluge this
company with how unsatisfied we are with changing all our jars, and see
if that makes a difference.”
Rauser said canning season is approaching and she only has 30 lids left
for all her jars. The metal lids must be replaced every year since the
preserving and sealing process makes them unsafe to use more than once.
“For me, this is devastating. … I have a huge garden and I love
canning.”
Paulette Lysyshyn of Leoville, Sask., shares Rauser’s outrage over the
jar size changes. She cans about 5,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables
each year, enough to feed her family for most of the winter.
“I can’t figure out what to do,” she said. “To be forced to buy a
product … it’s not right. There’s no way I can afford to get (new
jars) this year.”
She is also angry that Bernardin didn’t advertise the change, and said
she has received unsatisfactory answers from the company when she
called to complain.
Lysyshyn has been searching stores for lids to the one-quart and
two-quart gem jars but hasn’t found nearly enough for her needs.
To contact the company with your opinion, fax 416-239-4424, e-mail at
info.ca@homecanning.com or mail to Bernardin Ltd., 120 The East Mall,
Toronto, Ont., M8Z 5V5.
