Preparedness Skills: Canning and Preserving Series

Are you ALL MORONS? 9 out of 10 companies use facebook giveaways etc, so good luck finding another emergency site that DOESN'T use it. I've been to around 20 different ones in the past 2 years when I was researching, they ALL do facebook giveaways etc. So don't WHINE. If you don't like it don't use it. As far as the company goes, if they didn't care about people, they wouldn't post it. It's called get with the times. The people that complained about virus's and identify theft, that's your fault because you are backwards thinking. If you took the time to LEARN how you get them etc, you'd know 9.9 out of 10 times its your fault, not facebook or anyone elses. Get a GRIP! The company is great, and it's better that they utilize all avenues of communication etc then get left behind and get eaten up by another company that's bigger and better, but guess what!? uses facebook! Stop being so backwards and learn before downing something. Offer them a creative way for next time, don't down them for it, their human, people make mistakes. Doesn't mean point it out at them, offer to help them in a better way. GOD! Some people!!!

Beth and Dennis Shaw won the canning set giveaway! Congratulations! —Sarah

I would love this! Just getting back to canning after many years, I hope I can do it. Many tips on FB are very helpful!
By the way, FB is free and easy to start out on, you guys should try it! I only go on a few times a month, my friends made me do it, lol!

Thank you Sarah! I just did the "by blog" entry. Your listening to your customers is appreciated. I can meats, soups, pickles, veggies, jams, etc. (and dry fruits and veggies too). Thanks for offering the water-bath canner. A pressure canner would be great too! I'm still using mine from the 1970's I got at Sears for $30.00. I just test the gauge every year (free at your local extention service) and replace rings and pressure relief valves as needed. Donna in NH

All,
Thanks again for all your feedback. Like I said before, that feedback is important to us.

We have added an entry form on this blog post for the canning set giveaway—so those of you who prefer not to use Facebook can now enter.

I hope this helps address some of your concerns for this giveaway, and we'll be sure to keep this in mind for future giveaways.

—Sarah

I do have a Facebook account but don't use them. The reason is that I agree with all of the comments.

About canning, it's fun to. If you are able to get things you want to can cheap of even free, that is the way to go!

I'm not sure, how many have read that EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS DID REPLY TO ALL OUR CONCERNS!
They also stated they are listening to our comments…so now, the ball, so to speak, is in their court.
God Bless.

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this is so sad that we can not enter the contests but like the rest of you, I will not go back to Facebook. I value my privacy too much. Why should the world know what I store and how I do it

No, they are not by one person, because this is my second post. I am not a paranoid prepper, I just don't like posting all my business out there for ALL the world to see. And if EE doesn't like that, then maybe they don't need my business. I did not like the comment "Sarah" wrote, as I felt they 'EE' are saying is a paying customer is not as important as a potential paying customer.

i wonder if all these anonymous comments are by 1 person????!!!

EE NEEDS to recognize that not everyone wants to do FaceBook and accept that fact. I don't and won't. YOU need to respect OUR desire for personal privacy and not treat us as less than viable PAYING customers.
READ your submitted comments like this one – How many of us non-FB customers are being short-changed by the FB requirement?

Hello all you NON-FACEBOOKERS!!!…
HOLY COW!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY OF YOU ARE FREAKING OUT BECAUSE OF A STUPID CONTEST DONE THROUGH FACEBOOK! IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT EE DOES NOT VALUE YOU AS A CUSTOMER! ITS JUST A GOOD WAY FOR PEOPLE TO ENTER. YOU ALL SOUND SELFISH SAYING YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE KNOWING YOUR PREPPING…DOESN'T THAT EXCLUDE YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY TOO!? ANYWAYS…THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TOO ENTER BY SENDING AN EMAIL WITH YOUR INFO SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO US FACEBOOK…JUST READ THE FINE PRINT! MOST COMPANIES USE FACEBOOK BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT WAY TO ADVERTIZE & FOR CUSTOMERS TO BE MORE INVOLVED & LEARN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY. DON'T JUST THROW A COMPANY UNDER THE BUS BECAUSE THEY USE FACEBOOK…IT DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN YOU HAVE TO US IT YOURSELF.

SINCERELY,
ANNOYED/CONCERNED

Alas, also NO Fakebook…

I just posted but have more to add. I WANT people to know I'm preparing. Not an OMG END OF THE WORLD kind of way, but I want all my friends, family, and coworkers to prepare themselves! I'm actually seeking a degree in Emergency Management because people should have enough skills to take care of themselves if they lose access to food, water, and electricity. We should not have families freezing to death in their homes after a snow storm. We should not have a family starving to death because they did not put away some food. I tell all my friends on facebook to enter Emergency Essentials contests and talk to them directly and indirectly in hopes they'll wisen up!

Wow… people here can be kind of paranoid! I still use facebook. It actually makes you seem more normal, less suspicious. People also seem ignorant to how computer viruses and other things work. But anyway, I'm glad to be using facebook, twitter and other ways to enter. Thank you Emergency Essentials! The only issue I see with Facebook is the lack of anonymity, but the creator's intent to was to get rid of that in the first place. He believed people shouldn't be hiding being screennames and should be accountable for their actions online. Can't really blame him for making his product work exactly the way he wants it to!

Beyond that, I really hope to get this canning set. I've asked my grandma tons of advice since she has been canning for years, but I don't have the tools yet to begin myself. I would love the chance to begin learning that skill!

AS IF we want everyone knowing we are preparing! I think someone in marketing might need to research their customer base. I think someone in management might need to research their marketing department. DOH!

Wow – I had no idea so many preppers want nothing to do with FB. I haven't seemed to have a problem (that I know of) with FB but your posts have got me started thinking. Identity theft issues, private info issues – jeeze, maybe I need to rethink whether I should stay on FB or not. Thanks for enlightening me. I'll need to give this some serious thought.

Sarah…you or your company just don't get it! Preppers are never going to join a site like Facebook because…THEY ARE PREPPERS. I too am not a member of facebook. I also was a customer of your company, but because of past 'must be on facebook' and present giv-a-ways that I couldn't particapate in, I must repcectfully take my business elsewhere where they respect a loyal customer.

Hi, all! Looks like we've got quite the customer base here who prefer not to use Facebook. That's important feedback for us, especially considering the number of you that are all "in the same boat," so to speak.
Please be aware that not all our contests are restricted to Facebook—we want to use all possible channels of communication with our customers to share our products, information, and (with this giveaway) launch blog series or other information we think will be valuable.
We think Facebook is a valuable tool for sharing information with current customers, and a way to get the prepping message out to new customers who might not know much about preparedness.
That being said, I'm committed to creating giveaways and contests that can include all of our customers, so please know that your feedback is being heard and considered. Keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway—hopefully one you'll all want to enter—coming next week.

Thanks to all who offered constructive feedback. And keep prepping! —Sarah

I know how you guys feel. I have suffered through two Identy theft issues due to facebook. Donot want another even though I could use the canner. The one I have is older than sin. It belonged to my great grandmother and is wearing thin in areas, just like her pressure canner that just holds 4 quart jars. I would say the most important first step in beeing prepared is th learn what you need to know before you start. If you do not know how to can properly take the time and read and learn first before you try it. You will save your self time, money and your families health. It is the most vaulable thing you can do.

Infowars.com see what's really going on in our world tell others.I'm with others no Facebook can't win but I spend a lot of $ here. O well

DITTO. NO FACE BOOK. BYE EE

I think sweepstake giveaways should be open to all who want to enter, it is only fair. You should be able to enter a variety of ways not just one. I refuse to be forced to use one means of communication to enter any contest or order products etc.

The Facebook comments leave me wondering why Emergency Essentials does not automatically enter you when you order something over a set amount and use the FB for people that are not buying and just looking for prizes. This way they can reward loyal customers and still collect info off the internet.

I agree with the No facebook sentiment. I buy from EE and do not use facbebook, twitter, etc…
but would like to be included in the giveaways! My wife & I are in the "doing our homework" phase of learning how to can/jar.

I agree with a lot of these comments…. I do not use facebook but would love to enter some other way.

If you think I will advertise what preparedness I am doing & see it on FaceBook…..Good Luck…Sorry I cant participate

I'll throw my comment in to: Who in their right mind would deal with a company on face book. I'll be deleting you from my favorites and marking you as a phising scam.

At some point companies who are seeking the "self-suficcient" are going to have to work a little harder to keep us: we generally don't Facebook or Tweet, etc. but could be even better customers if you attempted to court us more

I'm not a big fan of FB contests either, so I don't enter them. FB is an easy, FREE way for companies to advertise and conduct market research, so expect to see more and more companies jump on the bandwagon.

If you don't like FB or don't want to give out your contact info, don't enter the contests. It's as simple as that.

Won`t do this on FB…moving on to other sites

I do not do facebook either. However the picture of the prize is not a pressure canner it is just a 24 quart pot used as a water bath canning pot. (Cover jars with water and boil.) I have just about all canning supplies but would like to replace my aluminum water bath canner with a stainless steel one. So my tip is to cover your counter/table with a towel to protect the surface and the hot jars from temperature changes and spills, use a damp cloth to clean the jar rims each time prior to putting on the lids to ensure a clean seal, and have everything set up and ready for filling the jars before you begin cooking. But since I can not enter the contest, I will remain anonymous. So sad!

I do Facebook….but I don't need all of my "friends" seeing what I am posting. Also when I did go to post…a box came up immediately to report the photo….I've never had that happen before….hmmmmmmm….anyway…adaptability and flexibility are the most important skills….adapting to an ever changing environment may be key…..

I am on FB and would love to know how to get off it as it seems everyone knows everything about you. Plus everyone wants to "friend" you. What happened to the old fashioned e-mail, phone, or whatever? Also, if you have to be on FB to enter this contest, forget it, don't want the world to know I'm preparing anything.

…had me up until the FB requirement. But I will share what I truly believe is the most important prepping skill is. It's not accumulating a tractor trailer load of freeze dried food…it's not an arsenal rivaling the local NG armory…it's not a fortified bunker carved out of bedrock deep in the mountains…it's a PLAN. Not one you carry around in your head, but a written plan that you and your family/friends have designed around your geographical location, lifestyle, potential threats/scenarios, and your own personal situation. Having a written plan (which has been tested to the extent feasible during a NON-SHTF condition to work out the bugs and errors) allows you to make adjustments for current situations and issues. More importantly, it allows someone ELSE in your family or group to take charge and manage the situation if you or your group leader is unable to function due to injury or absence. What good are tons of cached supplies to your group if YOU'RE the only one who knows where they are located, and you aren't available (or able) to locate and harvest them?

I see countless posts on the boards that have all these grandiose ideas about SHTF scenarios, but without a written plan (and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE), many of the mall Rambos will find themselves on the short end of the stick, even though they THOUGHT they were prepared.

Get your core group (whether it be family, friends, or whatever) and have a skull session or twelve about who will be involved, communication between group members, specific personal issues (illnesses, elderly, children, etc.) and alternative plans (since, as the military is SO aware, NO plan goes unchanged after the first five minutes). Once you have a basic outline of what you THINK you'll need, TEST IT! Practicing your plan NOW will help you work out any hiccups or problems BEFORE time is critical and you find out that the things you've gathered and the ideas you've conceived just won't work.

Good luck to all who read this, and let's all pray to our God that we never HAVE to use our plans…

I would not enter just for this canning set. If you are going to do canning get the canning pressure cooker so you can do meats & vegtibles this requires 240Degrees which you cannot obtain with this set you can purchase a canning set at ace harware for under a 100.00 dollars and alot of accessorys to.

We refuse to do Facebook or any social website as well. Being in IT I know exactly what happens to data gathered by these sites and exactly how it is used…PASS.

We do not do Facebook anymore and are looking at at other suppliers than EE for our yearly supplies. I agree with the other posts.My wife told me that other suppliers were a lot lower in price for the same items.WE may be able to save more than the cost of a pressure cooker.

I agree. I resent being left out of a give away because I refuse to be part of Facebook.

I agree with others, I used to have a facebook account…but cancelled it. Why not let your customers all in on the giveaways, seems only fair.

None of the blue site here either, that's another vote NO, for that site…While the feedback on here may not be overwhelming as that on the blue site, these are your email reply customers coming directly here for business, information, and the occasional contest…

Not a facebook user. Never have been. Never will be.

I see I am in great company here.

I for one agree with most of all the post I never do facebook any other social network…

that pressure cooker will also work as an autoclave if one needs to sterilize instruments such as medical ones

Hello all you NON-FACEBOOKERS…
I too have contacted Emergency Essentials about those of us that will not joine the social networks being discriminated against in these give aways… I have noticed however they are perfectly glad to take my money every time I order..
But apparently we are still considered of no value to EE since we don't plaster all of our business all over the internet…
Hang in there girls and guys, we are just as important as the not to bright folks that LOVE to build a file on themselves with the government… Kate in Idaho

I have never done Facebook or any other social network billboard to anyone and everyone.

I sure wish they would allow other entry methods.

I know many people do not want their private info on facebook, but you could have a facebook account just for give-aways and contests. You can even exclude photos of yourself, friends and family and limit your info to just the basics such as name and address, things that would be required for a give-away or contest anyway. There are ways to limit what you put on facebook and how you use it. :)

Fingers are crossed! I am branching out into more and more canning. I just made my first pickled okra and I am working on a spiced plum butter tonight :D