Peeling apples for drying OR why I now own a Kevlar glove

[jyoutz]

Has anyone found a cheap source for canning jars? We pick wild Blackberries in the back of the orchard and make ~70 half-pint jars of jam for Thanksgiving and Christmas presents. But with my adult kids giving jars to their friends we don't get many jars back.

I used to find plenty of jars cheap, in thrift stores. One of the dozen-jar cartons I still use has a $2.29 price tag on it. Those bargains don't exist any more. I paid $37, $1.54 per jar, best price I could find, for two dozen jars from Amazon last year. There must be a better way! What are other people doing?

Walmart has them for much less.

 

[MossRoad]

Has anyone found a cheap source for canning jars? We pick wild Blackberries in the back of the orchard and make ~70 half-pint jars of jam for Thanksgiving and Christmas presents. But with my adult kids giving jars to their friends we don't get many jars back.

I used to find plenty of jars cheap, in thrift stores. One of the dozen-jar cartons I still use has a $2.29 price tag on it. Those bargains don't exist any more. I paid $37, $1.54 per jar, best price I could find, for two dozen jars from Amazon last year. There must be a better way! What are other people doing?

Tell them if they want more jam, they have to return the empty, at the next holiday.

No jar?
No jam!

 

[California]

Walmart has [canning jars] for much less.

Thanks! I hadn't looked this year.

I checked Walmart, then a nearby Target.

Target has undecorated (no diamond pattern) Ball jars for $1 less than Walmart per dozen, $12.95 after tax and mandatory bag fee per dozen. The $1 Bag Fee is refundable if you don't need a bag. (WTF???) I ordered online for pickup because only four boxes remain in stock. Net after all that, $1 per jar.

 

[California]

Tell them if they want more jam, they have to return the empty, at the next holiday.

No jar?
No jam!

That works with relatives. I have them trained.

My kids friends who I don't know, not so much.

I lose a dozen or two jars every year. Now i'm down to where I need to buy more for the second half of this years harvest.

 

[California]

duplicate message, deleted.

Hey where's the 'delete post' feature?

 

[JasperFrank]

Stopped buying canning jars all together. We just buy glass packaged items, same brand and size when we go shopping, even if they cost a few cents more. Almost all now have the vacuum pop on the lids. Boil the lids, put the glass in the oven at 400, time it all to the time of canning. We have never had a failure of seal or any sort of spoilage. The all in one commercial lids seem to be perfectly workable. Makes no diff to us if the jar is returned or not.

 

[oosik]

My Mom would use most any type of glass jar for jams/jellies. Fill the jar - pour a hot wax lid on the top. This provides an adequate seal. Then the lid does not have to provide an air-tight vacuum seal. This only works for jams and jellies.

 

[RSKY]

Stopped buying canning jars all together. We just buy glass packaged items, same brand and size when we go shopping, even if they cost a few cents more. Almost all now have the vacuum pop on the lids. Boil the lids, put the glass in the oven at 400, time it all to the time of canning. We have never had a failure of seal or any sort of spoilage. The all in one commercial lids seem to be perfectly workable. Makes no diff to us if the jar is returned or not.

We use some but are gradually phasing them out. We inherited some from wife's dad, a bunch from my mother, and a lot more from ladies in the Homemakers Club who are now widows with grown children and no garden. Most of the eight boxes that the apples came in will be used to store those jars.

We still give jars the finger on the rim test before filling them. And no I have not cut my finger on a rough edge.

RSKY

 

[Jstpssng]

Stopped buying canning jars all together. We just buy glass packaged items, same brand and size when we go shopping, even if they cost a few cents more. Almost all now have the vacuum pop on the lids. Boil the lids, put the glass in the oven at 400, time it all to the time of canning. We have never had a failure of seal or any sort of spoilage. The all in one commercial lids seem to be perfectly workable. Makes no diff to us if the jar is returned or not.

I'm so old that I can remember sealing jam with wax... the covers just kept it clean.

 

[jyoutz]

I'm so old that I can remember sealing jam with wax... the covers just kept it clean.

I remember that too, but I also remember some wax sealed jars going moldy.