All About Canning Jars
Even though we have had the worst drought in 50 years here in the Midwest, the vegetable plants in my garden are thriving. For the past five weekends, I have been canning and pickling. I have canned so much that I had to send my husband to the store to buy more canning jars. However, I neglected to tell him what type. When he came home with jars and I told him they were not the type I wanted, he said, “Aren’t they all the same?”
I guess to someone who does not can, jars are all the same. However, to a person who does canning and pickling, as well as making their own jellies and jams, not all jars are alike. I could understand my husband’s jar confusion, as there are lots of types and brands on the store shelves today. Wide-mouth or regular-mouth, quart or pint size, how do you know what jar to use with what vegetable or fruit?
Wide-Mouth Jars
The opening of a wide-mouth jar is as large as the jar itself. These are mainly used for large or whole vegetables and fruits, such as whole tomatoes or large cucumbers. Wide-mouth jars come in quart, pint, and half-pint sizes.
Regular-Mouth Jars
The opening of a regular-mouth jar is narrower than the diameter of the jar. These jars are used for smaller vegetables and fruits, soups, juices, and sauces. They come in quart and pint sizes.
Jelly/Jam Jars
Jelly jars can be quart size, but most often, they are pint or half-pint size with wide-mouths. They can have regular-mouth openings, but having no “shoulders” on the jar, makes it easier to remove all the jelly. A four-ounce jar filled with homemade jelly goes well in a gift basket of muffins or other homemade breads.
Decorative, Vintage and Freezer Jars
Decorative jars with fancy or wire lids should never be used for canning foods. However, these can be used for any type of pickled refrigerator foods. Tinted vintage jars, which are usually irregular in shape or ones with spring-type lids, should also not be used for canning foods as they may crack easily or not seal properly.
Freezer jar are usually made of a durable plastic idea for freezing foods. They have a much less chance of cracking as do glass jars and come in quart, pint and half-pint sizes with wide or regular-mouth openings.
Source: Personal Experience, canningpantry.com
