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Post by handmaid on Aug 28, 2020 20:57:40 GMT -6
So I was reading a blog post (https://www.5acresandadream.com/2020/08/putting-pantry-back-together.html), and it got me thinking about how to efficiently store empty jars and rings and reusable lids. How do ya'll do it? I am still trying to figure out how to make the best use of my space as far as the filled canning jars. One comment on that blog post said she keeps the rings in boxes and just uses a certain amount over and over until they are rusted. Then she has newish ones in the boxes to pull from. I have just been putting the filled jars back into the original jar boxes and put them on the shelf. Do you have them organized in any way? All veggies on one shelf? Meats on another? Empties on top shelf? Or...
guess I am wondering if there are storage tips you would have wished you had known when you were first setting up your canning pantry.
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sonic
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by sonic on Aug 29, 2020 0:09:48 GMT -6
I buy my lids in bulk and vacuum seal them in bags, t helps prevent rusting. I wash the jars and bands, wipe the rings over with a piece of kitchen towel that has had a little bit of vegetable oil on it then I loosely screw the bands onto the jars. I do this to a) not lose the bands and b) it helps protect the jar rims from damage in storage. Then I wrap each jar in a piece of newspaper and store in boxes under my bed. I don't have many spare bands so they are stored in another box with the lids and any other canning kit. Usually, I organise the full ones by contents as you have suggested, meats together, soups and dinners, veggies, then fruit. Although at the moment, my cupboard is pretty bare of home preserves.
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Post by handmaid on Aug 29, 2020 21:06:58 GMT -6
I buy my lids in bulk and vacuum seal them in bags, t helps prevent rusting. I wash the jars and bands, wipe the rings over with a piece of kitchen towel that has had a little bit of vegetable oil on it then I loosely screw the bands onto the jars. I do this to a) not lose the bands and b) it helps protect the jar rims from damage in storage. Then I wrap each jar in a piece of newspaper and store in boxes under my bed. I don't have many spare bands so they are stored in another box with the lids and any other canning kit. Usually, I organise the full ones by contents as you have suggested, meats together, soups and dinners, veggies, then fruit. Although at the moment, my cupboard is pretty bare of home preserves. Your comment about the bands protecting the jar rims really stood out to me. Most places recommend taking them off, but I think there is wisdom in what you said. The jars themselves are the big investment, and keeping the bands on loosely still lets you see if the lid has come unsealed while still protecting the jars. Thank you for saying that! I think I will follow your lead!
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sonic
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by sonic on Aug 30, 2020 8:01:54 GMT -6
Just to clarify, I store full jars without bands and empty jars with bands. Canning supplies over here are eyewateringly expensive so I protect my investment as much as I can. I pay more than $33.00 for a dozen pint jars and quarts are too expensive. Finding chips on the rim of a jar is really depressing.
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Post by handmaid on Aug 30, 2020 15:35:43 GMT -6
Just to clarify, I store full jars without bands and empty jars with bands. Canning supplies over here are eyewateringly expensive so I protect my investment as much as I can. I pay more than $33.00 for a dozen pint jars and quarts are too expensive. Finding chips on the rim of a jar is really depressing. Oh! I gotcha! Thanks for clarifying. Lol! sorry to hear supplies are so expensive. It does make a lot of sense to protect the rims. I never thought of that before you posted. Thank you 😊
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Aug 30, 2020 16:34:44 GMT -6
Just to clarify, I store full jars without bands and empty jars with bands. Canning supplies over here are eyewateringly expensive so I protect my investment as much as I can. I pay more than $33.00 for a dozen pint jars and quarts are too expensive. Finding chips on the rim of a jar is really depressing. You know it surprises me that England does not produce it's own "mason type" jar system at a cheaper price. You think maybe because your culture does not can as much as we do in the U.S. so there is not as great a market?
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sonic
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by sonic on Aug 31, 2020 1:00:03 GMT -6
Just to clarify, I store full jars without bands and empty jars with bands. Canning supplies over here are eyewateringly expensive so I protect my investment as much as I can. I pay more than $33.00 for a dozen pint jars and quarts are too expensive. Finding chips on the rim of a jar is really depressing. You know it surprises me that England does not produce it's own "mason type" jar system at a cheaper price. You think maybe because your suture does not can as much as we do in the U.S. so there is not as great a market? We do indeed have our own jar system, they are called Kilner. Le Parfait and Weck jars are also available. The jars have been around forever, but are just so expensive. I have some of my mums Kilner Jars but I think I said before, I don't can with them anymore. Canning is not very big over here and as a result supplies are not that common and very expensive. We do not have any type of canner at all, neither water bath or pressure canner. I imported a Presto from the USA some years ago. Although making jams, chutneys and pickles is very popular, we have never canned them so we use any jars. I suppose because of that there has never been a need.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Aug 31, 2020 6:50:21 GMT -6
I guess as an American citizen we really don't realize that canning is such a cultural thing and I think a carry over of our pioneer ancestors. I can remember both my mother and my grandmother having huge gardens and phenomenal stashes of canned goods. I guess a true American legacy. Those old jars and other canning supplies along with their quilts are some of my most prized possessions.
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momof6
Junior Member
Posts: 76
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Post by momof6 on Aug 31, 2020 18:28:11 GMT -6
I guess as an American citizen we really don't realize that canning is such a cultural thing and I think a carry over of our pioneer ancestors. I can remember both my mother and my grandmother having huge gardens and phenomenal stashes of canned goods. I guess a true American legacy. Those old jars and other canning supplies along with their quilts are some of my most prized possessions. My mom's mom passed away 8 years ago. My grandma always had a huge garden, and canned tons. Last year my mom finally allowed herself to go through the old root cellar, and found boxes and boxes of empty jars, and gave them to me, (some of them still have stuck on labels that look like they've about melted onto the glass), with her writing on them. They are my favorite Jars and among my most prized possessions. I'm thankful for the legacy that has been passed down to me.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Aug 31, 2020 18:54:16 GMT -6
You know it surprises me that England does not produce it's own "mason type" jar system at a cheaper price. You think maybe because your suture does not can as much as we do in the U.S. so there is not as great a market? We do indeed have our own jar system, they are called Kilner. Le Parfait and Weck jars are also available. The jars have been around forever, but are just so expensive. I have some of my mums Kilner Jars but I think I said before, I don't can with them anymore. Canning is not very big over here and as a result supplies are not that common and very expensive. We do not have any type of canner at all, neither water bath or pressure canner. I imported a Presto from the USA some years ago. Although making jams, chutneys and pickles is very popular, we have never canned them so we use any jars. I suppose because of that there has never been a need. You know Sonic in talking to Australian women on a site I frequent they surprised me that they almost exclusively reuse jars that they have bought with other things in them and repurpose using them over and over for not only canned goods but also to store dehydrated items in. I am also surprised at not only the ability to purchase canned butter commercially but also the regular use of ghee.
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sonic
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by sonic on Sept 1, 2020 0:50:40 GMT -6
I think tinned butter and cheese availability in the antipodes is down to the heat down there and until recent times refridgeration wasn't available, so they had everything in tins. I repurpose jars for pickles, chutneys, jams and other preserves with a high acid or sugar content. The only reason I store my dehydrated food in canning jars is that I have a number of very old jars that I don't can with anymore. Once they are all full, I use whatever jar I have that fits the bill. I have been surprised that the USA water baths jams and pickles. However, I have noticed that a lot of US pickle recipes call for watering down the vinegar, so I guess that would be the reason. So maybe our recipes are different enough for you to require that extra step of preserving.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Sept 1, 2020 9:56:06 GMT -6
I think tinned butter and cheese availability in the antipodes is down to the heat down there and until recent times refridgeration wasn't available, so they had everything in tins. I repurpose jars for pickles, chutneys, jams and other preserves with a high acid or sugar content. The only reason I store my dehydrated food in canning jars is that I have a number of very old jars that I don't can with anymore. Once they are all full, I use whatever jar I have that fits the bill. I have been surprised that the USA water baths jams and pickles. However, I have noticed that a lot of US pickle recipes call for watering down the vinegar, so I guess that would be the reason. So maybe our recipes are different enough for you to require that extra step of preserving. For the sake of honesty here I do not waterbath my pickles. Makes them mushy.
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