For home canning, please use jars specifically made for this purpose with two-piece sealing lids and rings, as opposed to single-use jars that you may be tempted to recycle. I am all about recycling and I use glass jars for most leftovers in my fridge and dry storage, so I get it. BUT – the specific ‘sealers’ recommended for home-canning are built with heavier glass and higher heat resistance to withstand the high temperatures and pressure of the canning process. With proper care, canning jars can be reused for many years.
1/2 pint (approx 1 cup or 250 ml), pint (approx 2 cups or 500 ml), quart jar (approx 4 cups or 1000 ml or 1 litre), 2 quart jar (approx 8 cups or 2 litres)
A Mason jar is a type of glass jar, not a brand, named after its inventor John Landis Mason, who patented its design in 1858. They have a specialized two piece lid – a flat disc with a screw-on band or ring, and were used primarily for canning and preserving food. When the patent expired, the term became a generic name for a molded glass jar with a screw-top design. and many companies began producing them. Today they are highly versatile, and open used for storage, drinking and home decor.
People expect that all “mason” jars are canning jars, but that is not the case. Mason indicates the style of the jar, not the durability – the term is used generically to describe any jar of that DESIGN. Most mason jars are not intended for the conditions involved in home canning.
How are you supposed to be able to tell the difference?
Only buy jars labelled as intended for home canning. There are several brands, the most common are BALL and KERR. Other brands include BERNADIN, ATLAS and GOLDEN HARVEST. * Bernardin is considered Canada’s leading brand of canning jar, but in 2001 Newell Brands purchased Bernardin and moved production from Ontario to Muncie, Indiana. Interestingly, while production is in the US, they are exclusively destined for the Canadian market. Jars intended for the Canadian market are measured in metric sizes: 250 ml, …. litre etc, while those intended for the American market are imperial: ounces, pints, quarts etc.
Types of jars
Regular mouth jars – used to be called narrow mouth): ideal for pourable foods like jams, jellies, syrups, juices, sauces and salsas.
Wide mouth jars – larger openings make it easier to fill them, making them excellent choices for whole fruits and other foods that are chunky. I prefer to use them for tomatoes, peaches, pears, plums and other fruits. They’re easier to serve out of too.
. . . aaand then there’s the ‘in-between’ sized – GEM jars – which were only made in Canada, and came in Imperial sizing of quarts, two quart (1/2 gallon), and pint sizes.
Gem jars were made only in Canada, making their first appearance just before the turn of the century, 1900. The name became a generic term for canning jars in Canada much like “Mason” jars in the United States. Gem Jars began being made in 1857, in Ontario. The new “Improved Gem” jars were made by the Canadian company “Bernardin” in Toronto, appearing in the 1930’s and gaining popularity during the war years. They were originally sold with glass lids and rubber rings, and were very popular in western Canada especially.
I grew up seeing my mom use GEM jars with glass lids, and she grew up seeing her mom do the same. The transition to metal lids happened gradually as they became a more standard and available option. That is what my kids grew up seeing their mom use.
When I started canning in the 1970’s, I chose Gem jars as my preferred jars because of the in-between mouth size (wider than the narrow ‘standard’, and narrower than the wide mouth). They easily lent themselves to liquids like juice and broth, and just as easily to big chunky food items like tomatoes, pears and peaches – very practical: one-size-fits-all.
Interestingly, but not surprisingly, they became the #1 choice for Hutterite colonies on the prairies.
After a century of making them, in 1994 the Toronto based producer of Gem jars – Bernardin, was purchased by the US company Alltrista Consumer Products, who a few years later, announced they were ceasing production of the jars, lids and rings. By 2001, the manufacturing plant stopped producing them entirely, citing slower sales due to the increasing popularity of the (American) regular and wide mouth sizes. Suddenly literally hundreds of thousands of glass canning jars across the country became useless without the metal snap lids. Canadian home canners took up the fight (by way of petition) to pressure Bernardin back into production of the lids, and they were heard. Bernadin (the new management who cancelled them initially) begrudgingly complied. At the beginning of 2003, they committed to do a large single run of the lids, which created the mentality of scarcity among consumers.
I’m sure you can see why the middle size would have been so popular in Canada.
In the meantime, Toronto-based Canadian Home Canning Inc. took up the gauntlet to fill the void, and began producing lids for the home canners still in possession of tens of thousands of Gem jars. Since each inner lid is intended for single-use, the jars are pretty useless without them.
The lids were not sold everywhere and many home canners didn’t even know they were available again. Whenever I found them, I bought everything I saw (which was only ever a handful of packages anyway) because I didn’t know when or if I’d see them again. But I never found the rings for sale. While the rings are reusable, they do wear out, so they became a pretty hot commodity, getting rarer by the year. In 2022, Bernardin ceased producing the Gem lids.
A few years ago I learned from a friend – about a relatively new online company – eager to ride the wave of renewed interest in home canning. For Jars. Simple, straight forward name. I’ve made a few orders from them, and they’re my go-to.
The most popular North American brands of Mason jars right now are: Ball, Kerr and Bernardin.
Jar summary:
Canning jars: not to be confused with single use jars. Canning jars are made to handle high temperatures. Use ONLY clean jars without cracks or nicks in them.
Lids and rings (screw bands): those that are specifically made for the jars you’re using. Do not reuse the metal snap lids, they are single use only. You may find that some seal, but they may also not seal. Personally, I’m not willing to gamble with the odds.
other equipment:
Water bath canner: for water-bath canning, it isn’t necessary to purchase a special canner as long as you have a pot that has a fitted lid and is large enough to fully immerse the jars in water by at least 2 inches (5 cm) — and that will allow the water to boil when covered. You’ll also need a rack that fits inside the pot or canner to prevent the jars from sitting directly on the pot bottom. Hot water bath canning is ONLY FOR HIGH ACID FOODS like fruit, jams and juices.
Pressure Canner: for everything that is low acid. Available in assorted sizes. It IS necessary to use one specific to the task. Low acid foods includes all vegetables and all proteins.
Jar lifter: very important, this tool is relatively inexpensive but indispensable. It is essentially large tongs to assist you in putting jars into HOT water, and in removing them again out of boiling water.
Wide mouth Funnel: sure makes it easier to fill your jars without spilling and making a mess. You can buy plastic or stainless steal. I have both, but I prefer my stainless steal one. I use it for much more than camping – almost daily, for lots of applications.
Utensils: large spoon or ladle to fill jars, and a simple table knife to remove air bubbles.
Clean dish cloth to wipe jar rims, and clean dish towels upon which to place you processed jars. I also like to use a long handled jar cleaner to help me get to the far corners when cleaning.
Jar Maintenance and other things
Your Mason jars are heavy duty and suitable for every day use. I can in them, use them in the fridge for liquids and leftovers, as well as for dry storage in the pantry. In smaller sizes, I even freeze some things in them (be very careful when freezing).
Never submit them to thermal shock, as you’ll lose. When they’re hot, sit them on a rack or a padded tea towel to prevent the hot jar from coming into contact with a cold counter surface. Wash in the dishwasher, or in hot soapy water (rinsed thoroughly).
Check your jars frequently for cracks in the body, which could break in the hot water bath, or chips along the top which will prevent a proper seal. If you see either of these, retire the jars immediately. They’re no longer usable.
Often times if I am storing dried or refrigerated food in my jars, I’ll use a plastic lid designed for this purpose.
“We’ve come a long way baby” when it comes to canning equipment, especially the most important pieces like jars and lids. Most of the changes have improved the safety of home canning so don’t dismiss them. In THIS case, the new way is much better than what your gramma was doing.
Have fun learning how to can; it starts with having the proper equipment on hand.
Enjoy the process!
Warmly,
Cindy