Always enjoy your perspective as it matches mine so well.
Does anyone out there has Mason Jar stress when sharing their wonderful harvest? I always wonder (deeply-lol) if I will get that jar back! I try so hard to accept that when I give someone a gift it is theirs now. But then I imagine that jar in the trash bin and it gives me a sense of sadness, hahaha, like an old friend just got discarded.
Absolutely! I usually mention "off-handedly", of course, "Please return the jar if you have no use for it" (really hoping that they'll return it even if they do have a use for it). Those I know who can their own produce usually don't even need the reminder.
Good idea, I shall make a mention of return next time. Sometimes I get the jars back but one time a gallon jar didn't make it back so I had to go buy a new case of those - lol.
My Son returns jars for a refill! He did buy me a case of jars a couple years ago, but he got the regular size, & I use wide-mouth jars, which are much easier to fill:). I trade salsa for home maintenance chores I can’t do.
I am not sure how I lived the first 55 years of my life without Mason jars. For my birthday, my kids gift me with them--the half-pints and pints (perfect for storing herbs and seeds, and for canning jams), the quarts (for everything else, including brewing my daily herbal infusion), and the half-gallons for fermenting and lime-preserving my eggs. Thank you for the history lesson--I learned a lot! Here's to warmer growing weather. Peace...
Live without Mason jars? Impossible! I have so many Mason jars, used for so many things, that I can't even imagine getting along without them. During Covid, when there was a shortage, I went all over to find them.
I inherited some from my mother, who inherited some from her mother; canning and preserving has been a part of my life since I was very small. Now, some of these are "Ball" jars, but it doesn't matter who the manufacturer is--they're all Mason jars.
Even when I'm not canning, I use Mason jars for storing dried beans, dehydrated treats for my dogs, temporary storage of liquids, freezing honey, saving and storing screws, nails, and small hardware, transporting soup to friends, storing dried wild mushrooms, omigosh I can't think of all the ways!
I laughed so hard on reading this article because it's all--ALL--so familiar, right up to the removal of landscape cloth. Nature loves a good joke.
I almost cried years ago when I broke a pint washing it in the sink and the around the same time a jar of garden peas cracked in the pressure cooker {sigh}
There are so many accessories for canning jars, even vacuum "lids" I can attach to my vacuum sealers - I don’t have any at present but keep thinking about it.
There was an interesting rant on Instapundit today about the new theme going around to " skip college and be a farmer". The author in devastating impoliteness suggested these daisy chain weaving morons have not the least idea what hard work and devastating frustration is involved in farming. Was quite a read. Did not make me want to hop on a tractor and plow the north 40
Maybe one of those 'morons' will increase his IQ while learning to plant seeds. At any rate, he's better off sharpening his shovel than being a paid protester. A farming 'internship' isn't to be scorned.
Reminds me of the first attempt to grow 50 acres of pot for the CBD oil.
An ad looking for laborers to help plant was posted. Of course what they ended up with was a bunch of stoners that were, basically stoned from the time they left home until they returned. The first week, they had laid plastic on two acres with a tractor and mulch laying machine.
The owners gave up and hired a single Amish farmer who brought his machine and one horse and promptly laid 40 acres in less than three days.
I was born in the 30's. We lived on what we grew. I remember after robbing the Bees ,squeezing the cone to extract the honey we then heated it to separate the rest of the honey from the wax cone. We saved that wax and I remember that that wax was used on top of jelly,jam and even some vegetables if we didn't have a rubber seal or a zinc screw cap for the jar. It worked,we ate and survived hard times.
My wife and I started canning about 3 years ago and have absolutely loved it! We have even canned cubed and ground meat successfully. Our 6 kids constantly make fun of the plethora of jars we have, but I continually remind them that, "When the zombies attack, you will know where you can come and get food." :)
Down here on Memory Lane, I remember the harvests from peach trees my father planted from seed, the rows of lettuce and corn and scallions, the strawberry patch my mother and I harvested every afternoon following Bible School, the garden composted by continuous filled-in holes of kitchen scraps, the canning parties with grannies and aunts, the fruit cellar lined with jars of tomato juice, green beans, pears, grape juice, and jam. We were poor, frugal, careful, yet rich in food, family, and love. Thank you for the chance to rejoice again.
My best childhood memories are of family working together to produce and share our harvests of wonderful home grown food. I really appreciate that I was taught how to preserve food.
Thank you Jill! You have many gifts/talents, and writing is one of them! Thank you for “Mason Jars Mania.” Brought back lots of memories. Thank you and your husband for all you do for USA and other Countries.
I learned canning from my mom as dad did the garden and what was picked got canned. Mom made 68 quarts of tomato sauce at one time. It took all day with several large pots cooking tomatoes down to the sauce. We as kids had the job of listening for the “pop” of the lid and handing them to mom so she could check if it really did seal from the lid being indented. We also did vacuum sealing of veggies but getting away from plastic is paramount now so that’s a no go. Mom made jams and we had a whole pantry of colors from veggies to fruits plus the massive freezer where half of a pig and cow were already cut and freezer wrapped and labeled from our local abattoir. My parents split them with their best friends who had 5 kids and for them it was great value but for us with just 2 kids it was I’m sure a good deal but it lasted a little longer than I think they planned. We had chickens on our little farm so eggs were fresh daily and plentiful. Two turkeys too and lemme tell you something a family secret. Use turkey eggs in your cake batter and it’ll be the moistest cake you’ve ever had plus it’ll rise well over the top of the pan. Can’t wait to get back to the work but the pride in growing your own food. You know where it came from. Can’t beat it.
Malone News is one of my favorite places to visit. I am always inspired and encouraged by all you both, Jill and Robert, give of your knowledge and time. You are near the top of my list of 'favorite people' in this crazy hectic world. In my prayers alwasy....God Bless you ( and all your critters too ) !
Thank you for this! I love your writing style. We have disagreeable, ill-mannered weeds like that. I love Mason Jars even though I don't do any preserving. I've been using them to store leftovers instead of plastic. I haven't used it yet, but I received a quick sealer for Christmas that is supposed to keep things fresher much longer without actually preserving and the little lids are reusable for a while at least. It was marketed as an alternative to plastic containers. Mac liked to drink out of 16oz wide mouth Mason jars, me too actually. Thanks again, this/you transformed my mood (much needed). Enjoy your day!
Jill here- Let us know how it works - a jar sealer is on my list to buy.
I have an old one for plastic bags that I don't use anymore 1) because it broke and 2) because I have switched over to jars for freezing as much as possible.
Yesterday my order of mason jars came, we're making guava jam tomorrow evening to avoid the heat...Southern California has been sweltering all month, with weeds everywhere. It looks like the Pacific Northwest. I'm off to pull more weeds at 8:00am before the heat hits. Just hoping that our traditional June gloom doesn't confuse the vegetable garden even more!
This is absolutely THE BEST. We are the same age and I cannot understand how you guys have so much energy! I have 4 large raised beds and have prepped them over our winter with mulch and manure and although we were limited on snow here in Reno this year, it is ready. I look at it askance when I go out because weeds are enthusiastically sprouting around the boxes and I know I have to tackle that area around the boxes, cherry and pear trees. Sigh. Then, I think of fresh peas and all the early veggies and I am enthusiastically revived. COMM-ON SPRING!!!
I should add my agreement with the discipline in labeling issue! Keeping track of age has been one of our toughest tasks. Every year, i get frustrated and have to go down, arrange and bring up the oldest. Always seem to find ones we missed. Apple sauce from 2021 this time. It was still good, lid sealed, depressed, sauce tasty. But we have to keep reminding ourselves we canned to use, not just store!
What a great read! My wife began canning in the 70's when we all went "back to the land". Then in '84 we actually got 10 acres and increased gardening. We have preserved all sorts of veggies and this last year first tried meats. But my fave is jams and jellies. We have a couple of ancient apple trees of "no name" variety that produce not perfect fruit, but great sauce and jam, wild grapes, raspberries and elderberries. Those last are prolific, and get included in most all the jam mixes. We share with friends on most all holidays, don't ask for jars back, but almost universally get gifted with them back. In fact, as Dr. Malone said, got boxes of old blue and green Ball Mason jars from friends that get used or stacked waiting. They are amazingly simple but effective things!
Always enjoy your perspective as it matches mine so well.
Does anyone out there has Mason Jar stress when sharing their wonderful harvest? I always wonder (deeply-lol) if I will get that jar back! I try so hard to accept that when I give someone a gift it is theirs now. But then I imagine that jar in the trash bin and it gives me a sense of sadness, hahaha, like an old friend just got discarded.
Absolutely! I usually mention "off-handedly", of course, "Please return the jar if you have no use for it" (really hoping that they'll return it even if they do have a use for it). Those I know who can their own produce usually don't even need the reminder.
Good idea, I shall make a mention of return next time. Sometimes I get the jars back but one time a gallon jar didn't make it back so I had to go buy a new case of those - lol.
When I gave full size pint jars away with my salsa, I usually asked for my jars back; I only gave my salsa to family though!
Our harvest is precious, good idea of sharing with mostly family.
My Son returns jars for a refill! He did buy me a case of jars a couple years ago, but he got the regular size, & I use wide-mouth jars, which are much easier to fill:). I trade salsa for home maintenance chores I can’t do.
I am not sure how I lived the first 55 years of my life without Mason jars. For my birthday, my kids gift me with them--the half-pints and pints (perfect for storing herbs and seeds, and for canning jams), the quarts (for everything else, including brewing my daily herbal infusion), and the half-gallons for fermenting and lime-preserving my eggs. Thank you for the history lesson--I learned a lot! Here's to warmer growing weather. Peace...
can you tell me how to preserve eggs?
https://forksinthedirt.com/preserving-eggs-freezing-water-glassing/
This should only be done with clean, unwashed, fresh eggs that still have their bloom.
You beat me to the punch! Yes, nothing from the Food Lion! Water glassing is an easy way to preserve excess eggs, gets you through the winter.
Live without Mason jars? Impossible! I have so many Mason jars, used for so many things, that I can't even imagine getting along without them. During Covid, when there was a shortage, I went all over to find them.
I inherited some from my mother, who inherited some from her mother; canning and preserving has been a part of my life since I was very small. Now, some of these are "Ball" jars, but it doesn't matter who the manufacturer is--they're all Mason jars.
Even when I'm not canning, I use Mason jars for storing dried beans, dehydrated treats for my dogs, temporary storage of liquids, freezing honey, saving and storing screws, nails, and small hardware, transporting soup to friends, storing dried wild mushrooms, omigosh I can't think of all the ways!
I laughed so hard on reading this article because it's all--ALL--so familiar, right up to the removal of landscape cloth. Nature loves a good joke.
I almost cried years ago when I broke a pint washing it in the sink and the around the same time a jar of garden peas cracked in the pressure cooker {sigh}
There are so many accessories for canning jars, even vacuum "lids" I can attach to my vacuum sealers - I don’t have any at present but keep thinking about it.
There was an interesting rant on Instapundit today about the new theme going around to " skip college and be a farmer". The author in devastating impoliteness suggested these daisy chain weaving morons have not the least idea what hard work and devastating frustration is involved in farming. Was quite a read. Did not make me want to hop on a tractor and plow the north 40
Today it's even more arty, what with regenerative strategies for one's little plots and larger.
Maybe one of those 'morons' will increase his IQ while learning to plant seeds. At any rate, he's better off sharpening his shovel than being a paid protester. A farming 'internship' isn't to be scorned.
Reminds me of the first attempt to grow 50 acres of pot for the CBD oil.
An ad looking for laborers to help plant was posted. Of course what they ended up with was a bunch of stoners that were, basically stoned from the time they left home until they returned. The first week, they had laid plastic on two acres with a tractor and mulch laying machine.
The owners gave up and hired a single Amish farmer who brought his machine and one horse and promptly laid 40 acres in less than three days.
I am not sure about plowing south of the 40!
Love this! I come from a long line of canning women.
I was born in the 30's. We lived on what we grew. I remember after robbing the Bees ,squeezing the cone to extract the honey we then heated it to separate the rest of the honey from the wax cone. We saved that wax and I remember that that wax was used on top of jelly,jam and even some vegetables if we didn't have a rubber seal or a zinc screw cap for the jar. It worked,we ate and survived hard times.
My wife and I started canning about 3 years ago and have absolutely loved it! We have even canned cubed and ground meat successfully. Our 6 kids constantly make fun of the plethora of jars we have, but I continually remind them that, "When the zombies attack, you will know where you can come and get food." :)
Down here on Memory Lane, I remember the harvests from peach trees my father planted from seed, the rows of lettuce and corn and scallions, the strawberry patch my mother and I harvested every afternoon following Bible School, the garden composted by continuous filled-in holes of kitchen scraps, the canning parties with grannies and aunts, the fruit cellar lined with jars of tomato juice, green beans, pears, grape juice, and jam. We were poor, frugal, careful, yet rich in food, family, and love. Thank you for the chance to rejoice again.
My best childhood memories are of family working together to produce and share our harvests of wonderful home grown food. I really appreciate that I was taught how to preserve food.
Thank you Jill! You have many gifts/talents, and writing is one of them! Thank you for “Mason Jars Mania.” Brought back lots of memories. Thank you and your husband for all you do for USA and other Countries.
I learned canning from my mom as dad did the garden and what was picked got canned. Mom made 68 quarts of tomato sauce at one time. It took all day with several large pots cooking tomatoes down to the sauce. We as kids had the job of listening for the “pop” of the lid and handing them to mom so she could check if it really did seal from the lid being indented. We also did vacuum sealing of veggies but getting away from plastic is paramount now so that’s a no go. Mom made jams and we had a whole pantry of colors from veggies to fruits plus the massive freezer where half of a pig and cow were already cut and freezer wrapped and labeled from our local abattoir. My parents split them with their best friends who had 5 kids and for them it was great value but for us with just 2 kids it was I’m sure a good deal but it lasted a little longer than I think they planned. We had chickens on our little farm so eggs were fresh daily and plentiful. Two turkeys too and lemme tell you something a family secret. Use turkey eggs in your cake batter and it’ll be the moistest cake you’ve ever had plus it’ll rise well over the top of the pan. Can’t wait to get back to the work but the pride in growing your own food. You know where it came from. Can’t beat it.
Malone News is one of my favorite places to visit. I am always inspired and encouraged by all you both, Jill and Robert, give of your knowledge and time. You are near the top of my list of 'favorite people' in this crazy hectic world. In my prayers alwasy....God Bless you ( and all your critters too ) !
Thank you for this! I love your writing style. We have disagreeable, ill-mannered weeds like that. I love Mason Jars even though I don't do any preserving. I've been using them to store leftovers instead of plastic. I haven't used it yet, but I received a quick sealer for Christmas that is supposed to keep things fresher much longer without actually preserving and the little lids are reusable for a while at least. It was marketed as an alternative to plastic containers. Mac liked to drink out of 16oz wide mouth Mason jars, me too actually. Thanks again, this/you transformed my mood (much needed). Enjoy your day!
Jill here- Let us know how it works - a jar sealer is on my list to buy.
I have an old one for plastic bags that I don't use anymore 1) because it broke and 2) because I have switched over to jars for freezing as much as possible.
Yesterday my order of mason jars came, we're making guava jam tomorrow evening to avoid the heat...Southern California has been sweltering all month, with weeds everywhere. It looks like the Pacific Northwest. I'm off to pull more weeds at 8:00am before the heat hits. Just hoping that our traditional June gloom doesn't confuse the vegetable garden even more!
This is absolutely THE BEST. We are the same age and I cannot understand how you guys have so much energy! I have 4 large raised beds and have prepped them over our winter with mulch and manure and although we were limited on snow here in Reno this year, it is ready. I look at it askance when I go out because weeds are enthusiastically sprouting around the boxes and I know I have to tackle that area around the boxes, cherry and pear trees. Sigh. Then, I think of fresh peas and all the early veggies and I am enthusiastically revived. COMM-ON SPRING!!!
I should add my agreement with the discipline in labeling issue! Keeping track of age has been one of our toughest tasks. Every year, i get frustrated and have to go down, arrange and bring up the oldest. Always seem to find ones we missed. Apple sauce from 2021 this time. It was still good, lid sealed, depressed, sauce tasty. But we have to keep reminding ourselves we canned to use, not just store!
What a great read! My wife began canning in the 70's when we all went "back to the land". Then in '84 we actually got 10 acres and increased gardening. We have preserved all sorts of veggies and this last year first tried meats. But my fave is jams and jellies. We have a couple of ancient apple trees of "no name" variety that produce not perfect fruit, but great sauce and jam, wild grapes, raspberries and elderberries. Those last are prolific, and get included in most all the jam mixes. We share with friends on most all holidays, don't ask for jars back, but almost universally get gifted with them back. In fact, as Dr. Malone said, got boxes of old blue and green Ball Mason jars from friends that get used or stacked waiting. They are amazingly simple but effective things!