I was gifted about 150 glass jars from someone that used to can and preserve food. There are a bunch of jars that I recognize as commercial spaghetti/jam jars (etc) but there are a handful of what look to be mason jars but of brands or styles that I don’t recognize. Can anyone let me know if the following jars and safe to use for canning? Thanks in advance!
by HudsonHandmade
10 Comments
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The photos of individual jars look to be of mason jars but it looks like you have some GEM jars which you may or may not be able to find lids for, I believe they’re 78mm in between wide and regular mouth.
The fruit basket and Ball jars are for sure safe. hopefully some other people can help you identify the rest
edit: also golden harvest is good too
The Dominion jars are safe as well as the Canadian Mason jars, They have been around in Canada many years ago and I have been canning in those for many years. You just can’t find them new anymore.
All the pictured jars are safe, you just won’t find the gems lids anywhere.
Edit: Golden Harvest are available at Canadian Tire and other hardware stores.
Forjars.co has Gem lids… I can’t speak to the quality.
Keep your eyes on Facebook Marketplace ads. You’ll be able to find a supply of glass lids and snap lids. Just watch for the bands are hard to get. Referring to gem jars in general.
The jar that’s floating broke
new to canning so can someone please explain. why would any of these jars potentially be unsafe to use?
i only would have thought they were unsafe if they were cracked or physically damaged
All of the jars if they have lids that fit
An easy way to sort out the chaff, canning jars are continuously threaded, that means the thread at the top of the jar spirals around the jar before it reaches the neck. Commercial products tend to use lug type threads, the threads are only a few inches long (or less) and don’t rap around the jar, there are several of them which lock into tabs built into the lids. Lug type can’t be used for canning at home.
The bick pickle jar down on the bottom right of the first photo is a lug type jar, not useful for canning but you can keep things in it for dry storage items such as spices or things like that. If you don’t have a use perhaps crafters will have a use for them in making candles or something, if not there is always the recycling bin.
2nd pic – looks like a golden harvest jam jar 250ml still in production
3rd – Ball wide mouth pint
4th – golden harvest pint jar (500ml) still in production
5th – Consumer glass canadian Mason, pint size, not in production, still useful (I use mine for pears)
6th – GEM type jar, looks like a 1/2 pint. uses 78mm lid or GEM lid, while Ball (bernardin, kerr, etc.) stopped making them however ForJars have started making them and is selling them right now – this size was and is still widely used in Canada among certain religious/social groups, not in production
7th – Same make as above but standard wide mouth – not in production but any wide mouth lid will work.