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Food may be canned in glass
jars or metal containers. Metal
containers can be used only
once. They require special
sealing equipment and are
much more costly than jars.
Regular and wide-mouth
Mason-type, threaded,
home-canning jars with
self-sealing lids are the best
choice. They are available in
1/2 pint, pint, 1-1/2 pint, quart,
and 1/2 gallon sizes. The
standard jar mouth opening is
about 2-3/8 inches.
Wide-mouth jars have openings
of about 3 inches, making them
more easily filled and emptied.
Half-gallon jars may be used
for canning very acid juices.
Regular-mouth decorator jelly
jars are available in 8 and 12
ounce sizes. With careful use
and handling, Mason jars may
be reused many times, requiring
only new lids each time.
Lids are only to be used one time. Many people have been tempted to reuse lids but they have found that this is always a bad idea. Not only do they seldom seal, but even if they should seal during processing, there's no sure way of knowing they will stay that way during storage.
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With the health of your family at stake, it's just not worth the risk. You can use them for a thousand things. Just don't use them for canning!
When
jars and lids are used properly, jar seals
and vacuums are excellent and jar
breakage is rare.
Most commercial pint- and quart-size
mayonnaise or salad dressing jars may
be used with new two-piece lids for
canning acid foods. However, you
should expect more seal failures and jar
breakage. These jars have a narrower
sealing surface and are tempered less
than Mason jars, and may be weakened
by repeated contact with metal spoons
or knives used in dispensing
mayonnaise or salad dressing.
Seemingly insignificant scratches in
glass may cause cracking and breakage
while processing jars in a canner.
Mayonnaise-type jars are not
recommended for use with foods to be
processed in a pressure canner because
of excessive jar breakage. Other
commercial jars with mouths that
cannot be sealed with two-piece
canning lids are not recommended for
use in canning any food at home.
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Jar Cleaning:
Before every use, wash empty jars
in hot water with detergent and
rinse well by hand, or wash in a
dishwasher. Un-rinsed detergents
may cause unnatural flavors and
colors. These washing methods do
not sterilize jars. Scale or
hard-water films on jars are easily
removed by soaking jars several
hours in a solution containing 1 cup
of vinegar (5 percent acidity) per
gallon of water.
Sterilization of Empty Jars
All jams, jellies, and pickled
products processed less than 10
minutes should be filled into sterile
empty jars. To sterilize empty jars,
put them right side up on the rack in
a boiling-water canner. Fill the
canner and jars with hot (not
boiling) water to 1 inch above the
tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at
altitudes of less than 1,000 ft.
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