I am expanding into canning, what they call dry canning, and vacuum canning as shown in the vid that I posted once before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiSxDNzMwSs
I started without checking around first as to what brands of jars are the best to buy. First from memory the jars used to have a heavy glass top, I remember they had heavy thick rings....these type appear to be gone now, cant find any for sale anywhere, though I did find one online place selling the rings....So what happened? why are they gone? At CT and Walmart I found Golden Harvest, Bernardin, and some other name I have forgotten, what one have people found the best? I started buying Bernardin only because they had the largest size I could find in stock at CT if there is a better brand I can switch. I am not impressed with the lids, thin and they look and feel cheap though are working for the dry canning and vacuum canning I am doing as per that youtube vid.
I listed the price of the jar as 5.00 dollars, I rounded up..it was 4.20 each (1.9 l size)
Labeling each jar with the total weight of the product, name of whats inside, the cost of the container, the cost of the product to fill the container, what the cost is per 1000 calories, the total calorie value inside, and the year packed.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
I find Bernardin to be the best available. I have some Golden Harvest, and they do work, but they are noticeably thinner walled, so there is a bit of a trust issue with them. While I haven't had any fail in the way of cracking or breaking during the canning process, I have alked with a few others that have found them to get very weak after use in a pressure canner...if you are dry canning in an oven, I suspect you may find similar results. Keep an eye out at yard sales for the older Ball brand...also very good.
Peppercorn,
Are these the jars you are referring to? https://www.healthycanning.com/weck-jars/
On a side note, toured a distillery startup a few years ago that bottles in mason jars. They could buy the jars they wanted out of Quebec but it was cheaper to drive to states and buy there.
I find Bernardin to be the best available. I have some Golden Harvest, and they do work, but they are noticeably thinner walled, so there is a bit of a trust issue with them. While I haven't had any fail in the way of cracking or breaking during the canning process, I have alked with a few others that have found them to get very weak after use in a pressure canner...if you are dry canning in an oven, I suspect you may find similar results. Keep an eye out at yard sales for the older Ball brand...also very good.
Ok, I quess It was just dumb luck I started with these then. I will continue for now.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Peppercorn,
Are these the jars you are referring to? https://www.healthycanning.com/weck-jars/
On a side note, toured a distillery startup a few years ago that bottles in mason jars. They could buy the jars they wanted out of Quebec but it was cheaper to drive to states and buy there.
Very close to what I remember, I remember everything was reusable including the rings. for these new types it looks like I have to buy new lids after each use. I am just waiting to hear back from someone one about something and then I will post a picture of the old type (with a surprise!)
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Save the old lids. They are handy to use for short term non "canned" storage. eg taking a mason jar of leftover soup to work. Some people reuse them for canning as well. I have zero knowledge on good/bad of that idea.
We sometimes get odds and ends of the old style in at the thrift sore I volunteer at. In general we get a lot of canning jars.
Here is the old kind of jar.
And here is the surprise, its full of rice (white long grain) here is another surprise...its 20 years old! I was cleaning out my cabinets to make room for my last few purchases when way at the back I find this jar. Now I did not fill this jar so I had to make a inquiry, Long story short the person who did remembers doing so about 2000,2001. She tells me she remembered doing it because she was looking around for something to dump the rice into from a box of rice that she had found in the cabinet, she remembered it because after she filled the jar she needed something else for the rest of the rice, but could not find anymore jars so she tossed the box and whatever was left. I know for a fact I have not bought rice by the box since sometime in the late 90s, Only by multi kg bags now. So this rice is for sure 20 years or more old.
Here is a close up look at it..
Not bad looking at all! There was no sealing ring on this jar so it could not have been air tight. Looking at the rice and comparing it to fresh it looks only a tiny, tiny little bit less white than the new rice.
You of course know what I am wondering? yes, how will it cook up and taste!
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
I thought there was a slight colour difference between this old rice and the new but I think it must have been the jar itself that made me think there was a slight, tiny difference. When I put a pinch of this old rice and a pinch of new rice and mix them together I cant say which grain is which. I will cook some tomorrow.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Rubber sealing rings May not be as heavy as they used to be but fit on the older jars.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/rubber-fruit-jar-rings-12-pk-0422550p.0422550.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxtmw-bLe5wIV7ffjBx0aQQUVEAYYASABEgJd4PD_BwE&gclsrc ="aw.ds#store=674"
The older "crown style " go up and down in price as market dictates. Last year we couldn't give them away. Now they are priced between 8-10 bucks a piece. That's for screw top or bail close. If you are patient and want them, you will find them cheap/free sooner or later. We have a few around for decorative short term storage.
That decades old rice has now been cooked and I could not detect any loss in quality.
Edit, I am still alive after eating it, no negative side effects.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
This dry canning is going well. Lets see a mouse get at this stuff. Long after I am worm food I can picture someone doing renovations in this house, oh the things they will find! there will be questions.
How much is 100 000 calories (just under) in powdered skim milk...30 1.9 liter jars, or from memory 11 2.5 kg bags and this will make 275 liters of milk.
How much is 100 000 calories in white rice, just 18 1.9 liter jars.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
This dry canning is going well. Lets see a mouse get at this stuff. Long after I am worm food I can picture someone doing renovations in this house, oh the things they will find! there will be questions.
jars.jpgHow much is 100 000 calories (just under) in powdered skim milk...30 1.9 liter jars, or from memory 11 2.5 kg bags and this will make 275 liters of milk.
How much is 100 000 calories in white rice, just 18 1.9 liter jars.
jars2.jpg
Playing with the laser light I see.
the lids will rust out before anything is getting in there.. got to love half gallon jars for storage..
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
the lids will rust out before anything is getting in there.. got to love half gallon jars for storage..
yes, I love the jars, just not the price.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Because the price of jars is so much more than what I am putting into them, to keep costs down I am also vacuum sealing. For rodent proofing I bought metal galvanized garbage cans. What does 100 000 calories in vacuum packed rice look like? Like this..
It stacks flat from the bottom of the garbage can, right to the top, in roughly 9 inch squares of 8 cups of rice in each pack. Because the can is round and the packaging square a lot of space is wasted but I can slip other things down the sides to fit in maybe 30 000 to 45, 000 more calories of other things.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
