Deal on jars....can these be used for canning?

13 years ago

I found a box of 12 jars at a local thrift store yesterday. They were marked $2.99 and I had a 40% off cpn so they were dirt cheap and I snatched them up. They are just jars, no rings, which I figured was fine I'd just buy rings/lids at Walmart, which I did.

The box the jars are in says Kerr Wide Mouth Mason Jars, Kerr Glass MFG Corp. It also says PINTS. There is a picture of the jars on the box. The jars are Wide Mouth, square shaped and the following is molded into the front of the jars:

Kerr

"SELF SEALING"

Trade Mark Reg

Wide Mouth Mason

Are these jars safe to use or did I just get a deal on antique jars that I'll need to use in some craft project?

Thanks,

PW

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Comments (8)

digdirt2
13 years ago
Kerr is just another associated brand name. Ball, Kerr, Mason, Golden Harvest, etc. are all owned by the same company and many of us have Kerr jars.

So if the rings/bands will screw down on them, and they should with no problem, then they are fine. Since you don't know how old they are I would run them through a run in the BWB first rather than a PC.

Dave
readinglady
13 years ago
Kerr jars tend to be slightly cheaper than Ball jars, but as Dave said, they're just fine. In fact, I prefer Kerr wide-mouth pints for my pressure canner because they're shorter than Ball jars and it's easier to stack two layers.

Carol
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kathy_in_washington
13 years ago
Fifteen cents a pint jar is great. Wash them well, and enjoy them ... and keep your eyes peeled for more. If you thrift shop often, you might want to keep a lid/ring in both the regular and wide-mouth size with you so you can check jars if/when you again find them. Oftentimes they can be purchased for about 25 cents each at garage sales, rummage, etc. And always check the top edge of each jar for chips. You don't want and can't use those.

Kathy in Washington
pat_w
Original Author
13 years ago
Dave, I'll check with a ring tomorrow and make sure that it screws on properly. I don't have a pressure canner (yet) so if I use these any time soon it will be in BWB.
Carol, I don't know if I would ever have enough of anything to want to double layer but I'll keep that in mind.
Kathy, The store had 2 other boxes when I bought these. But the other 2 boxes were a mixture of these same type jars and some others that looked like the jelly jars that I already have. Now that I think of it I probably should have bought those too. Even though a certain someone was kinda huffing about the first box I picked up LOL. I just love bargains at the thrift store. For 49 cents (minus 40% off) I picked up one of those tools for taking corn off the cob. I was very tempted to buy another bread machine. They had one for $5.99 that I could have gotten for 40% off, the machine looked like it hadn't been used much, had a regular loaf shaped pan and there were 2 or 3 small bread making books inside the box. But again, that certain someone reminded me that I already have one and then the comment "How many do ya need" LOL
Thanks for your advice everyone :)
PW
roof
13 years ago
Good score Pat!

We prefer Kerr jars. Only because I don't particularly like the cornucopia embossing on the Ball jars if they have vension or salmon or something like that in them. ;)

Actually, the Kerrs with less clutter on the jars is easier for putting labels on, if a more pragmatic reason is required.

The Kerr jars have changed their height over the years too, and if you a dog from every town and every age, like we do, one has to pay attention stacking.

Can't have too many jars...

Cheers, Roof
calliope
13 years ago
Ohhhhh, Ohhhhh you hit a gold mine. I found two big paper grocery sacks of old canning jars at a Good Will out in their el cheapo garage section. The fellow who priced them obviously never canned because he marked each bag down to 99 cents. I danced all the way home.
pqtex
13 years ago
And I scored big time on Freecycle this past week. I received 188 canning jars...all pints and quarts. I need to run them through the dishwasher a few cycles, but they are in good shape. I've seen only two or three that have to be tossed due to chips, and one or two that aren't canning jars, but the rest (pending CLOSE inspection) are all good quality canning jars. I have found that Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores in my area sell the jars for 49 cents EACH (or more) and at that price, I'd just as soon buy new for a little bit more. I'm still giddy about Freecycle.
dgkritch
13 years ago
What a score! Both PW and jill2761.
Nothing beats a great bargain (or better yet, free) on something useful!

I love freecycle and craigslist too!

Deanna

Deal on jars....can these be used for canning?

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digdirt2

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Deal on jars....can these be used for canning?

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