They are as safe as the new jars right out of the box. I don't can in the blue jars, but they are 100 years old +/- 10 years. Any others, get canned in.

I've had more new jars break versus old ones.

Agree with Marla. Shoot! The majority of our canning jars are probably 40-50 years old.

Other than the 'collectible antiques' we use them all the time for both PC and BWB. Heavier and thicker glass than new ones.

Dave

PS: this doesn't apply to jars that are not made specifically for canning

Thanks, I thought they might be weakened from repeated use, even if they weren't scratched.

Just thought though - I canned some water last year, I know those jars are still good, but I do have some jars (have to check if they were newer, I know not brand new but maybe 25-30 yrs old) plus some food grade buckets that have water with a few drops of bleach in them. How long will that water last?

I can use the buckets for toilets in case the power goes out, but maybe I should empty the jars that weren't processed anyway, then I can use them for PCing and if I want to store more water I can put the bleach-water in the really old jars, or BWB them.

Posting at the same time. No, I won't use my blue Perfect Masons (or any Perfect Masons or Specials) for canning. I also have some Bicentennials I know are probably some of the newer quarts I own, I could use those in a pinch but thought if I held onto them for 8 more years I might sell them.

I have some Kerr Self Sealing as well, don't know how old those are, a Drey or 2, a Brockway (might be a local thing? Looks like regular mouth but maybe it was milk?), some Metro, I think maybe a Presto. A couple with no markings on the sides but Ball on the bottom - not sure if those were canning, or commercial 1-time use things my godmother used anyway?

Nothing super-old - I keep looking for that misspelled Perfect Mason LOL!

Are the Ball better quality than say the star Masons, the Mom's, or the Magic? I've used some of the star pints in BWB but I haven't used any of the quarts of above-named brands, was trying to use the newer (1980's) Ball first but I'm just running out and I'd rather not spend the $ for new quarts, not to mention the old ones are just taking up room on my basement shelves. Next year when I have tomatoes I should start BWBing in those, don't know if I should only PC in Ball (I don't have any GH quarts)?

All the same, I don't even look at the 'name' printed anymore. the Bicentennial are probably the newest (1976).

The blue jars are great for storing seeds.

Don't worry about what brand, as long as it is a 'canning' jar. I'm sure Ball would like for you to buy new jars and only from them, but they make Kerr and Golden Harvest.

I did notice that Classico spaghetti sauce's jar actually says Mason Jar. I'm sure if I would can in them, but I don't use it, so I probably won't be canning in them.

I've BWBed in the Classico jars before, the 24 oz was very convenient for tomato sauce, until DS starting eating more and now we sometimes go through a quart in 1 meal. I've gotten rid of the smaller (20 oz?), they're no good for us any more (well, maybe for salsa if there was a safe processing time). Kept the lids - they've changed even the lids on the quarts I buy at BJs now, they're too small to fit canning jars. Handy for when you have an open jar of jelly, pickles, etc. in the fridge (esp. the pickles, in case it gets knocked over!).

Wouldn't you know, now that NCHFP says it's OK to BWB in them...

Oh, and I checked my emergency water - only jars that were chlorinated instead of canned were 2 Kerr half gallons I had. Probably safest to dump them now that it's been almost a year (I think I did them after Sandy - I didn't date them, I should have checked the ones I processed for dates)?

I thought I had some smooth-side Ball quarts, nope, checked again, they're either no markings at all (though a couple have measurements up to 3 cups marked on sides), a couple with block M (?) and a couple with A inside what's probably an H with slanted sides, b/c it's the same mark as the Atlas Strong Shoulders have on the bottom. So those Hazel Atlas are probably safe to use (nice and heavy), I don't know about the block M? The other couple unmarked I guess I could try BWBing water in...

Personally, I'd use the Atlas jars if they're undamaged. Purely anecdotal experience, but like Dave I've used a lot of old jars and they've performed at least as well as the newer ones.

I must be one of the few who don't like the old blue jars and we've got boxes of the old bail jars. Some zinc-lidded ones too. I never liked the color of food in those.

Carol

@Carol:

You could sell those old blue jars and make some cash. IIRC, they go for $5-10 each on eBay.

The name/markings on the jar makes no difference whatsoever. If it is a canning jar it can be used for canning.

Dave

I only have 3 blue Perfect Mason quarts and 1 half gallon. The rims on the quarts are all chewed up, not good for canning anyway but I thought they were pretty and they were cheap at a yard sale. I don't think I'd like the look of food in them either - but just picked up 6 pints of the new blue ones on sale at Target (still more $ than clear pints) just to hold onto, I won't even open the shrink wrap, we'll see if those "commemorative" ones become collector's items or not. If not, I can always can blueberries in them LOL!

I just did some searching and Brockway and Drey I have (1 of each) are the oldest ones, must have been my great-grandmother's (if bought new). I could go looking in the barn - I didn't get all that many quarts (though it seemed like it at the time! when I was BWBing only and using wide mouth quarts for pickles, my BWB is really too short to use quarts). Seemed like that's mostly what my (single) godmother used (well, her brother and SIL were living upstairs so maybe they shared when they opened a jar). I just grabbed the Strong Shoulders (the Ball mainly came in lots from yard sales) b/c I liked the pints I had - and Brockway and Drey caught my eye. From the pints I just washed and started using, and the quarts yet to be washed that I know came from the farm (about 3 dozen), it seems like she was buying in the 60's and 70's, masking tape with dates (no contents) stuck on were mostly 1983-1987 but one was 1966. Also looks like she used whatever mayo or pickle jar she a regular lid would fit. Though there were some zinc lids thrown in.

I was looking for jelly jars when my cousin was cleaning out the basement of the farm - didn't find any. I think I took all the pints since I was doing salsa, apple butter, etc. too at the time, maybe there aren't any pints left. But I should ask to go look in the barn where they put all the empties (he took anything with food in it to the landfill).

Now I wish I hadn't given a dozen GH pints to my SIL, and traded 11 brand new quarts to my cousin for some WM pints (those didn't turn out as well as I had hoped for DD's lunchbox). Now that I've got the PC I'm canning a lot more, and in the larger jars.

Posting at the same time again Dave - good, I will use those 70's era jars for PCing then, save the really old Ball jars (used more?) for when I run out - but we should be eating out of them soon so I'll have empties next year.

I don't like the blue ones for canning either, but for seeds, they want a darker environment and I have several. I know I have at least 15 qts and probably 30 pints, all in good shape, that's not counting the seed jars.

I believe, if you have the room, you can't have too many jars. It's not like they will reproduce themselves. This is me that had probably well over 1,000 jars that were empty at the beginning of canning season and now only have less than 100, without counting the new ones that I bought (about 300).

Marla

I'm curious about pressure canning water for storage. Tell me about that.

Hi Nettie - it is a fairly common practice for those of us who live in areas where power loss is common - even a well needs some sort of power to work. Great to have around for emergencies of any kind.

Easy to do - just fill the jars with tap water (some prefer to boil it first), 1/2" headspace. and process for 10-15 mins in BWB. Often if you don't have a full canner load of something - either PC of BWB - just stick in a jar of water or two to fill up the load and process for whatever time the food requires. Stores on the shelf indefinitely just like most canned goods..

Dave

How long does the unprocessed chlorinated water last?

>How long does the unprocessed chlorinated water last?

I think that depends on what contaminants it has in it, after the chlorine evaporates. Stuff the chlorine didn't kill, or stuff that gets in after. Our city water... probably years. Creek water, maybe not.

The idea with canning would be that you kill everything in it, and then the seal keeps anything new from entering the container.

The idea with canning would be that you kill everything in it, and then the seal keeps anything new from entering the container.
(Nila)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
EXACTLY...

Why would you want to process water in B.water.B?
Wouldn't it be simple just to pour boiling water into the jar , put the cap on. With 1/2" or water head space it should vacuum seal as the steams inside cools off and creates vacuum.
You can boil the water as long as you want before canning. .

The chlorinated water I was referring to was the well water with 1/4 tsp per gal (1/8 tsp per HG) in the foodgrade buckets and unprocessed half gallon jars I referred to above.

I found my answer - last year I provided this link from NCHFP and it says it can be stored for 5 years. Of course the canned water can be stored indefinitely (as long as the lids don't rust).

Could be stormy around Thanksgiving. We never did lose power during Sandy last year, but the year before that were were out for a week around Halloween. Most of the leaves are off the trees now so that's not as likely to happen this time - probably just get an inch or 2 that will melt right away, as long as the winds aren't bad not a big deal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Emergency water storage

This post was edited by ajsmama on Sun, Nov 10, 13 at 7:19

When I lived in FL, we would storage water, just in case of hurricanes. Here we don't worry as much, luckily have only had power outages for up to 12 hours. I personally don't can water, but do store some. Canning the water, especially well water, will help to 'keep' it better. I would replace yearly, because water that is canned, looses it's air content and will taste 'funny'. Still good, just weird tasting.

When we were packing water, before we got our first well, I thought about canning extra water, but never got around to it. We always had a few buckets around with water in them, or rainwater works (if collected and boiled). We used rainwater for all tub baths and flushing the tiolet. Worked for us for 8 years. But running water is GREAT and so much easier.

Marla

This post was edited by myfamilysfarm on Sun, Nov 10, 13 at 11:00

When we had to remodel our kitchen about eight years ago, I insisted the old pitcher pump be resurrected in its own sink under the kitchen window. We have absolutely wonderful spring water source run by gravity from the hill at the back of our property, and two cisterns catch it before it overflows into the pond. I could and have gone out with a bucket during power failures to catch it from the cistern overflow, but now alls I have to do is pump the handle a few times and we have all the pure water we want without going outside. It pulls up water faster than the spigots run off an electric pump and I use it daily. I wondered about canning water, and didn't see why it couldn't be done for those of you who are on deep wells.

Envy you calliope - our wells are 380' and 326' deep. Generator will trigger the pumps to fill the holding tanks. But we try to reserve it for flushing and washing up. And we don't want it running continuously so the canned water comes in very handy for cooking and making coffee and drinking.

Agree that the standard recommendation for storing chemically treated water is 5 years. Our well water lasts much longer when canned and BWB processed.

As to why do it - simple. We don't boil and processing eliminates the need to pre-sterilize the jars and boil the water. Plus you get a true seal unlike the vacuum created by just cool capping.

Dave

Oh, ours is deep - over 500ft! The old springhouse is long gone, the farmhouse (about a mile from where we built) used to have wonderful cold water. No sign of the spring now. We have a spring (maybe 2?) that run(s) into our pond out back, but it's 1000ft from the house and I really don't feel like hauling water from the pond when we've got 2ft+ of snow - though my dad has hauled water from his stream out back (maybe half that distance) at his house.

I don't think anybody's going to forget the Halloween storm of 2011! 6 of us holed up in my parents' house with the wood stove in the basement, cooking on the grill with food stored in a cooler in the snow, filled with snow, with water brought up from town hall, flushing with stream water and going to bed at sundown! Make anybody nostalgic for the "good old days"?

Nostalgic? No, I lived that way too recently. Wish we had a spring or hand pump, but we don't. Our well is only 32' and our son the same. His had so much pressure when it was dug that it blew all the way to the top of the rig. My mother witches well, and both of these are on strong veins crossing each other with a pool of water surrounding them. Why anyone would spend the money without asking a 'witch' to locate, is beyond me. Mother has found water where the drillers and others said there wasn't any. She's usually within 5', unfortunately she will probably lose her gift in the next few years. We've found that if we inherit it, we'll get it about 50 and lose it about 90.

Marla

Gee Marla, you might have been just about the right age to find water for us when we built. Do you have the gift?

Our well is so deep b/c the drillers tried 3 times (the other 2 were used for geothermal heat), this one was the most promising but when they drilled deeper they lost the water so they had to frack it. And our neighbor's is overflowing - he has to drain it off, even with 2 teenage girls! Looks like we had to build our house on the one spot in probably a mile that DIDN'T have a spring!

No, I haven't got it yet. All wells should be drained off regularly, that helps to build the strength of the well. I don't know how deep Mother's gift goes, but I know she's found one over 150'.

My son just showed me a Ball clear qt jar with a bail, it's chipped abit, but not at the seal. No lid. He found it laying around a place he was to clean up. He's always finding things like this.

Great link, ajsmama. Now I know how to filter radioactive fallout out of drinking water. I am not sure how I feel about that.