jill, I used mine the wrong way round, too, the first time or too! (Hence I was particularly gleeful when the discussion of the Bon Appetit photoshoot came up. Also because I'm an editor by trade and I teach editing and it gave me a great example of the kind of error that can happen at the production stage of a document, when photos, captions, and other stuff are put together with the main text.) Once I figured it out, though, it became my FAVOURITE thing. I used to burn myself and spill a lot of boiling water before I bought it. Those Grip-Tites look fabulous! Thanks for sharing, hbfishing. I'm going to keep my eyes open for one at second-hand places. Z

Thanks all for your responses. My sister bought these lids that you press down to see if they sealed (Klik-it),and these were the only ones that didn't seal properly. Needless to say we will not be using this brand again. We decided to reprocess using the same brand of lid (Ball) that has served us so well in the past. Making jam has become a tradition and tribute to our mother who passed away three years ago. She made many types of preserves and taught us all how to can. As we can, great memories of her fill the room just like the smell of the berries.

Marcia, I really recommend against trying to take a glass jar as carry-on. I have had a jar of homemade jam I was taking to my elderly, ill mother-in-law confiscated. (That batch had a nice, solid set, so I tried to argue it wasn't a gel and in the plaste test hadn't spread, but the agent said even the fact of it being in a glass container made it potentially dangerous. He had the good grace to be apologetic about it, at least.) I've shlepped across Europe car-free and budget-tight, too, and can imagine your dilemma. If it were me, I would cruise the dollar stores for a plastic box that would fit the jars, to give hard sides without adding a lot of weight. I'd pack them in it with lots of paper and a ziplock. A good buffer of wadded paper is better than clothes, though it's hard to devote the room to it, I know. But if something DOES break, paper is the best defense agains broken glass (which can slice your ziploc otherwise), AND it is more likley to be seen by the airport goons as packaging that needs to be replaced than clothing is [even though, as you say, a jar in a sock is obviously there for its protetction]. Your chances are better of your checked backpack avoiding de-packing and getting badly re-packed than of getting a glass jar of something through security and on in your carry-on. As for brining the liquor back, maybe you can buy it at the duty-free at the departing airport? Though I have successfully brought bottles of wine home in a checked backpack, wrapped in paper and a ziplock, then wadded up in cloths & placed in the centre of the backback. If the store you buy it in can supply a sturdy box, though, so much the better.... Good luck, in any case! I love the idea of bringing some homemade goodies to your overseas friends and can see why you'd want to do it despite the hassle. Good luck and have a great trip.... Zabby

Officially, spices should be kept away from the light, so if you're storing them out in the open, I would (reluctantly) vote for stainless. However, I like to see the color, how much is left in a jar, etc., hence the reluctance. And I agree that the lid should be screw-on, not push-up-and-all-over-the-kitchen-counter. All this applies to spices only, not herbs. I hate to sound like a California foodie snob, but herbs should not be purchased, stored in any size jar, frozen, or anything other than picked from the garden just before use. :)