What a great idea! Thank you for posting.

Thank you so much for sharing this. What a great product.

I've been saving my old canning boxes like gold, but I don't have enough and the ones I have are getting pretty battered.

Carol

I agree it is a great idea. A little pricey for me, but still good idea.

If you know anyone who sells Avon, the boxes they receive their orders in are perfect for jars!! No dividers, but they hold 12 quarts perfectly. Obviously, more of the smaller sizes.

Nice way to recycle something that may be just tossed in the trash too.

Just another option.

Deanna

I visited the site and put in a "test order." For two packs of four pint cartons (8 total) and one pack of quart cartons (4 total) the shipping would run $28.00+. I don't know if shipping varies by region, but I'm just across the river, so if it's even more elsewhere, I don't know that it costs out.

Paypal would not accept the order because their address format doesn't match, as the zip code ends up preceding the state.

I emailed last Friday regarding problems with the site and still have not received a response, so sadly, for all those reasons, I can't recommend. I'm sticking with re-using boxes I already have.

Carol

Oh Carol that's awful =(. Guess I'll be sticking with finding what boxes I can around here too.

I did notice I have some quart jars in the heavy cardboard fruit boxes. I'm sure I got them when I put in orders for green beans or tomatoes, they are the kind with the small flaps on the ends and they can be stacked. They obviously don't have a full lid but I cover them with newspaper ;-)

I also might buy a few sheets of poster board and use the dividers in existing boxes as stencils to make my own dividers for boxes that don't have any.

People charge such ridiculous amounts for shipping it's what puts me off ordering from ebay most of the time.

Deanna, GREAT idea! I'll be inquiring to a local friend about her boxes now! Thanks!! =)

We have State liquor stores here. There are always a variety of empty boxes that are stacked near the exit for anyone who wants them, usually for moving boxes. I think I will take measurements of the pint and quart jar's original boxes, add about 1/8th inch per jar for future dividers,and take a flexible tape with me next time. Surely some acrylic spray paint would do wonders and some permanency to storage of the jars that now get too much light and/or dust. Once I figure out the brand names, then scrounging will be lessened.

Nancy

I have an update for those who might still be interested in the canning boxes from Pantry in a Box.

I just received a very nice phone call from the owners. This is an entirely new endeavor for them and they're still working out glitches with the site designer. Anyone who is interested in ordering would probably have the best luck using the phone number listed at the site.

She said that the boxes have been selling very well locally and currently they're out of quarts. She also explained they've not been able to get shipping lower due, not to weight, but to the oversized dimensions of the flat-packs.

When additional quarts come in I will receive a call and drive to pick up the order. Since I'm not very far away, I can save shipping costs with a local pick-up. Then I can let everyone on the forum know how I like them.

They are also taking feedback from purchasers and implementing suggestions in future orders.

So, it sounds like a nice family-run made-in-the-USA business that's dealing with the usual startup problems.

Carol

Thanks Carol, that's good information to have. My boxes are getting pretty shabby and I wouldn't mind having some in better shape than those I have now. Let us know how you like them please...

It's a little farther for me, rather than try to fit it into a day when I'm in Longview or Portland and usually too busy with family for personal errands - I might do better to just pay the shipping than count on being able to pick up.

Using e-mail, snail mail, and the telephone, I ordered some of these much-needed boxes and sent them a check. These folks are very nice and helpful and I'm delighted that they've come up with such a great idea.

Thank you sooo much Carol!! I feel like a numb-skull for not looking into it further and so glad you did. When I read your last post I finally realized that you are in Oregon and in your first post you stated being 'across the river'. When you said you'd be able to pick them up I went back to their website to find their location...CAMAS!!! Yeehaw, I live just north of Vancouver. So, following your lead I'll be contacting them and placing an order (after you review them) if they are willing to let me pick them up. Thanks again for your research =)! I like to help local, family based businesses.

They're letting me pick them up and it sounds like right now the bulk of their business is local sales, so I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem.

Even with the cost of gas I figure it's at least a 50% savings, and my drive is longer than yours.

I don't know when I'll get back with an update. I'm waiting for their next shipment of quart cartons to come in, but I will call in a few weeks if I haven't heard, on the off-chance they're overwhelmed and haven't gotten back to me.

Lots of home canners in this part of the country so no shortage of buyers!

Carol

Last week the owner of Pantry-in-a-box phoned and said the quart boxes were finally in and she was delivering them to me!

I was amazed but Jada (name is listed on their website so I'm sure she has no objection to my using it) said I'd waited so long she wanted to go the extra step in delivering.

So I got the cartons and no shipping plus she pre-assembled one box and then demonstrated with a second when she arrived.

The cartons looked quite small when assembled but I inserted my largest wide-mouth pints and they were just fine. I think since I've been using surplus boxes with "slop" in the height, length and width, I wasn't prepared for the smaller more precise dimensions of a box actually sized specifically for jars. Which means I can stack more boxes in less space.

There are no cut-outs for grabbing on the assumption that a filled box can be quite heavy and cut-outs would be a weak point. It might have been nice for boxes of empty jars, but long-term the boxes will hold up better without them, so that's a quibble.

The boxes are just as depicted on the site with heavy-duty dividers. The Fritzes' goal was to design a box which would accomodate any standard canning jar (including older designs like the Ball Specials) and be sturdy enough to tolerate moves without breakage.

I think they've achieved it. They're still working on ways to bring down shipping cost and have partially resolved the issue, going to zoned rates and trying out partial pre-folding to reduce dimensions.

So, overall the product is well-made and perfect for canners. The only issue is if the cost is acceptable to you.

Carol

The mailman delivered my PiB boxes today and have put them together already. I absolutely love them and can't imagine anything more useful to a canner. Great product.

Oh thank you so much for the update Carol! Sounds like these will be the perfect box for all of us. I'll be contacting them soon, as I'm hoping that they are still ok with local pickup.
The one thing that I will be doing when I receive them is putting a clear sleeve where the designer has the white label. This way I will be able to write the contents on a card and slip it in, removing it and changing it as the contents change. Again your research is very valuable Carol and I thank you. Have a wonderful week! So glad that you like them too sweetquietplace =). I'm going to share on facebook now I think to spread the word =).

The clear sleeve is a great idea! Are you buying or making those?

I ordered peel-off labels I can use with my print design program so that I can type a description but their erasable cards are also nice.

Carol