Be sure to remove the rings before storing them and if you have to stack them put a spacer in between like a sheet of cardboard so they don't have direct contact with the lid below and the weight is evenly distributed.

Dave

Not only can they rust in place making it impossible to open the jars but humidity and any food particles trapped under the ring causes molds and bacteria to develop and that can break the seal. Plus should any problems develop within the jar it needs to be able to pop the seal rather than break the jar.

Dave

I also keep a piece of paper with just the ingredients in each batch of jam in the box where I store the jam/labeling stuff. That way, if I want to gift, I can easily make a tag with ingredients without having to try and remember which batch I made with which recipe, then try to find the recipe, which may or may not have made it into my recipe program where they belong. I like being able to list the ingredients, and especially since I generally add some sort of liqueur to my jams, I want people to be aware of that.

Madonna

Thanks BallonFlower for the advice! Those are great ideas that sound very helpful!

Dave, that makes sense on the removal of the rings. However, once you open a jar and refridgerate it, do you put the ring back on? just the lid sitting on top seems so easy to get bumped and knocked off.

Dave

I take rings off 24 hours after processing and look for any sticky stuff, wash if necessary, but then I put the rings back on when I put labels on for sale and haven't had a problem. But then I don't store items for sale for more than a year. If they haven't sold by then, they go into my personal stock and I usually take the rings off b/c I need to reuse them on other jars.

I bought some Ball lids for the wide mouth jars though and use those for freezer and fridge storage.

I won't keep on for long tho, since I have several jars that I can't open due to the rings rusting into place.

The weight of the jar on top can break the seal on the bottom jar. Just as when we stack jars in the canner there needs to be a rack in between them.

We had some past discussions about it with pictures posted of how many do it using cardboard or thin plywood. I just cut a piece of cardboard to the same depth of the shelf. I'll see if i can find those pics for you if they are sill on the server.

Dave

I will echo the advice of writing the dates on the jars when labeling. I've actually had jars that I didn't write anything on, thinking I'd certainly know what it was. Nope, I didn't, LOL, and learned my lesson.

I take the rings off for storage but if I'm taking a jar somewhere or giving it as a gift, I always put a ring back on, so it doesn't leak in transportation and the recipient has a way to easily store any amounts not consumed immediately.

Sometimes I even get the jars back, but friends have found that the jars are handy for storing straight pins, buttons, pens and pencils on the table. They've been used for flower vases and drinking glasses and storage for that last handful of M&Ms and candle holders. I'm always buying those 8 ounce jelly jars...

Like ajsmama, I reuse jars that are compatible with the rings and lids. It used to be "not recommended" but the NCFHFP has changed course and now says that recycled jars are fine if the lids fit and they are used in a boiling water bath. As I found out the hard way, recycled jars have more breakage in the pressure canner but they work fine in the BWB.

Annie

So..... just so I understand this correctly....Once you use a Ball Jar or Kerr Jar in a pressure canner, it's not recommended to reuse the jar again in a pressure canner?

What they are saying is that the NCHFP is now approving the use of recycled commercial glass jars (i.e. from purchased spaghetti sauce) for BWB canning only. These jars are theoretically intended for one use only, and may not be as sturdy as purpose made home canning jars. BWB canning is easier on the jars than pressure canning.

Any Ball or Kerr jar should give you many years of both pressure and BWB canning.

Good work!
Edie

Thanks edie for the great dessert hint! That sounds heavenly!

I've used 'mayonnaise' jars for years, but they DO break easier. For the longest time, I used them for pressure or BWB.