Looks like new shelves is on the "to do" list...

Mayo jars with no chips or other faults are great for BWB anything!

We used the old mayo jars for boiling water bath (not pressure) and experienced no problems. The newer ones we didn't.

Carol

I've got some heavy old pint jars with no markings, I don't know if they're mayo, pickle, whatever, but I've also used them in BWB with no problem.

I've still got a 5-gal bucket of pints and a box of quarts from my godmother to wash. I have way too many quarts - and my cousin has more in the barn.

Can't seem to find jelly jars though!

That is one BEAUTIFUL picture of your 'fruit cupboard'.

Isn't it amazing that something so simple as glass jars can bring such joy to so many?

It's also amazing that so many have no appreciation for them or understand what they're worth. I saw on my local Craig's List that someone about 60 miles away has several hundred full jars that they are going to throw away this weekend unless someone comes to claim them. I'm sure that means rings as well. It's worth driving for, but I can't go Saturday. I just hope someone gets them. I'll be calling Sunday to check on them. :-)

It breaks my heart to hear people say (I sell jams and jellies at farmer's market) "Oh, I didn't know you could reuse those - I put them out in the recycling!"

I've got to stop driving around (Google maps is awful) for Freecycle jars - all I ever seem to find are pints and quarts (sometimes a half gallon), I *never* find half pints! And Walmart has gone up from $6.77 to $7.97 in the past year...

My FIL goes to market as well. He just won't listen to me about putting a little sticker on the bottom of the jar that says "5 cents or 10 cent credit towards your next jar if returned". It's "too much trouble". More trouble than paying 40 cents to replace the jar??? Heck, a "WANTED - BOUNTY OFFERED" ad seeking "good condition real canning jars for a nickel bounty" on one of the canopy posts might yield quite a few jars. Of course, you'll need to be clear that they have to be real canning jars and inspected for condition before you'll pay the "bounty". Some would bring cracked mayo jars and try to collect...

I tried the "deposit" thing last year - never got any returned. So I decided to skip the stickers this year. B ut maybe it's time to try again next year - I went through 10 cases of jelly jars last year, not 1 jar returned.

Well, I was inspired to place a "Wanted" ad on Freecycle - I just gave away a bunch of lug-style jars (that I only used for end-of-the pot fridge storage) and some extra pints to someone who does open-kettle canning (I know...) so maybe I'll find some of my customers from last year who have just finished up their jars and haven't thrown them out yet.

That's too bad the deposit trick wasn't effective. How about a note card by the jars on the table that says "We do our best to provide you with a great product at a fair price - Please help us keep our costs down by returning the jars when they're empty. We'll even give you a dime per jar (even one you didn't buy from us) for your effort :-)"

A dime may just not be enough, but you can't really afford to pay much more'n a quarter. Once you get past a quarter, you're closing in on the 40 cent new price awful fast.

Try 62 cents (and climbing)! I tried offering a quarter last year, figured I'd have to drop that to a dime pretty quickly but I didn't get any takers.

One person did tell me she hated to throw them out, had saved them, but I saw her at a talk the home preservation expert at extension office was giving, so maybe she's using them now. At least I hope she is. She bought at least 6 jars from me last year (and none this year)!

Well, I took the 20some cents off for the lid and ring you get with new jars, since you'll need to buy them for a used jar.

Have you tried to sell jams in pint jars? Twice the product for essentially the same jar price...

I've been selling jam at farmers market for 5 years. Since I sell baked goods too I tell people I'll give them a free cookie when they return the empty jar and ring. I get at least half back. The other half went to gifts or out of state. I do tell people to recycle them to other canners and some do come back and tell me that they have. Tickles me no end.

People generally do not want a pint of homemade jam. Pricing it reasonably for the effort and cost puts people off.

Nancy

Wow that is some awesome storage. I am so jealous. I dream of a home where I can have a combination tornado safe room/basement/food storage/safe room area. Is that a basement?

The house was built in 1929. The foundation is glazed tile and they lath and plastered over the tile. It was built without plumbing or electricity, but the way the house is built gives you the impression that the original owner had money (full cement floor basement, fancy stairwell). Of course, they built immediately before the Depression and must have lost their money. My wife's grandma had friends that lived in this house in the 60's. They decided to clean the basement and were surprised to find a cement floor under all the dirt... My FIL was considerably less than clean as well and we spent a huge amount of time just cleaning the basement. It's still well below standards, but useable. Our laundry is down there as well as our 13X13 canning kitchen with two stoves, fridge, 12 foot counter, and 3 bay stainless sink. The fruit cellar is 9 by 12.

After 80+ years of neglect, the lath and plaster is disintegrating off the walls. That's what you see in the corner. I hesitate to completely remove it because I think it has some insulative value. We hope to be able to afford an addition on the house in two years that will involve a room just as you imagined - cemented all around, including the roof.