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Mass-produced glass canning jars, also known as Mason jars after their inventor John L. Mason, Ball jars after one of the earliest manufacturers of the jars, and fruit jars because they were used to store fruit, have been manufactured since the early 1850s.1 An earlier British jar is known as the Kilner jar. Mason jars are made of soda-lime glass, and come in a variety of sizes including quart, pint, half-gallon, and cup sizes, as well as in wide-mouth and regular mouth shapes.
Modern glass Mason jars are sealed with a single-use, flat metal lid, held on by a vacuum seal (created during canning). The lids are sold separately so that the jars and bands can be reused.
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Use
In home canning, food is packed into the jar, and the steel lid is placed on top of the jar with the integral rubber seal resting on the rim of the jar. The band is screwed loosely over the lid, which will allow air and steam to escape. The jar is heat sterilized in boiling water, if Boiling Water Bath (BWB) canned, or steam, if pressure-canned using a cooking utensil called a canner. While the jar is still at processing temperature, the band is screwed down tightly, forming a gas-tight seal between the lid and the jar, and the jar is allowed to cool to room temperature, whereupon the band is removed to prevent residual water between the jar threads and the band from rusting the band. If the jar seal is properly formed, internal partial vacuum will keep the lid tightly on the jar. Some metal lids are slightly domed, much like the bottom of a mechanic's oil can. On a properly sealed Mason jar, the lid will be slightly concave. A "popped up" (flat or convex) lid may be a sign of microbial growth, including potential botulism, or seal failure. Some old Mason jars used glass lids with separate rubber rings, instead of steel, and are now considered unsafe for canning.
History
The earliest glass jars were called wax sealers, because they used sealing wax, which was poured into a channel around the lip that held on a tin lid. This process was complicated and error-prone, but was largely the only one available for a long time, and widely used even into the early 1900s.
By far, though, the most popular form of seal was the screw-on zinc cap, the precursor to today's screw-on lids. The earliest successful application of this was discovered by Mason and patented on November 30, 1858, a date embossed on thousands of jars. Jars with "Patent Nov 30th 1858" were made in many shapes, sizes and colors well into the 1900s. Since they were made in such quantity and used for such long periods, many of them have survived to the present day.
Another popular closure was known as the Lightning closure, named after the first jar to use it, which was embossed with "Lightning" on the side. More commonly, this is often known as a bail closure, or French Kilner — it consists of a metal wire that leverages a glass lid down when pressed against the side of the jar. While these jars are still sold for storage, they are now rarely used for canning.
The heyday for jars was probably 1860-1900, when an explosion of patents for various closures were issued, ranging from the effective to the absurd. The more absurd closures were quickly abandoned, but often fetch high prices in today's antique market.
Collecting
Antique mason jars are eagerly sought by collectors, and are bought and sold not only through antique stores, but also on auction sites such as eBay. While most jars sell for only a few dollars, some have sold for as high as $30,000. The value of a jar is related to its age, rarity, and condition.
The age and rarity of a jar can be determined by its color, shape, mold and production marks, and closure. Most antique jars that aren't clear are in some shade of aqua (in particular "Ball blue," named for the company that made them). Colored jars were considered better for canning use, as they block some light from reaching the food, which helps to retain flavor and nutritional value longer. More rarely, jars will turn up in amber, and occasionally in darker shades of green. Rarer still are cobalt blues, blacks, and milk glass jars. Some dealers will irradiate jars to bring out colors not original to the jar.
References
- ^ [1] "Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit Court of the United States for the Second Circuit: 1845-1887" By Samuel Blatchford, United States Circuit Court (2nd Circuit). Published by Derby and Miller, 1875. Retrieved October 22, 2008
See also
Media references
- The radio show Loveline has a "Mason jar call" as code for a fake call.
- In the music video of "I Love this Bar", by Toby Keith, some people drink their beer from a Mason jar, in reference to the lyrics of the song.