Choosing the Perfect Mason Jar
As canning season begins home canners everywhere are stocking up on Mason Jars to preserve their family traditions. Berlin Packaging is excited to offer many different Mason Jars to suit your individual needs, each with unique features and benefits. With all these choices how do you choose the Mason Jar that's perfect for you? We have provided some tips to help you find the Mason Jar that's ideal for your canning needs.
Brand
Berlin Packaging features two brands of Mason Jars: Ball and Legacy. As the most well known, Ball Mason Jars are a popular choice among the canning community. The Ball Company has been perfecting their Mason Jars for over 125 years to become somewhat of a household name.
New to the market are Legacy Mason Jars. These jars have quickly become known for their amazing quality in addition to great performance. Legacy Mason Jars appear identical to others but with a crystal clear appearance, near invisible mold lines, and rich embossed details. This compelling design and functional features have made Legacy a dependable option for preservers everywhere.
Size
Choosing your preferred Mason Jar is essential to preserving perfection. Factors involved in this decision include use, smaller jars for items with less frequent consumption and larger jars for regularly consumed products.
4 oz Jelly Jars
Jams, jellies, mustards, ketchups, dipping sauces, flavored vinegars and small portion sizes.
Mouth Diameter
A popular question is what is the difference between regular and wide-mouth jars? Both can serve many purposes but wide-mouth Mason Jars are useful for filling and removing large preserves such as whole or cut fruits and vegetables, soups, and stews.
Style
Generally Mason Jars are clear. However, Berlin Packaging recently introduced Ball's Blue Mason Jar to its offering. The blue color is a historical throwback marking the 100th anniversary of Ball's "Perfect Mason" blue jar.Appeal of these jars is found not only within canning but also for collecting, home decor, and crafting. Ball Blue Jars are a limited edition item.
Extras
To be your one stop shop, Berlin Packaging also carries a selection of canning accessories including lids, racks, lifters, ladles, funnels, water bath canners, and more.
Additional Resources
Typical U.S. dates for a few common crops, the South will be the earlier end, and the North, the later:
March – April: asparagus
May - June: strawberries
June - July: cherries
June - August: blueberries, blackberries
July - September: peaches, figs, tomatoes, green beans
July - October: raspberries
August: figs, fall raspberries start, early apples
September - October: apples and grapes
October: late apples, pumpkins
National Center for Home Food Preservation: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
Canning Across America: http://www.canningacrossamerica.com/
Pick-Your-Own Farms: http://www.pickyourown.org