How to Reuse Jars for Canning

Canning home-grown produce and other foods can help lower your grocery bill. Getting started, though, requires some investment. A pressure canner, required for canning any low-acid foods such as vegetables and meats, can cost from $60 to around $300. Canning jars cost between $8 and $10 per dozen. Once you have the canner and jars you should be set for years, with the only additional costs being jar lids.

Instructions

Reusing Canning Jars

1. Use only jars intended for home canning, produced by Ball, Mason, Atlas or other reputable companies. These jars are designed and tempered for repeated exposure to high temperatures and pressures. Use only jars that can be used with modern, flat lids with rubber gaskets and screw-on rings.

2. Wash the jars carefully in hot, soapy water or in the dishwasher.

3. Inspect any jar carefully if you plan to reuse it. Look for cracks or nicks in the glass. Run your finger around the top of the jar to find any chips or cracks that will prevent a proper seal.

Tips & Warnings

• You can reuse jar rings, which hold the lid with the rubber gasket to the jar. You cannot reuse the lid with the rubber gasket because it won't seal properly.

• Do not reuse jars that contained commercial foods, such as mayonnaise or tomato sauce. These jars are usually thinner and weaker, which can be made worse by repeated scratching with a knife. They may fail in the pressure cooker. Thinner glass weakens the seal. This can result in seal failure, which may or may not be obvious.

References

• Hobby Farms
• University of Wisconsin Extension