Thursday, February 23, 2012

More mason jars

Of all the quart mason jars i've got, there's one style that's my favorite: the old "Strong Shoulder" Atlas jars.  I have several, with at least two versions of the mold - the lettering is much more squared on one type.  A friend with more reference books to work with than i've got (sigh - more books to add to the wish list...) dated one jar i've got to about 1915, and i've seen pictures of an Atlas brochure from the 1930s that features this type of jar, so i know they're at least that old.

So when i went to cut a block of a mason jar, i knew just which one to go for.  Here's the end result:


(If you need one for your kitchen, you can find it at PressingNeeds...)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Yes we can!

This is the time of year when i have to remind myself that i put up all those jars of goodies so that i could eat them later, and that later is pretty much here.  Soon enough, i'll be needing the jars empty for a new season...

I found this great wartime poster image this week (courtesy of the Dover Sampler, which has yielded some really fun graphics for free):


Of course, while i'm reminding myself to use up the jam and the roasted tomatoes, and jars of other goodies from various friends (thanks, Lynn! thanks, Sarah!), i'm still filling jars, so i'm not sure i'll ever have them all empty, ready and waiting.  My folks got me a pressure canner for Christmas, so i can do low-acid stuff now (there may be an ulterior motive there, as they know they'll get gifts of canned goods back).  As a trial run with the pressure canner, i just put up six pints (well, seven, but the last one didn't seal properly) of my bean and ham soup, and more bread mixes will be filling some of the quart jars soon.