Object Lessons: Canning Jars - Remodelista
Napoleon Bonaparte declared, “An army marches on its stomach,” and in 1795 he offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could liberate his men from the monotony of dried, salted, smoked, and pickled food.
The cork and sealing wax method, however, wasn’t always reliable, and it was impossible to see the contents of a sealed ceramic jar. He did this just in time for the Civil War, eventually adding the removable rubber ring that we know today.
Since then, a variety of jars have proven invaluable in the canning process, some with screw tops, others with hinged and clipped lids or clamps.
In 1900, Johann Weck introduced his glass jars with lids that clip on the exterior, preventing the contents from coming in contact with metal. A set of 12 Weck Mini Mold Jars (pictured) is available for $34.95 at Williams-Sonoma.
The Weck strawberry insignia is Germany’s oldest logo, and as fresh today as it was in 1900.
British company Kilner has been around on and off since the 1840s.
The name Mason became synonymous with canning jars in America.
Le Parfait utilizes the “lightning” or latch closure to hermetically seal its jars, and has been perfecting the art of French canning since 1930.
Vintage Canning Jars can be found on eBay and put to a myriad of uses.
Object Lessons columnist Megan Wilson is the owner of Ancient Industries and curator of the Remodelista 100 presented in the Remodelista book. Watch for her column every Tuesday, and have a look at her past lessons, including The Trusty Tiffin Box, another classic food container. Read more
{"vars":{"GA4_MEASUREMENT_ID":"G-GB8Q6PKMP8","GA4_ENDPOINT_HOSTNAME":"www.google-analytics.com","DEFAULT_PAGEVIEW_ENABLED":true,"GOOGLE_CONSENT_ENABLED":false,"WEBVITALS_TRACKING":false,"PERFORMANCE_TIMING_TRACKING":false,"CUSTOM_PAGE_TITLE":"${title} - Remodelista","WEB_STORY_LENGTH":"12"}}
{"vars":{"gtag_id":"UA-146156281-1","config":{"UA-146156281-1":{"groups":"default"}}},"triggers":{"storyOpen":{"on":"visible","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"web_story_open","event_action":"story_open","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageCount}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"storyProgress":{"on":"story-page-visible","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"slide_view","event_action":"story_progress","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"storyEnd":{"on":"story-last-page-visible","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"story_complete","event_action":"story_end","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"tapLeft":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-back-prev","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"tap_left","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"tapRight":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-fwd-next","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"tap_right","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"openAttachment":{"on":"story-open","tagName":"amp-story-page-attachment","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"open_attachment","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"muteStory":{"on":"story-audio-muted","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"mute","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"unmuteStory":{"on":"story-audio-unmuted","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"unmute","event_category":"${title} - Remodelista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}}}}
{"requests":{"reportEvents":"https://pi.story.domains/events/amp"},"transport":{"xhrpost":true,"useBody":true},"extraUrlParams":{"eventName":"${eventName}","device":"${device}","platform":"${platform}","languageId":"${languageId}","deviceLanguage":"${deviceLanguage}","appVersion":"${appVersion}","storyId":"${storyId}","channelId":"${channelId}","companyId":"${companyId}","userId":"${userId}","slideId":"${slideId}"},"triggers":{"openStory":{"on":"visible","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"story_open","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"w4ax2","channelId":"3424","companyId":"2213","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}},"slideView":{"on":"story-page-visible","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"slide_view","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"w4ax2","channelId":"3424","companyId":"2213","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}},"tapLeft":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-back-prev","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"slide_tap_left","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"w4ax2","channelId":"3424","companyId":"2213","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}},"tapRight":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-fwd-next","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"slide_tap_right","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"w4ax2","channelId":"3424","companyId":"2213","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}}}}