When I worked in an office, mason jars were a regular part of my commuter food world. I layered oats and yogurt into wide mouth pints for breakfast and I toted coffee in those discontinued pint and a half jars freezer jars that I love so much.

There’s one very large issue with drinking coffee from mason jar (particularly the taller ones that I like so much). The very significant risk of spillage. More than once, I nearly knocked over an open jar. A dangerous things when your work machine is a vulnerable laptop.

Though I work from home now, I still find myself reaching for an empty mason jar when it comes time for morning coffee or tea. Because of this habit, as well as the fact that I’m generally crazy for any new jar-related item (all in the interest of research), I ordered the Cuppow approximately 12 seconds after hearing about it.

For those of you out there who are wondering what the heck I’m talking about, here’s the scoop. Cuppow is a reusable (BPA free) plastic lid, designed to fit on a wide mouth mason jar. You use a standard ring to fasten it into place. It works equally well with wide mouth models of pint, pint and a half (if you can find them) and quart jars.

So far, I love everything about this product, from the eye-pleasing, letter press packaging to the heft and feel of the Cuppow itself. I spent the morning using mine to drink my milky tea (coffee and I are on a break right now) and it performs exactly as I hoped it would.

It offers a similar drinking experience to that which you have with a disposal Starbucks cup, down to the slight whistle from the vent hole on the opposite side. No leaking, no mess and far less risk of spilling all over my workspace.

There is one issue when you use a mason jar for hot liquids. That is the inevitable heat transfer to your hand. Because I’ve been using jars for coffee and tea for years now, I have a small stash of hand knit and crocheted cozies from a few of my readers to slip around my jars. However, you don’t have to get something so fancy. A clean, orphaned sock would also do the job nicely.

Because I asked nicely, the guys at Cuppow have given me one (1) of these mason jar lids to give away to a Food in Jars reader. Here’s what to do for a chance to win.

1. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell us about your morning beverage ritual. Do you drink coffee or tea? Hot or cold? Or you like my husband, who prefers his caffeine cold and carbonated?
2. Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Friday, January 27, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Saturday, January 28, 2012.
3. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents (so sorry, Canadians. I’m not controlling the shipping on this one).
4. One entry/comment per person, please.

Disclosure: Cuppow is providing the giveaway unit. I bought and paid for my unit with my own money. All opinions expressed remain entirely my own. 

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Yesterday afternoon, while in the midst of making a giant bowl of this quinoa salad to take to a potluck, I realized that I had forgotten to buy feta cheese. In most cases I am entirely satisfied to substitute one ingredient for another, but not in that moment. I wanted the creamy tang of feta and I had nothing else in the fridge that would do.

I put my chopping aside, grabbed a pint jar and dashed down the street to Di Bruno Bros. (I recognize that I am incredibly fortunate to live a block and a half away from such a terrific gourmet/cheese market). The reason for the pint jar was that I hate the idea of using a disposable plastic tub for all of ten minutes in order to get the cheese from store to salad. They sell their feta cheese from giant, brine-filled crocks, so a container of some sort is necessary.

This was the first time I’d taken a reusable container to Di Bruno Bros. so I wasn’t sure how they’d respond. However, I swallowed my minor embarrassment at making an unusual request and asked if I could buy half a pound of feta and have it packed in my jar. They said yes and proceeded to weight the cheese on a sheet of parchment paper before putting in the jar.

I kept a plastic container out of the recycling/trash system and the sticky label peeled off easily to boot. All in all, a successful jar experience!

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Every year since we’ve been together, Scott and I have gone off on a Memorial Day Weekend vacation. The last three years, we escaped to Lancaster County, PA for a bit of clean air and green views. I was always particularly charmed by that destination because Lancaster happens to be a hotbed for home canning (we have the Amish and Mennonite communities to thank for that).

This year, instead of heading west to Lancaster, we pointed the car towards Northampton, MA. Some of our dear friends moved there from Philly back in March and we felt it only right to scope out their new digs and help them break in their guest room. Happily, the Northampton area did not lack for jars. Here’s just a bit of what I spotted.

These first three photos were all taken at The Roost, an amazingly wonderful cafe at the corner of Market and Bridge Streets in Northampton, MA. They use jars for everything there, which I love. They also happen to serve seriously good coffee. We stopped there for a brief rest after parading through multiple used bookstores (for Scott) and junk stores (for me) and my only wish was that I could have stayed a bit longer. I long for a cafe like this one to open in Philadelphia. I couldn’t find a website for Roost, but here’s a blog post from a neighboring shop (Sticks and Bricks) about the design and construction of the cafe.

Jars ready to be used for bulk purchases at the Brattleboro, VT Co-op. They were pre-marked with the tare to make it easy for the cashiers.

Jars filled with herbs for sale at the Northampton Co-op. How great that they’re using some vintage bailing wire jars.

And finally, a bonus photo by Scott, of me dispensing bulk maple syrup into a pint jar at the Brattleboro, VT Co-op. As you can see, it brought me great quantities of joy.

Okay, so maybe not quite as many jars as in Lancaster, but still, more than you might otherwise think.

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I hope all you have had wonderful days, full of family, relaxation and plenty of good, homemade foods in jars!

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Canning jars, at least as we know them now, have been around since 1868. John L. Mason developed the system of a threaded jar with a lid designed for sealing (he used lead lids with a rubber seal, not exactly the two-piece lid we know now, but very close). The technology hasn’t change much since then.

It used to be that there were a number of canning jar manufacturers. Ball. Kerr. Atlas. Drey. Mason. Globe. Mom’s. Knox. Golden Harvest. However, as so often happens, through a process of competition and consolidation, the number of jar producers grew fewer over the years.

In 1993, the Ball Corporation (which by that time was the only domestic canning jar manufacturer) spun off their canning jar sector into the company that is now known at Jarden Home Brands. They make all the Ball, Kerr and Golden Harvest jars currently available in stores. One of the reasons that canning jars can be so pricey is that there’s been no competition in this sector of the market.*

However, thanks to the growing popularity of canning in recent years, we’re finally going to start seeing some new canning jars hit the market this season. Walmart has a line of mason jars called Mainstays, as well as a fancier variety branded with the Better Homes and Garden name. And soon, a variety of stores will be carrying Penley Mason jars (these are not the jars that Walmart is carrying). Those Penley jars are the ones I want to talk about today.

I recently had an opportunity to preview the line of jars made by the Penley Corporation. Up until now, they’ve been in the business of making and distributing clothespins, matches, toothpicks, plastic cutlery and drinking straws. Canning jars are a departure for them, but from the examples I’ve seen, they are doing an amazingly good job with their new product.

In most respects, they are physically nearly identical to the jars most of us currently use. They make pints and quarts in both regular and wide mouth and an embossed half pint in a regular mouth. Lids and rings are interchangeable between Ball, Kerr and Penley, which is fabulous for those of us who already have a stash of lids or who are planning on using Tattler lids this season.

When I met with the Penley rep, he pointed out the fact that they intentionally left the back of their pints and quarts smooth to better accommodate the labels that so many canners apply to their jars. I was happy to see that particularly since I’ve always hated the round of wheat and fruit on the back of the Ball jars (in researching this post, I learned that it’s been there since 1970).

As far as performance goes, I’ve canned in these jars several times now and they’ve been perfect, not a failed seal among them. What’s more, they just feel good in the hand. They are sturdy and solid, just the way I expect a good canning jar to be. As you can see from the picture above, there’s a water spot left on that jar from a run through the dishwasher, there because I’ve used this jar for leftover storage and the transportation of iced coffee to work. They’ve seamlessly become part of my collection of working jars.

Finally (and best of all), they are going to be less expensive than Ball or Kerr jars. While it will only be a dollar or two difference, if you do a lot of canning, that can add up quickly.

As far as I can see, there are only two drawbacks to these jars. The first is that they’ve left no space on the lid for writing. As someone who always writes on the lids of my preserves with a Sharpie, this is a minor annoyance. Second is that the jars are made in China. I pass no judgment on Penley for making this choice as in today’s market it is really the only way to make a lower cost product. If you are someone who avoids things made outside of the U.S. I wanted to make sure you were aware (and as you can see, they’ve clearly printed the origin on the bottom of all the Penley jars).

Penley jars will be available at limited locations around the country this season and more widely available next year. Keep your eyes peeled for them in your local grocery store. Additionally, thanks to Penley, I have one case (12 jars) of these jars to give away to a Food in Jars reader (the winner gets to choose the size they’d like).

To enter, leave a comment and share your favorite unconventional canning jar use. The contest runs through Monday, May 9 at 11:59 p.m. One comment per person, please.

Disclosure: The Penley Corp. gave me an assortment of jars and lids to try. However, all thoughts and opinions expresses herein are my own and untainted by the free loot.

*There are the Leifheit jars, but they are so much more expensive (around $20 for six jars) than Ball and Kerr jars, that I don’t see them as a viable alternative for people who do more than the most basic recreational canning.

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This always happens to me. I go on vacation, thinking that because I’ll have so much free time, it will be easy to write a bunch of pithy, highly useful blog posts (I’ll admit, there have been times when I imagined that I’d get ahead and write well into the future. Ha!).

But the moment I leave Philadelphia, I enter an alternate universe that consists of lots of sleep, reading trashy/entertaining books and eating more than I should. I’m already passed out by the time my regular evening writing time comes along and the days become so full of fun things like walking on the beach, standing in enormous air ship hangars and hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls (that’s what we’re going to do today).

I did want to share one thing with you guys that I found since I’ve been in Portland. It’s from Sur La Table and I’m totally delighted by. I’ll confess now, when I spotted these little pickle ornaments in a jelly jar, I may have let out a small, high-pitched squeal of excitement.

I grew up with a larger green glass pickle ornament that hung on our Christmas tree every year, but I’d never seen these smaller guys before. And please, the fact that they are packaged in an adorable little jar? How could I not buy them?

If you’re as charmed by them as I am, make sure to get them soon. This is just the sort of thing that will sell out and then you’ll be sad that they’re all gone. And, as Scott shows above, they also make a lovely earring.

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One of the wonderful things about living in Philadelphia is that it’s so close to so much, making it incredibly easy to visit and explore other nearby cities. This weekend I’m taking a break from the canning pot so that Scott and I can do just that. We’re wandering New York City, eating delicious food, and keeping our eyes peeled for cool stuff.

One of my hopes for the trip was that we’d get a chance to visit Chelsea Market. It’s in the building that’s also home to the Food Network, after all. One spot that particularly caught my eye was the newly opened Filling Station. They sell an array of olive oils, vinegars, flavored salts and sugars, all in reusable bottles and jars.

Best of all, if you bring back your cleaned container, they’ll give you 10% off the price of your refill. This one of my favorite ways to buy just about everything and I just wish that more stores would adopt similar models. I left with two small jars, one filled with fragrant black truffle salt and the other with super-fine grey velvet salt.

Now we’re off to another food destination – the Union Square Greenmarket. Hooray!

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On Monday, I played hooky from work and spent a day strolling the Fancy Food Show with camera in hand. I tasted some amazing things, including delicious cheeses, shatteringly good chocolates and snack-y items galore. But since this is a blog (mostly) about food that comes in jars, those were the items I sought out and made mental notes about. Here goes…

Harvest Song Artisanal Preserves is a New York-based company that imports handmade preserves from Armenia. All their spreads are divine (my friend Tenaya gave me a jar of the Tea Rose Petal preserves for my birthday last year. That jar didn’t last a week) but these Baby Walnuts are just amazing. They pick them green, brine them and then pack them in a sugar syrup. They are soft, tender and delicately flavored. I’ve never before tasted anything like them.

Their other jams are pretty wonderful as well, particularly their sour cherry and wild strawberry. Definitely not preserves you see every day.

I loved the pear jams from Colorado Mountain Jams. The basic pear was really nice (and got me all excited for pear season to return) but the pear ginger was amazing.

I loved these boozy flavored jellies from Cherith Valley Gardens. They also have a product called Spirited Peaches that are essentially wonderful canned peaches packed in a syrup to which some almond liqueur has been added. I think I know how I’m doing my peaches this summer!

A mini-trend I spotted was that everyone seems to be making a Nutella-like chocolate hazelnut spread. This one from Justin’s Nut Butters was sweet tooth satisfying. However…

This one from Askinosie was far richer and more intriguing. Made from scratch with hazelnuts from Lyndon, Washington and roasted cocoa nibs and cocoa powder (both made by Askinosie with beans sourced from Davao, Philippines), it made this dark chocolate lover do a dance of joy right there in the aisle (and then squat down to get a better picture).

They say that tumeric has a number of positive effects on health. Sadly, most Americans don’t get enough in their diets (unless they’re Indian food junkies). This product, called Nutmeric, combines the flavor and spreadability of almond butter with the vivid health benefits of tumeric. It also happens to taste really good.

Root Cellar Preserves makes a mean pickle. Seriously. Those Zesty Sweet Pickle Chips go in all tangy and gentle and just when you’re least suspecting it, the spice leaps out and grabs the back of your throat in a most fabulous and tasty way. I aspire to make some bread and butters just like this in the very near future.

These goats milk caramel sauces were everything a caramel sauce should be, with just the smallest hint of the complexity of goat’s milk. The fact that they come from a place called Fat Toad Farm just makes them that much better.

Okay, so these aren’t edible, but I was smitten with them nonetheless. I’ve been actively trying to reduce my consumption of plastic utensils of late. I do this mostly by keeping a set of mis-matched silverware at my desk at work. However, I do wish I had a set of these Bamboo Utensils to keep in my bag. I think it would help me be even better. Plus, what a cute carrying case they come in!

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One question I get a lot, particularly from beginning canners, is where to buy jars. And it’s true, it can be challenging to find them, particularly during the off-season. If you live in an urban area, it can be even harder. However, I’ve found that finding canning jars is never impossible. Here are some places to look.

Grocery stores

Unfortunately, not all grocery stores carry canning jars and their stock often varies depending on the neighborhood in which the store is located. For instance, there is always a small canning section in the South Philadelphia ShopRite (during the harvest season, they expand their stock), but other locations of the chain don’t always have canning stuff in stock. I’ve been told that this is because that area has a historically high Italian population and thus, a tradition of canning tomato products.

Another local spot (for those of you in the greater Philadelphia region) is Wegmans. Their canning section is always stocked, although its placement in the store can vary depending on the location you’re in. We don’t have any Weis Markets in Philadelphia proper, but they start appearing as soon as you get out of the city. I’ve often found jars (as well as copies of the Ball Blue Book) there.

Out west, I’ve found that WinCo can always be relied on for canning jars, lids and other useful products (in the summer, they put the jars on special and they’re super affordable).

If you can’t find the canning section in your local grocery store, make sure to search out the odd corners, like that seldom-used hardware aisle and at the end of the pet food section (truly, I’ve found jars in both places). The Acme markets around here only stocks jars during the summer months, but they keep them on the baking aisle. It’s also good to look near the plastic wraps and boxes of tin foil. And don’t be afraid to ask grocery store staff where their canning section is. If they say that they don’t have one, suggest that they start carrying canning stuff. Customer demand is a terrific way to increase the availability of canning supplies.

Hardware stores

While canning supplies tend to be a seasonal item for hardware stores, a number of them will stock jars during the height of the canning season. I’ve found that Ace and TrueValue stores can be some of the most reliable jar destinations out of the traditional hardware store genre.

Side note: There used to be a wonderful little independently owned hardware store across the street from my apartment building and they carried jars (I bought some of my very first canning jars from them about six years ago) and so many other useful items (like the tube light bulbs that fit the fixture over my kitchen sink). However, they didn’t survive the slumping economy. Lesson learned: support your local hardware stores.

While in Lancaster County, PA last weekend, I found myself in the most amazing home goods stores I’ve ever encountered (that’s where the picture above was taken). Called Good’s Store, their canning aisle was truly a thing of beauty. They had all sizes of jars (even my beloved half pint, wide-mouth Kerr jars), canning pots, pressure canners, pectin, cookbooks and more. Truly, seeing such preserving abundance in one place was enough to make me a little giddy. If you’re a serious canner within a three-hour drive of one of their locations, I absolutely recommend a pilgrimage.

Used jars

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying used jars, as long as you give them a good once-over before you plonk your money down. Check the rims for any chips or cracks and make sure that they’re fairly free from major staining and scratching. Haunt your local thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets for good jars. My personal rule is that I don’t spend more than $4-5 a dozen when it comes to used pint jars (I’ll go a bit higher for quarts), because much more than that and they start to get as expensive as a box of new ones (depending on their size).

For more of my tips on buying used jars, check out the post I wrote on the subject last year.

Online

The one problem with buying jars online is that the shipping costs quickly get prohibitive. Glass is heavy and so the shipping can sometimes double your costs. However, for us urban dwellers, it can often be the only way to get your jar fix, particularly if you’re looking for a special size/shape (again, I call out those wide mouth, half-pints I love so much).

On Amazon, I like the seller Brand Variety for jars because their shipping structure is one of the more reasonable I’ve found. For all other canning stuff, I turn to Lehman’s. I love the stainless steel canning funnel they sell.

Craigslist can also be a good place to find used jars, depending on the level of jar competition in your area (I’ve found that it’s a heck of a lot harder to get used jars off CL in Oregon than it is here in Philly. The canning revival got there first, I guess).

Now, to make this post even more useful, please share where you find jars! Let’s here from the other regions of the country, which grocery and hardware stores are most reliable in your area?

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Last week, I got an email from my friend Jen. She recently inherited nearly a dozen vintage Tang jars from her great-aunt. She’s currently using a couple for general kitchen activities, but wondered if I had any additional ideas as to how to use these very cool jars (some date back to the Bicentennial).

In addition to the obvious uses like grains, sugar, flour and tea, I like to use jars to cluster little collections. I’ve got a jar on my dresser that corrals my lip balms (I tend to get a shop-happy when I encounter a new-to-me display of balms and salves at drug and health food stores) and an array tucked into my kitchen cabinets that hold rubber bands, clothespins and twist ties.

How do you utilize jars in the kitchen and beyond?

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