freezing with glass jars?

[Hazelnut]

I've made tons of gazpacho, tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, etc. with the million tomatoes we had from us and our CSA. Unfortunately I didn't get around to purchasing and figuring out a pressure canner. I do, however, have a lot of glass jars, from frontier or ball canning jars.

I began to freeze them based on some assurances from my friend google. : I left room at the top, and didn't screw the lids on tightly. But the more I look it up, the more nervous I'm getting.

Previously I used plastic, but I haven't freezed this much food before and I don't want to go and buy all that plastic, esp. when I already use the jars and have them.

Any tips for freezing? Anyone else use glass? Are the ball canning jars good for withstanding the temps? If it's not sealed super tight, do I have to worry about freezer burn?

thanks!

[cristeen]

I freeze them with lids off. 1- I only use wide mouth jars, less chance of breakage. 2- I make sure to keep the level of food below the shoulders of the jar (on the quart jars, where it narrows in). 3- I freeze with lids off, then go back in and cap them once they're frozen.

Once they're frozen solid, the only real risk is mis-handling... banging them into each other, or dropping them, etc. They're not liable to spontaneously break once they're frozen solid.

[Hazelnut]

OK, that makes sense. Thanks. I froze some with the lids barely on. Now that they're solid, I'll go tighten them. What about thawing? Just in the fridge? Is the temp change too drastic if I sit it on the counter? WIthout meat I often do that.

[primjillie]

I've been wondering if you could do this too, so I am glad you posted. Does the mixture get freezer burn if you freeze it without the lids? Is the tomato mixture mushy when you thaw it? I would love to freeze some salsa if this works!

[Kino]

I use glass to freeze. I tend to stay on the safe side and only fill 50%. I lost a nice jar by filling too high. I recommend not using your pretty/useful glass, but just the run of the mill ones!

[ScarletBegonias]

same as cristeen, i use wide-mouthed jars.

i start out with the flat lid and ring set loosely on the jar, the next day i tighten the ring down snugly. i have never had a jar break.

sometimes i'll put a jar in the fridge to thaw (if i plan ahead) and sometimes i put it in a big bowl of cold water in the sink to thaw.

i also learned the hard way not to put more than 2 jars in the door of the freezer - it makes it too heavy and the door will not close properly. plus, you might end up having to, idk, replace screws in the door.

[formerluddite]

i freeze in canning jars all the time, esp for raw milk when i don't think i'll use it up before spoilage. i always use wide mouth ones for pints or quarts, and some shorty half pints for pesto. like others, i leave space on top, but i do close the jars without any problems in the past year.

i thaw in the fridge, or on the countertop, and sometimes i partially thaw the pesto in the microwave, if i'm in a hurry.