How do you store canning jars?

[ShawnMarie]

I have a glut of canning jars both filled and empty and I can't seem to find a good way to store them. Anyone out there have suggestions?

The ones that I purchased that came in a box with dividers are still in those boxes, but Ball no longer sells the bigger jars this way. They just come with a tray. Plus I have tons I bought at yard sales.

Just looking for ideas....

[mrspineau]

Well, I guess it depends on exactly how many you have. I bought a bunch of totes from the grocery store (the ones that you use instead of the plastic grocery bags) and I store my empty ones in one of those hung up in my cleaning supply closet. As they are filled up, I tie the tops of the totes, and move the full bags to the top shelf of the coat closet by the door. We have a lot of friends and family that use empty jars a lot, so any time they come over we send a bunch of the jars home with them.

[CandyApple]

Mine empty ones are just in a box on a shelf in our basement. I flip the jars upside down to keep dust and such out. The full ones are on shelves in our pantry area.

If breaking them concerns you, I don't think you need the dividers, they're pretty durable. Maybe see if you can find some of those heavier duty boxes that the reams of computer paper come in. They hold about 12-15 large jars, are sturdy and have a lid and handles.

Where are you trying to store the boxes?

[ShawnMarie]

Well, I'm going to store them wherever there is room but they will have to be stacked on top of each other since I have over 500 jars at this point, all sizes.

Breakage is a concern because of the stacking and the fact that they will most likely be on shelves. I can't store them under beds since none of ours have enough clearance. <sigh> That'd be my idea choice if I could do it since it's dark there and that is better for the filled jars.

[CandyApple]

Wow - that is a LOT of jars! Do you really can all those? I'm in awe!

So you're stacking the boxes... if you can afford totes, I'd get those. Not the clear ones, so the light stays out. Or I still think the heavy paper boxes would work fine too. If you don't have access to them, check office supply stores under file boxes. Put newspaper between the cans if you are worried about them breaking, and then label, label, label so you can remember what is in each box.

Hope that helps!

[lightheart]

have seen some really nice shelveing around here in older ladies homes that really can... just baic 2x4 shelves, 8-10-12 inches deep and they line them up in sections, green bans, jellies, tomatoes, pickles... then when the jars are empty they fip them upside down.

How do I do it? just on my shelves in the cabinets and then upside down. I don't can enough for the whole family and neighborhood like these ladies do/did... someday that would be nice

[dbsam]

I keep the full jars in the pantry.

I used to keep the empties in heavy cardboard boxes in the attic. But too many were broken – even with the dividers - and it was a hassle to get them when I needed them. So my husband put up a really high shelf along one wall in the laundry room and I keep them there. I do not have 500 so there is no need to stack. The shelf is 1’ x 10’. Since you have so many jars maybe you could line your entire laundry room with shelves.

When growing up my parents canned – a lot – and had what we called the canning room. It was a very long narrow area my dad built out by borrowing space from the basement laundry. One side had shelves from floor to ceiling. The full and empty jars were kept here. (I’m not sure I’m explaining it correctly. But you could just walk in and turn to the shelves – probably no more than three or four feet wide and probably eighteen feet long.)

[MCsMom]

The people we purchased our house from canned, in the basement they made shelves the exact height for the different sizes of cans. I only saw full ones there when we looked at the house (and they took them with them or course) but I am sure you could keep both. If I had cans it seems like it would work well.

[ustasmom]

They have 6 packs of boxes at Costco. You fold them together and they have a lid. I guess technically for files and such. I stack my extras in those sort of boxes. I usually lay them on their sides and fit 2 or 3 rows, depending on the jar size. The boxes are strong and they stack well.

Other than that, I evaluate my uses for the jars and Freecycle the rest. I'd rather use quart jars than jelly jars when it comes to applesauce. And since I make that most, that is the majority of my jar stash.

[cdahlgrd]

You can get wine boxes, including the dividers, and other boxes from little grocery stores. Just go in and ask and they will give them to you. The big stores tend to refuse giving anything away anymore.

[ShawnMarie]

Wine/liquor boxes might work since they are sturdy but here in PA the liquor stores are owned by the state and I've been told they are not supposed to give the boxes away - they are to be recycled. Seems like if you find a friend you can get them sometimes, I just haven't found one yet. :-)

Since most of the jars are pints (I do a lot of small batch canning) they mostly do all get used. Quarts are too big for our family to use before they go bad at this point - except for tomato sauce and applesauce. We just get tired of things quickly I guess.

Next house will have it's own canning storage area in the basement like my previous house did - it's already in the floor plan, just don't have much space to do it now and that next house is at least 5 years away.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[annethcz]

I just keep mine on a shelf in the basement.