My gran's rootcellar is a memory I cherish. To descend those creaky,wooden steps, down into the dark, cool, dirt floored cellar, with it's long boards supporting long rows of multi-colored jars, each filled with a tasty delight from peaches to pickles and peas to Christmas candies--the rootcellar of mason jars were a child's wonderland for me.

Mason jars, logically enough, are named after John l. Mason, who was the man who invented the first screw-lid canning jar way back in 1858.

Today the words usually indicate specifically jars which feature a two-piece cover: These two parts are the nner, flat, metal lid, and the screw-on ring part which covers it. This ring secures the lid in place, and creates a partial vacuum--sealing the lid.

Soda-lime glass is the material from which these jars are created the sizes range from wide-mouth down to quart and pint sizes.

Mason jars really are the ideal storage container for a number of cooking and preserving needs. The jars are super for preserving fresh peaches, tomatoes in various forms from diced to tomatoe sauces) and the glass jars are better than tupperware for keeping the taste of foods from interacting as they would with a plastic container, to take on the taste of plastic. Yuk..

In their creation, these jars are shaped by pouring hot, molten glass into special molds.. The glass is produced by super-heating a mix of sand, soda ash, limestone and cullet (powderized, recycled glass).

They are made of tin which is coated on the inner surface by a ring of plastic which is the element responsible for making an air-tight seal. The lids themselves are secured in place over the jar opening vis a vis a metal band which is threaded to screw-into the jar. The band and jars are reusable, but the lids are not used more than once.

Mason jars are often found at estate and garage sales.

Antique mason jars are hotly sought-out by collectors, and are bought and sold not only via antique stores, but also on auction web-sites such as eBay. While most jars sell for only a few dollars, some have sold for as high as $30,000. The economic value of a jar is all in its age, rarity, and of course condition.

How do you determine the age and rarity of a jar?

This can be ascertained by its shape,color, mold and production marks, as well as closure.

Tip: antique jars that are not clear are in a shade of aqua (especially"Ball blue," ). Colored jars at the time were considered better for canning, because they block some light from contaminating the food, which aids in retaining flavor as well as nutritional value.

Occasionally jars will turn up in amber, as well as darker shades of green and once in a long while you might find jars that are cobalt blues, blacks, and milk glass jars.

Warning! An unscrupulous dealer will irradiate his jars to bring out colors not original to the mason jar.

Square jars for collectors are more sought after than round jars and jars with the number 13? These are rumored to be a secret collector's item as well.

Ball mason jars are the ideal storage solution for your kitchen.

Ball mason jars are come in handy for preserving leftovers in the refrigerator as well as dry goods in your pantry.

• These jars are great to use when you need to transfer food from the larger canisters to more manageable containers and the ball mason jars will just do the trick.
  
• Simply put the lid on and place the jar sealer down tight, link up your hose and press the canister button on the foodsaver--voila ! It will vacuum out all the air.
  
• The lids are reusable if you don't bend or dent them. The exceptional wide mouth jar sealer is great for ball and kerr wide mouth mason jars.
  
• You can store: chocolate chips,peanuts, walnuts, confectionary sugar, dates, and raisins. Then when the canister that once held a box of Cherrios or Corn Flakes starts to get low, bring out your mason jar and save that food from getting stale.
  

The fall-off of home canning started in the early 1900's. Home canning decelerated as larger, more profitable farm-steads started to replace the one-family-farm in America.

The lesser number of small farms led to fewer farmers and fewer available people to actually work them. In the 1950s and 1960s saw the arrival of the supermarket, the fast food MacDonald's franchise and the bachelor's saviour--the frozen tv dinner.

Today the art of home cooking itself, forget the art of home canning, is fast disappearing. Grandma doesn't look like Grandma used to look, in her rocker, with her knitting and her root cellar full of peach preserves. If she does, she is a dying breed, giving way to a modern life style, dependent on truckloads of vegetables and fruits from California and Florida instead of a little cherry orchard and vegetable garden in her back yard.

Mason jars, however, are still popular, because, even if you do buy your food from the local deli, you still need to store it, and for that, the best solution, remains our faithful old friend--the mason jar.

Canning Mason Jars. Ball Mason Canning Jars at CanningPantry.com
Ball Mason Canning Jars. With more styles of canning jars than any other brand, ... Cases include one dozen mason jars, bands and Dome® lids (except for ...www.canningpantry.com/canning-jars.html -

Mason jar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Mason jar is a glass jar used in canning to preserve food. They were invented by John L. Mason in the early 1850s. They are also called Ball jars, ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_jar -

Mason jar
 Mass-produced glass canning jars, also known as Mason jars after their ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_fruit_jar 28k - published: 1 month ago -

Mason jars show their versatility
5 hours agoBy STACY DOWNS - McClatchy Newspapers The iconic Ball Mason jar may be 125 this year, but its versatility makes it fresher than ever. ...Bradenton Herald - http://www.bradenton.com/living/home/story/1585295.html

Ball Quart Mason Jars With Lids and Bands, 12-Pack
$17.98 new - WalmartBall� Wide Mouth Mason Jars - 12 Pack$10.99 new - Ace Hardware http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8033243&sourceid=1500000000000003260370&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=8033243

Ball� Wide Mouth Mason Jars - 12 Pack
 $10.99 new - Ace Hardware http://www.acehardware.com/entry.point?entry=1276025&source=CAFGL_DF:1276025:ACE&CAWELAID=109374306

Mason jars opponents, seeks state title - Granite Bay
Mason jars opponents, seeks state title Top five wrestlers at divisional ... granitebaypt.com/detail/106558.html 43k - published: 5 months ago -

Mason Canning Jars. Ball Quart Wide Mouth Mason Jars.
Mason Canning Jars, and canning and pickling supplies are available at rock ... Ball Half Gallon Wide Mouth Mason Jars. Ball Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars - 4oz. ...www.canningpantry.com/ball-quart-wide-mouth.html

Canning Jars at Goodman's Small Appliance Housewares
Ball 60000 half-pint regular can or freeze mason jars. ... size regular mason jars with Bands Dome lids. 87 cases, each case includes 12 jars, 12 lids and ...www.goodmans.net/get_list_531.htm