One of the joys of living in Philadelphia is that it’s possible to do things like pop up to New York for the day. Yesterday, I did just that.
I went up to spend some time at Korin, a store that sells Japanese knives and tableware, to learn a bit about those knives and the art of sharpening (more about that on Monday). While I was there, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm February weather to explore the city a bit.
During my rambling walk, I came across Fishs Eddy. I’ve known of this store for years now, but never managed to fit a visit into previous NYC visits. Happily, I had few time constraints yesterday and so was able to pop in. What did I see almost immediately upon setting foot in the store? A thoroughly stocked selection of canning jars! They carry nearly every jar in production, save my beloved wide mouth half pint.
They are a bit pricier than you’ll find in less populated areas of the country, but that’s ones of the facts of life in Manhattan. And if you’ve been hunting for those fabulous half gallon jars to hold your dry goods, you can buy a single here for less than $4. Definitely cheaper that fancy canisters and just as serviceable.
Fishs Eddy
889 Broadway at 19th Street
New York City, NY 10003
fishseddy.com
I live in the city. You can actually get them cheaper at Ace hardware. I got a 6pack of the half gallons for around 12 dollars. You can check your local store or you can order online and have them delivered to your local store for free. The online ordering seems to be cheaper than rocking up to a random store.
I’m with you! I go to Ace right off West 4th. Also, you can get the basic kinds at Jack’s 99cent store..surprisingly enough.
I live in Queens but go to Fishs Eddy for my jars. It is close to my subway line, so I don’t have to carry them so far when I get a few cases (who likes to schlep canning jars? Not this lady!). Broadway Panhandler is another good source in the summer- no as much in the winter months.
Other canning supplies- like liquid pectin- not so easy to find in the city (I have tried Whole Foods in Union Square several times and everyone there looks at me like I have three heads when I ask for it). Does anyone have any other ideas of where to look in NYC? I have a lot of trouble with ordering online because my building is not the best with keeping track of boxes.
Thank you for this site. I found you ages ago through 101 Cookbooks.
You are a delightful gem.
Lehmans.com is a huge, wonderful, non-electric hardware store in Ohio that caters to the Amish. The catalogue is seriously wondrous, indeed! I cherish my Amish made wheat design thimble. They along with Vercesi Hardware – 152 E 23rd St. NYC, although now it’s called 23rd Street Hardware – same great people, and service- have what you want. I got my wide mouth 1/2 pints there. Vercesi will order for you but supply-wise Lehman’s is just easy for bulk buys and they have wide mouth funnels. Since they are way cheaper, the savings should cover the shipping costs.
Fish’s Eddy is pricey fun to look at but now a lot of what they sell are copies made in China and their advertising online can be stereotypically offensive. But did they answer my email explaining why I was offended? No. I made a complaint in the store about the non response to my email referring to Italians having of course, a jailed mobster in the family and I was treated like a crazy person with no sense of humor. No one took me seriously and to make matters worse the online copy misspelled New Yawk. LOL I mean really!
And yes, I am a born and bred New Yawka’ and proud of it!
Lehman’s has no sugar needed fruit pectin but call and ask them about liquid or try Commodities Health Food on First Ave just north/west of east 10th Street. They also do discounted bulk sales. Have I helped? Maybe. Have I carped at all? You bet!
Happy Canning everyone. I have never canned a thing but I’m slowly working up to it and it hasn’t interfered with my love and use of canning jars. My kitchen is mostly glass jars of every stripe. The plastic is disappearing at a steady rate. The Tupperware will surely thrill someone.
My jars? I love them all, old, new, middle-aged. Ahhh…
We’re truly sorry to have offended you, Susann! Our jokes are only meant to be taken lightly – and most of the time they’re on us!!
I also went all over the city looking for it. The Whole Foods in Chelsea has some (although a bit far from you).
No Half Gallons anywhere in the wide city of Atlanta that I know of! Yes, I can order from Ace but nice to pick up one from time to time. Noticed those tall glass containers for liquids on the bottom shelf, too. And the canning jar lights on a rope cord! Wonderful! Maybe he’ll start selling those too?
I seriously, seriously love that place. Like I said before, I’d often go there before class, pondering what I could buy on my extremely limited budget and trying to figure out how to get that glassware back safely on the bus. My favorite is their collection of diner plates in the back and all of the lovely milk glass. I’m so glad you stopped in!
Totally fun store, but wow — those jar prices are exorbitant! No matter where I buy them here (Boston), they are significantly less $$$. I’d maybe stick to buying the unusual ones there… 🙂
More about the canning jar lanterns shown in your photograph?
Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about them beyond the fact that they were there. They weren’t for sale, just there as part of the display. However, if you Google canning jar lights, you will find a number of tutorials on how to make them yourself.
i’ve worked at that store several years back and it’s definitely a fun place.
if you’re interested in the canning jar lights you can just contact them @ fishseddy.com. i remember doing the same thing w/ some wine glasses while i was there — it isn’t complicated. julie (one of the owners) is pretty creative when it comes to that kinda stuff.
You can find the wide mouth half-pint jars on Amazon.com. They are kind of pricey, but if you truly love them, it might be worth your while. I am going to NYC in April to visit my son and will be sure to visit Fishs Eddy. I will also ask my son about the stores mentioned by Susann. Thank you, Susann!
Hope this helps those of you looking for wide mouth half-pint jars. I have some that are wide mouth, but much taller. When I saw the ones on Amazon, I could understand your love of them. How much easier it must be to get jams and jellies out of them. So far, in my area, Walmart is the cheapest for canning supplies. $8.99 for a 12 pack of 1/2-pint jars.
That makes me want to live in the same street 😉
Damn those are crazy prices! I pay half that in the midwest! I guess that’s one upside to the slow life. I second the recommendation of Lehmans – their catalog is wild to browse through! (They make lots of money suppling stuff to old-timey movie sets – if you watched Nicole Kidman cook chicken in “Cold Mountain” you pretty much saw the entire Lehman’s store.) Walmart has (no surprise) the best prices for canning jars, and Ace Hardware has the hard-to-find half-gallon jars. (Great for boozy infusions!)
I bought some beautiful canning jars in Italy and then came back to New York and found them at Fishs Eddy!
Pricey! I just paid $7.48 for 12 half pint non-quilted jars at Winco here in Portland. Guess I should charge a deposit on all those jars I give as gifts 🙂
Next time you are in NYC, try the Ace Hardware on West Fourth or even Jack’s 99cent store up near Penn Station. Much cheaper and always in stock. Cheers!
when I lived in NJ I used to wander to fishes eddy all the time when I was in the city. I loved that store.
I was recently in Idaho and found the tall and skinny jars that double nicely as drinking glasses. even though we live in florida, and bringing the case home would have been very inconvenient, I was THIS CLOSE to buying it and bringing it back to florida.
I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan. I actually get all of my canning supplies from Brooklyn Kitchen. A bit cheaper than Fishs Eddy and they’re so nice. You should check them out next time you come to the city.
AHHH! I’ve been dying to get to that store ever since I read about it on another blog. The pictures I saw made it look like they sell tons of vintage-y kitchen supplies. I wonder if I can order from them online…Is it in Manhattan?
If you’re looking for individual jars to pick up instead of order, Michael’s can be a good option. They usually have the 1/2 gallon for about $3.00.
It’s funny – this is the second post I’ve seen on Fishs Eddy by a non-New York blogger in a week. I just moved from NYC to MA and miss it horribly. Thanks for a little taste of NY foodie heaven on my couch in Boston Metro.
I just bought a case of wide mouth half pint jars at an Ace Hardware near my mother-in-laws. Cashier said that you can order them online from http://www.acehardware.net and they will have them delivered free of charge to your nearest Ace Hardware. I never used these before, but fell in love with them the moment I saw them. Hope this post helps.
Hi
I don’t live in NYC but in Chicago and as far as I know we don’t have anything like Fishs Eddy. I make jelly, jams, marmalades, etc and give them away to friends. Some people who do that, a lot of times get their jars back (for refills?), I don’t. However, yesterday my husband came home with 37 24 oz Atlas jars that once held Classico pasta sauce from a friend. Can I use those in water bath canning? Regular lids fit. 24 oz is a strange amount, definitely not for marmalade. Thanks, Rosalie
Fishs Eddy is great for one other reason: when you go to the Greenmarket and figure out that you’ve bought maybe way too many pounds of 80 cent/lb pears, you can head up the few blocks and get a flat of jars!
And yes, you can order their stuff online, although I don’t know if they have their full selection.