When you start doing a lot of canning, one of the biggest challenges becomes how to store both your processed jars and the empties waiting for your next project. I’ve spent a goodly amount of time over the years, pondering how to best shoehorn my canning habit into the storage space available in my 1,000 square foot apartment.
I keep jars under my couch, deep in my coat closet, and under my bed (and, if we’re being entirely honest, there is also currently a tower of boxes in the corner of my bedroom. Needs must). One tool that I use to help keep these storage spots useable and organized are the trays made by JarBOX. These clear, plastic boxes come sized for both pints and quarts and are a genius solution for stashing jars safely and securely.
They’re designed to work in pairs, so that you can lock your jars into individual pods. Then, those locked trays can be stacked and locked together, to create a tower of jars that behaves as a single unit, further reducing the chance of breakage. I call on a pair of JarBOX trays any time I need to transport sealed jars to family gatherings and food swaps, because I know they’ll get my jars to their destination intact.
I use a goodly number of my JarBOX sets to store the empties I keep under our bed. I arrange them upside down (to keep the worst of the dust out) and then slide the trays in and out as canning season ramps up. It’s a far better solution than fragile cardboard boxes I’d used previously.
This month, the good folks from JarBOX are sponsoring weekly giveaways on a series of blogs. I’m kicking things off by giving away two sets of JarBOX trays (a pint and a quart). What’s more, everyone who enters the individual giveaways will also be entered to win a Grand Prize of four more JarBOX sets. To keep up to date with all the JarBOX giveaways, make sure to follow them on Facebook!
This giveaway is closed. The winner is #151 – Lei Kaniumoe. Congratulations Lei!
Disclosure: JarBOX sent me a pair of JarBOX trays for photography and review purposes. They’re also provided a second set for the giveaway. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I would use the jarboxes to store jams and whatever else I might be able to preserve. Love your idea of storing the jars upside down!
I would use the jarboxes to transport my canned goods to my daughters who love when I share with them!
Laughing to myself as I write this! We moved into an old farmhouse in Helvetia, OR in 1984. I was a newlywed, pregnant, and facing this small, but OLD house & all that had been left behind. Exploring the basement, I found a root cellar filled with old canning jars! Of course they were on the extreme end of “dusty”, and many had resident dead spiders….but I slowly pulled them all out, cleaned them up, tossed those with permanent staining, recycled more than a few dozen really ratty rims. And then I set to learning to can! After finally cleaning up the hanging spiderwebs (think Hallowe’en) and the old built-in shelves, sized for canning jars, I put up peaches, cherries, applesauce, pears and tomatoes. I love the colors of the fruit in the jars after canning, and I would keep a few on a high windowsill in the farmhouse kitchen, to enjoy the colorful light through them. Once we ate up the delicious contents, I could go downstairs & grab another few jars….mmmmm! Now, we live in our single-story home for used-up parents, and there is no basement. My poor old jars get crammed into space all through my garage shelves–the only “pantry” I have. I would love to store my few jars (I don’t can as much anymore) in one nice, neat system 🙂
I feel like I have jars in random boxes all over the place. I’d use my jar boxes to gather them in one spot.
I love my jarboxes! I would use them for more jams and salsas!
I have wanted some of these for a long time. They are perfect for protecting the foods I have stored in them and stacking them saves space.
I think I’d use these to neatly store my jars so I wouldn’t have to look everywhere for the size I need.
I’d use them to keep from breaking while empty. It is such a challenge in our small kitchen.
I would use them to protect my jars when I move onto my boat full time, got to keep my jars safe and happy ?
I use them to store and transport jars!!!! They are awesome!!!!!
I need to protect my jars..full or empty..tjid is a great idea..
Right now, I keep my empties in plastic tubs. I have wanted to try the jar boxes, so this seems to be a great way to.get started.
I’d use these boxes to save my marriage – as my husband looks at my stash of loose jars all over the kitchen with disgust!
I have jars scattered everywhere! Living in a high-rise building with little storage is not ideal for someone who loves canning and preserving. These would help me get my jars on one place and know they’re protected even if I keep them under the bed.
I think I will need lots of these. I have been storing my jars in the cardboard box they came in. It doesn’t take long for those boxes to become worn and brittle. This is a good way to store my jars and keep them safe.
WHAT? My jars could actually be organized? **happy dance* I would definitely not waste time getting all my jars out of those boxes and into these great storage pieces!
That would really help me organize the jars in my basement!
I’m struggling to find a solution for this!! Hoping this could be the answer.
I REALLY need these as I have run out of safe storage places. (Too bad under my bed is already full.)
Love the ability to stack jars, I never have enough room on the shelves in the basement to store them all.
I keep my empty jars in the boxes they came in. Those boxes and my other small to mid-size canning supplies are stored in cardboard book boxes in my clothes closet. The few wide-mouth pint size jars I use often for Mason jar salads are stored in various spots in my kitchen cupboards when not full of salad in the refrigerator.
oh my gosh I could finally bring order back to half of my kitchen – it looks like an awesome product
Perfect for that hard to reach top shelf!
I would use this box to carry the jars I can for my mom. It would be easier than carrying a cardboard box that falls apart from old age. Thanks for the chance.Cindy
I also live in a small house and I would use it to store some of my “empties” in an out of the way spot.
I would love these to store my favorite canning items for home and family , I never thought to store the empties but would luv that option too since I have about 1,000 jars
I would use the JarBOX to keep the jars under control in my 924 SF house. So much better than using boxes with dividers from the liquor store!
I would use a JarBox to transport quart jars from my home, near St. Cloud, Minnesota to my parents home, near Door County, Wisconsin. Each year (that my schedule allows), I head to Door County to pick their famous tart cherries, then I turn them into canned pie filling at my mom’s house. A JarBox would make getting my quart jars back and forth much easier!
These would make storing all my jars so much easier. Right now they’re behind cereal boxes, stacked by the dryer, tucked in here and there!
I would use those to give my empties a more classy look than the cardboard boxes they are currently in.
Not much space + a lot of jars = I need these to keep jars safe! I stack jars in boxes and I also send jars of food back to college with my son for him to supplement his meals when the dorm food isn’t allergy friendly.
I have so been wanting to try these out. Empties are currently stored in a hall cupboard while the full ones are overtaking the kitchen pantry.
This is brilliant – I would use these to store the empties precariously stacked in our dusty attic!!
OMGoodness, someone is very, very clever. I did not realize that I needed this, but I do. I really do not like how dusty and disorganized my jars are now.
I have so many jars and already have a jar storage container, but, boy, could I use another one! I keep my jars in a storage cupboard. Thanks for the giveaway.
I would use them to replace my card board box mess in the basement!
I will use them as an excuse to buy more storage boxes – and more jars, of course. “But look honey, I can manage them so well now!”
I am building a new house and have designed a space on my screened porch for canning. These boxes will work great in my new cabinet!!!!
Thank you for going old schooL!!!!! I would use the Jar box to stack my jars.What a spacesaver.
I have no place to store my empties and under the bed is a good idea if you have a Jarbox to protect them. ?
I store my jars any little place there is room. They aren’t organized now. I would love to have the Jar Boxes to store them in a clean organized manner. What a great idea!
Storage for Jars! OMG! I can so use this. I love the idea of using this under the bed. Never thought of it before. Plus, I do a lot of give-aways to friends and families and this would make it so much easier than using a bag and cardboard box.
I wonder if they thought of a doing 4-ups? hmmm..
I love these jarboxes! My basement is overflowing with a disorganized mass of jars… they end up breaking, getting dirty, and they’re difficult to sort through/find what I’m looking for. I would totally use these to organize my massive jar collection.
To store all the tomatoes I will can this summer from my garden.
I would totally use this to make my jars more secure in my closet. As things get moved around so many times I will lose one to the curses of gravity and no space. This would be awesome to have to save them.
Did you mention shoehorning your canning habit into an apartment. I can totally relate to canning jars under the bed. Sturdy organization would be a wonderful addition!
I’m just now (this past weekend) encountering this struggle. I have so many empties as canning season is just about to ramp up…I am currently using a spare room closet without any organization. This product would solve that problem!
I’d use them to store my jars holding my canned tomatoes from the garden…soooooooooo many jars of tomatoes…lol.
Would store the jars of food that my mom and grandma can. They are teaching me how. Never thought of storing the empty jars.
It would be great to have a way to keep jars clean and out of the way instead of taking up all my pantry space when they are empty!