Updated May 2022
The Penley jars discussed in the post below are no longer in production. This post is originally from 2011. If you are looking to purchase canning jars that aren’t made by Ball Canning, I recommend you look to a jar distributor like Fillmore Container. They sell a wide variety of mason jars.
Canning jars, at least as we know them now, have been around since 1868. John L. Mason developed the system of a threaded jar with a lid designed for sealing (he used lead lids with a rubber seal, not exactly the two-piece lid we know now, but very close). The technology hasn’t change much since then.
It used to be that there were a number of canning jar manufacturers. Ball. Kerr. Atlas. Drey. Mason. Globe. Mom’s. Knox. Golden Harvest. However, as so often happens, through a process of competition and consolidation, the number of jar producers grew fewer over the years.
In 1993, the Ball Corporation (which by that time was the only domestic canning jar manufacturer) spun off their canning jar sector into the company that is now known at Jarden Home Brands. They make all the Ball, Kerr and Golden Harvest jars currently available in stores. One of the reasons that canning jars can be so pricey is that there’s been no competition in this sector of the market.*
However, thanks to the growing popularity of canning in recent years, we’re finally going to start seeing some new canning jars hit the market this season. Walmart has a line of mason jars called Mainstays, as well as a fancier variety branded with the Better Homes and Garden name. And soon, a variety of stores will be carrying Penley Mason jars (these are not the jars that Walmart is carrying). Those Penley jars are the ones I want to talk about today.
I recently had an opportunity to preview the line of jars made by the Penley Corporation. Up until now, they’ve been in the business of making and distributing clothespins, matches, toothpicks, plastic cutlery and drinking straws. Canning jars are a departure for them, but from the examples I’ve seen, they are doing an amazingly good job with their new product.
In most respects, they are physically nearly identical to the jars most of us currently use. They make pints and quarts in both regular and wide mouth and an embossed half pint in a regular mouth. Lids and rings are interchangeable between Ball, Kerr and Penley, which is fabulous for those of us who already have a stash of lids or who are planning on using Tattler lids this season.
When I met with the Penley rep, he pointed out the fact that they intentionally left the back of their pints and quarts smooth to better accommodate the labels that so many canners apply to their jars. I was happy to see that particularly since I’ve always hated the round of wheat and fruit on the back of the Ball jars (in researching this post, I learned that it’s been there since 1970).
As far as performance goes, I’ve canned in these jars several times now and they’ve been perfect, not a failed seal among them. What’s more, they just feel good in the hand. They are sturdy and solid, just the way I expect a good canning jar to be. As you can see from the picture above, there’s a water spot left on that jar from a run through the dishwasher, there because I’ve used this jar for leftover storage and the transportation of iced coffee to work. They’ve seamlessly become part of my collection of working jars.
Finally (and best of all), they are going to be less expensive than Ball or Kerr jars. While it will only be a dollar or two difference, if you do a lot of canning, that can add up quickly.
As far as I can see, there are only two drawbacks to these jars. The first is that they’ve left no space on the lid for writing. As someone who always writes on the lids of my preserves with a Sharpie, this is a minor annoyance. Second is that the jars are made in China. I pass no judgment on Penley for making this choice as in today’s market it is really the only way to make a lower cost product. If you are someone who avoids things made outside of the U.S. I wanted to make sure you were aware (and as you can see, they’ve clearly printed the origin on the bottom of all the Penley jars).
Disclosure: The Penley Corp. gave me an assortment of jars and lids to try. However, all thoughts and opinions expresses herein are my own and untainted by the free loot.
*There are the Leifheit jars, but they are so much more expensive (around $20 for six jars) than Ball and Kerr jars, that I don’t see them as a viable alternative for people who do more than the most basic recreational canning.
The most unsual thing I do is bake browinies in pint jars and seal them up for up to a year! So yummy! I love the ideas I’ve seen on here.. I am going to try some 🙂 Thanks
I love canning summer peaches, and making different jams and jellies. Canning season is coming and I am very excited.
Sometimes I store sewing notions, candy and homemade dog biscuits in canning jars.
I love canning jars. Especially when they’re on my shelves full of yummy stuff. 🙂
I often use them for vases – especially the quart size. Peonies don’t fall over, works great for pussy willows, which are just coming out here. Would love some to try
Hello!! This is my first year canning!! I’m learning!! I would love to win this!! I would send pics!!
Thank you!
I like to put left overs in the fridge, like the pineapple in the fridge right now!
Thanks for the information! I won’t be going to WalMart to buy jars made in China… but I appreciate the info. 🙂
Jars are cool!!!!! And I use Ball or Kerr … and as for these … I would love some more jars!!!
I use canning jars for my homemade body butter. They make perfect containers for it.
my kids get a big kick out of it when I drink anything out of a jar. its fun to grab a jar and pour water in it just to get them to tell me how funny it is.
I don’t have a huge stash of jars, most of them have preserves in them, so much so that I had to freeze the approx 12 lbs of blueberries I picked with my kids the last few weeks because I don’t have enough jars to make jam in.
I am a new new new RAW food enthusiast, and much of what we consume must be jarred. I would LOVE to get the free jars to give us a leg up!
I use a couple of 4 oz jars to make poached eggs….
Would love to try out a new brand of jar =).
I keep loose change in a canning jar on the dresser, which is ap
aropos since canning ensures I have more loose change.
I store my sewing thread in some of my vintage jars. Love these canning jars. YAY for competition!!
I store all my beans, grains, sugar, tea, nuts & seeds…in Mason jars. My favorite use though is an old blue jar filled with all my treasures from beach walks (shells, sea glass, wood…).
I’m going to try canning for the very first time this year–what a help this would be!
It seems these days there are no unconventional uses for canning jars, I use mine for everything from storage, beverage containers, the occasional vase, and look forward to baking in them in the near future as well.
The 4oz jars are perfect for plain yogurt I make or buy in large tubs because they don’t leak all over my bag when I carry them to work.
I would love to try some new jars! I’ve been using them for all sorts of things, including toting the morning smoothie to work.
Jars have taken over my apartment! They are everywhere… and I love every one of them! 🙂
I turned a couple mason jars into what my coworker so lovingly dubbed ‘west virginia sippy cups’. I drilled a hole in a lid so that a straw would fit through and now I have a travel cup. I had two friends who liked them so much i made them one too.
I love this idea – which lids did you use?
I use my jars not only for preserves but for storing all my dehydrated goods and powders. I make my own onion, pepper, tomato, and herb powders. Thanks for the post.
I’ve use my jars for vases at my wedding, making yogurt, storing dry goods in the cupboard, and for egg shells (which get broken and fed back to the hens).
Jars rule.
i am new to canning! my husband just bought me a pressure canner and last week was my first time using it–i canned ground beef! i have lots of mason jars that ive collected over the years at thrift stores that are vases and holders of lots of crafty do-dads. i love the way they look and im so excited to start canning my heart out this spring and summer with all the yummy fruits and veggies im growing! and im canning chicken in a couple weeks! woohoo!
*kelly
kelly-tillotson@hotmail.com
Glad to see new jars out there! I use canning jars as if they were tupperware for food storage.
My favorite unconventional for mason jars is to store lost buttons. So colorful!
I usually use them for plain ol’ canning purposes, but have started taking my green smoothies to go in one in the mornings.
My favorite unconventional use of a canning jar is to use them for work snacks. The 4oz. jars are perfectly sized for a handful of raisins and a Babybel cheese, a scoop of hummus or a dipping sauce for fresh veggies. The lid is more secure than the “disposable” plastic containers.
We also use wide-mouth pint jars as drinking glasses at home – virtually indestructible!
We drink our green smoothies in quart jars and culture kefir in pint and quart jars (not too unconventional), and I once took a sample of my dog’s urine to the vet in a half-pint jar. It was crazy running around after her trying not to disturb her too much while she squatted, but it worked!
I have a good ol’ mason jar with a chip in it which is reserved for catching spiders. I even decorated it with an ACME Spider Trapper logo.
I was just drinking mango margaritas out of Mason jars last night to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo! I also like them as candle holders for votive candles (you can hang them in trees with a little wire) or to make them into a soap dispenser.
Use them for drinking glasses. But mostly for canning and storing.
Just bought my first house and finally have room for canning supplies!
Hopefully it will drive the cost of the other mason jars down.
I have a giant jar on my windowsill in my laundry room, it must be a quart and a half, or 2 quarts even? It’s filled with homemade laundry detergent (thanks to Carter at the Kitchenette) and I have a silver coffee scoop that I keep in there to measure it out with. It makes me so happy to see it in the window, especially with the sun shining in!
Sweet! I’m teaching friends to make jam this summer, and we need more jars.
I would love to win these….I am having to start all over and have nothing but a canner right now….so I would really love to have these so I can, can….(pun intended) I will dance if I win! Thanks.
I use my jars as candle holders and as a vase for flowers.
I would LOVE LOVE these jars to try!!!! thanks for the chance!
I broke so many of our glasses over the years that mason jars now out number our drinking glasses. So we just use them instead! They are, of course, much harder to break and they just look so cute!
The most inventive thing that I’ve seen canning jars used for so far, is a short wall shelf with built in ‘vases’. They took a shelf board, cut a few holes in it just a smidge bigger than the jar mouth, pushed the canning jars up through the bottom so just the lip part of the jar stuck out the top. Then, tightened just the ring on the top so the jars wouldn’t go back through the holes. Fill with a bit of water and some flowers, it makes a nice, unique piece of wall decor.
So good to see a new company make this kind of product!
I am excited to see the new jars. I am disappointed as well by them being made in China. 🙁 I have been canning food for about 4 years now. It saved us during the 19 months of unemployment we faced over the last 2 years. This last year Christmas was all done in jars….baking mixes, nuts, little notes of love. I use them for storing my homemade laundry and dishwashing detergent too. I love jars….great for EVERYTHING!!!
I, too, would love to try the new jars! I have been using my jars as flower containers for sweet peas! Gorgeous!
I do alot of canning. I use jars for everything that I want to keep fresh. Way to bad they are made in China 🙁
Thank you!!
I have dairy goats, and I use both half-gallon and quart-size canning jars to store the milk. Don’t know what I’d do without them! (And thank God for storage caps!)
Canning jars make marvelous flower vases! In fact, I used loads of (borrowed) quart-sized jars filled with flowers from my garden as center pieces for our wedding last summer! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love to give these jars a try. My current unconventional use of jars is to hold the treasure (shiny rocks) my kids find on the playgrounds they visit. The jar has been ongoing for about two years now.
I have used canning jars to make a layered cornbread salad to take on picnics and others to serve iced tea. I really feel that glass is better for us than plastics. Sorry Rubbermaid!
I love canning! (and would love to win). I need a new batch of jars to get ready for strawberry rhubarb jam season 🙂
I love canning jars… I can quite a bit and love putting stuff in jars 🙂 Hoping to win. Thanks for the great give away!
o my fav. unconventional canning jar use…to store any foodstuff in that originally comes in plastic…until I find ways to bypass the darn plastic…
I made lotion and am keeping it in jars–so easy to open, especially with the Ball BPA-free plastic lids.
AWESOME to hear new canning jars are coming out! I use them for everything, from drinking , to food storage, to sewing notions storage, cotton balls and sooo much more!
what a great review, thank you for all the information! my favorite unconventional canning jar use is for displaying each summer vacation collection. we gather items that remind us of that vacation–sand and shells from the beach, or twigs and nuts from a trip to a state park, etc.–and then arrange them in the jar with a printout of a picture of us at that location. different size jars arranged together on a shelf make a very personal display and protect our little treasures at the same time.
That is such an awesome idea! What a space saver too… either stored on a display shelf together or tucked here and there through out your home, a tidy little time capsule. Thanks for the pretty visual image!
I have a jar on my desk full of marbles from my childhood that I use as a paper weight. I love it. 🙂
I think the most unconventional I get with canning jars is using them for rice, nuts, etc for my dry goods storage! I’m not very creative in that aspect I guess! Would love to try these though.:)
This winter I started purchasing supplies to get myself into a place where I can start canning this season. I am interested in trying another type of jar.
love canning!
I have a plan to use canning jars for tiny terrariums to give as gifts. Also, I store all my homemade bath/beauty products in jars.
Oh yay! So glad to hear there’s a real competitor out there and that these are less expensive! The jar looks very sturdy. Have you tried it in pressure canning yet? No breakage?
I don’t know how unconventional it is, but I use my canning jars for just about everything, including (but not limited to) bug collecting (I have six kids), homeschool projects (did I mention I have six kids?), holding homemade dishwasher detergent, holding homemade laundry detergent, as a vase for wildflowers, to transport algae from the lake to my compost pile, and about a million other uses. LOL
One can never have too many jars! I can with mine, but also use them to contain homemade detergents, and to dry goods in.
Jars never go unused at my house. We process everything we can get our hands on…from venison to wild turkey to sauerkraut. I can always use more jars!
I use my jars for everything. Canning, drinking, making individual pies, vases, dry goods canisters (which I vac seal with a FoodSaver), I make our own toothpaste, face wash using the littlest jars and split out bulk applesauce and other goods into take-along sizes. I keep pet food in them and popped holes in a top making shaker jars for baking soda and other dry cleaning goods and air fresheners.
I should probably stop now…
I’ve used canning jars to hold toothbrushes, cotton balls, & qtips in the washroom, hubby uses them to organize screws, nails, & smaller tools in the garage. I’ve also stored leftover seeds in smaller canning jars for next season.
Thanks for the opportunity 🙂
OOPS…sorry, just realized that I didn’t leave my unconventional use of jars…I use them to store craft supplies in mine…although when I was growing up, my grandparents and aunt used them for Sweet Tea…
My fav use for mason jars (besides canning) is for flowers, or drinking iced tea. Not a southern girl, but I do like ice tea on a hot day.
Thanks for the opportunity. Will come in handy when I start canning this summer.
Oh to have such variety. In Australia we have only one brand of preserving jar.
I am just getting really into canning, but I have quite a stash of jars I use for storage of every conceivable little thing I can find to put in them. I just love the way they look. Great giveaway, I hope I win!
I’m relatively new to canning too, but I really want to try canning things besides jams, like maybe pie filling or spaghetti sauce. I’d love to win these!
Thanks for the review and the heads-up about China. I keep a pint jar partially full of coins in the drink holder of my car. I keep little enough money that no one’s broken into my car for it *knocks on wood* but enough to be able to feed parking meters as needed. :)I think it’s pretty.
We are using mason jars for candles on the tables outside at our wedding this summer.
ooooo!!! Would love to try these out; hope they are available in my area soon! Unconventional? Button storage for crafting…they are perfect! Wide mouth so they are easy to access.
I like to use them to drink out of or for a flower vase!
I have a couple quarts on my dresser that I use for holding my vast eyewear collection. I hook one arm into the jar so the lenses are hanging on the outside. Makes it easy to always find them, especially if I don’t have a pair on at the time!
Thanks for this! I go through so many jars every year, this looks like a good alternative. I can’t wait to see the vintage shapes, too. My most unusual use for a jar? I have one in the garage with white vinegar in it, a hole punched in the lid, and a big fat paintbrush stuck through the hole. I paint vinegar on weeds growing in cracks in the patio and driveway. WeedBGone. Hope you are well and the book is coming along.
I would LOVE to win this giveaway. 🙂
We use jars to collect money for missions at our church. The kids have a jar and I am setting up a jar for a missionary family we are supporting.
I also use them for crafting supplies and have even done a ‘canning jar swap’ where we fill a quart size jar with all sorts of little crafting embelishments and mailed them out to our swap partners. It was tons of fun. 🙂
I plan on canning this time, would love to have these jars for canning also for storage!
My dad always used them in the garage to keep miscellaneous bolts, screws, etc. He attached the lid to the underside of a shelf and could easily screw and unscrew the jar. This is definitely something I use in my own home today.
I love using the giant quart size jars for vases! I just bought some tulips last night and they’re gorgeous in the tall Ball jar. 🙂
what a nice giveaway. I want so badly to start canning, but I have not had the courage to start yet. So maybe if I was to win, that would give me the push. 🙂
And I can’t wait to see what Wal-Mart comes out with…
Happy Canning…
Kelley
i have a jar for each of my nieces and nephew. as i collect little things for them i put them in the jar.. when its full i send them on their way
I would LOVE to try out these new jars! So happy there’s a new kid on the block. My “unconventional” use? I store the worm “tea” from my worm composting bin in quart jars to use little by little when I water my houseplants.
We homeschool – so we have a multitude of pencils, pens, markers, and miscellaneous tools always floating around. I love the aesthetic of using the jars as pencil holders for all of these things. It echoes our own unconventional approach to life!
Wow, cool! Nice to see some variety (and hopefully competitive pricing). I can always use more jars!
Even though I’m leaving a comment please do NOT include me for the drawing. I just wanted to say that I for one will NEVER buy these jars. Being made in China is the BIG turn off. I will spend the extra or buy mason jars at a yard sale.
I’m so with you wcv, I’d rather pay more than either Walmart or China!!
Add me to the NOT FROM CHINA list! Buy American! Ick. I wouldn’t trust them.
Whew….so glad I’m not the only one who won’t buy Made in China. Saving a few dollars is just not worth it.
I’m with you all. Saving $1 on a case of jars is about 8 cents per jar. Who would take a chance on Lead in the product, or some other Chinese corner-cutting material, to save 8 cents. Not to mention taking away American jobs. This Penley endorsement makes me lose respect for “Food in Jars” site.
While we all have different opinions on free-market choices, I appreciate Marisa’s honesty both about the function of these jars and their origin. I found this review to be balanced and informed.
made in china…no thanks, not when there are closer options.
I totally agree. Keep American money and jobs in America AND know that WE have manufacturing laws to protect us and our children.
You know, FIJ is a website that we’re really lucky to have. She’s offered us so much information about what’s available in the marketplace, how to can safely and well, who’s who and what they’re doing, etc. This is a giveaway for people who want to participate. I can appreciate your politics but don’t slam the giveaway. Make your point somewhere else in some other way or it just sounds self-righteous and grumpy. If your goal is to raise consciousness, try a gentler hand.
Very disappointed in the made in China bit too. Ball makes a great product here in the USA and if those are too pricey plenty of old mason jars to be found at thrift stores and yard sales especially this time of year.
Thank you Marisa for all the info you post. Maybe Mason will take note and use a USA supplier and if they do …. let’s support them. I love the smooth side, labels would look so much better on these.
I appreciate all the time you put into your blog.
Go to the company website they closed all their mills in maine in 2003 that came from the website they only import stuff. Please go read click on the name up top.
No China stuff for this girl…. Makes me ill to see that stamp on the bottom. Yuck!
Not sure how unconventional it is, but I use my jars for sprouting nuts and grains!
I have two main uses for canning jars, besides their intended purpose. The first is that my sugar container (near the coffee pot) is a small, pretty jar with a plastic “storage lid”. The second is that I have milk goats, and I store all my milk in half-gallon and quart-size jars. Don’t know what I’d do without them!
Can’t wait to make time to can with my dad this summer- your posts are really inspiring me to take on the garden this year. I am happy (and lucky) that its something he and I love to do. Pickles!
My fave non conventional use I guess would be to store my sewing things. I have buttons in a jar, and needles in one, and small spools of misc threads in another. I like the vintagey feel to having canning jars around me 😀
I usually store my leftovers in jars, it’s just easier than tupperware. Then I can just bring it to work the next day no problem!
Mama canned vegetables and fruit and we sure did enjoy the bounty year round. I am so happy that my sister kept the recipes and now we can continue the tradition!
Ooh, pick me! My favorite unconventional canning jar use is taking an empty to potlucks or parties where I’ll be walking around with food and a drink. I can skip the disposable plastic cup and the lid means I can close up my drink and stash it in my purse rather than juggling a plate of food and a cup full of beer or wine.
This is the BEST idea! Love it! I have taken drinks in jars before, just never thought of taking an empty.
But sorry, she is gonna pick me. 🙂
So Cool – I hope the prices are a little bit lower and I love vintage. Not only do I use the jars for canning but also for storing! I do alot of canning!
I think starting seeds is the most unusual use I’ve made of canning jars, so far. 🙂
I would love to try these new jars.
Thanks for the chance.
Currently I use jars for storage of supplies in my sewing room. I have some vintage blue Ball jars with glass lids (I’m guessing they used a detachable rubber gasket back when?), and they look gorgeous lined up holding clips, ribbon, notions, etc.
I am very new to cannning and would love to win!!
Thanks!