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.