Mason Jar Time

[puffy]

As we know the main function of mason jars is not to store pipe tobacco.It just happens that they work very well for that.It's summer here in the south.Veggies are planted.So the stores are stocking up on mason jars.Now is the time for the best selection.

 

[spartan]

I've still been meaning to try my hand at pickling... cucumbers, tomatos, peppers, etc.
I've just lost my motivation somewhere. Let you guys know when I find it.
Edit: Not sure this qualifies to be in the "General Pipe Smoking Discussion" section lol

 

[taerin]

I just discovered Ball mason jars and holy crap! $7.50 at Walmart for 12 of them and they seal really well without even having to do anything special to make them airtight. I was reluctant to get them because I have tried some old ones before that I had and they didn't seal nearly as well, probabley due to the rubber seals degrading over time. I am willing to bet that they can keep tobacco from drying out for up to 2 years, just like my other jars could. They were not perfect seals but I live in a humid area and they were almost entirely airtight. I think I am just going to keep using the Ball jars from now on, they come in so many shapes and sizes for almost nothing and really seem to do the job well, plus they can be sealed with a couple differint methods entirely airtight for aging, which I think is rather cool. It would just be a hassle for tobacco that your opening frequently, seals pretty well without it though.

 

[photoman13]

Yeah I found out that you are suppose to buy new lids for them when jaring. They aren't meant to be reused. They sell just the lids at walmart as well.

 

[baronsamedi]

I get the quart sized jars with the wide mouth now for tobacco. It's easier to fill and get some out when I want it. If you pickle/can food like I do you have to use a new lid and rinse the jar with bleach water before using for tobacco or you may end up with pickled beet tobacco.

 

[photoman13]

The other day at target I saw they had a 1 gallon jar! I almost wanted to pick it up just because it was big.

 

[topd]

Yes photoman, Sometimes a jar that's just a little larger works well too.

 

[dochudson]

I'm sure this is not new news to most but don't jam pack the tobacco into the jar and before cranking the lid on warm the jar just slightly (sit it in a pan with about an inch of warm water for a minute or two) after you crank the lid on and the jar cools that seal will be good for years.

 

[rlunderhill]

I just started using Mason jars to store tobacco. They work great. Better than I thought they would.

 

[whimsyt]

I've just purchased a few of the Fido clamp lid and rubber gasket jars from Crate and Barrel. They come in 1/2 liter, 1 liter, 2 liter, 3 liter, and even a 5 liter size, plus extra rubber gaskets. On sale right now, and ship for about $5 flat rate. And man oh man do those Crate and Barrel people know how to pack them well for shipping! Mine arrived about 3 days after ordering. Love these things! Much easier to use for tobac you want to get into more frequently, in my limited experience. They are pricier than Ball jars, but they work better for me with the clamp rather than the screw top. But Mason or Ball are definitely less expensive if you need a lot of them. My stash is still small, so I only needed a couple in a few different sizes.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

Question: So is it bad to pack the tobacco in the jars or is it better to leave some "breathing" room?
I use mason jars, I buy 2 types, 4oz for my 1oz tobacco purchases and 8oz for my 2oz tobacco purchases and they barley fit in the respected jars, I usually cram the tobacco in there until i'm read to smoke. I don't cellar any tobacco, it's just for storage (short term).
Should I upgrade to the next size up so there's room in the jar?

 

[oldredbeard]

Just bought a case of the quart size wide mouths at Walmart, to put my baccy in.

 

[topd]

I don't think it matters at all if it's for short time storage. If your aging tobacco,

the faster the oxygen is used up the better, so less space means less air. But that

means tobacco you wont be using in a while.... every time you open it, you reintroduce

fresh air.

 

[dochudson]

the technique I described above was for long term cellaring not for something you would be getting into. for bulk tobacco in rotation (boswells mostly) I use the ones below they stack and are easily labeled. open tins, I just use the tin as they aren't around that long.

 

[ohin3]

Canning season is the best time to find good deals on mason jars. I pickle everything, make jam and smoke a pipe, so I constantly need Mason jars. I buy a whack of them every year during the fall months when everyone is canning and pickling from their gardens and what not.
I never use the same jars for tobacco as I do for pickles and such. I will use old jam jars but only after a thorough cleaning.
I tend to jar virginia in small jars and rather tightly packed. I put my Virginias down in 2 to 5 year intervals so that I always have various versions of the same tobacco at different ages.
I usually put my Latakia blends in large jars so that they have room to breathe. I don't usually age Latakia blends. I open a tin, jar it and smoke from it till it's gone. Same goes for aromatics.

 

[gmwolford]

If you're looking for something "neater" and collectable look for the old blue Mason and Atlas jars. They look cool and are very collectable, an investment of sorts that practice, too. And the do come in other colors, pink and purple I know off hand

 

[kennerth]

You can reuse the rings, but you should get new lids. They are cheap. Instead of heating the jars for a better seal, try heating the lids only in a small pan of water.
Once time I "canned" a bunch of dried peppers by heating the jar in the oven, filled it, then applied a lid prepared as above (after drying it off). The bottle sealed with the vacuum "pop" you want when you can foods after it cooled. They peppers stayed dry and vacuum sealed for years this way. I always wondered how that would work on tobacco.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

Thanks for your input regarding th
When I finish a jar of tobacco, I hand wash the jar, lid and screw top, then I boil the items for a few minutes and let air dry. then I put more tobacco in the jar.
I've never used these jars for anything else but tobacco, so I don't have to worry about, as baronsamedi said, "pickled beet tobacco"

 

[bdstansel]

I've just purchased a few of the Fido clamp lid and rubber gasket jars from Crate and Barrel

+1

 

[shawn622]

Family Dollar in my little town just put out oz Golden Harvest Mason Jars gor $7.50 per case. i picked one up today. I like Golden Harvest Design the best.