Mason jars. HealthKindness / Pixabay.com / 2012 / CC0 1.0
The 30th of November is Mason Jar Day.
It celebrates the jars that have been a part of everyday life in North America since the mid-1800s.
The day comes at a time of year when Christmas is just around the corner. This could be a good time of year to look for homemade Christmas gift ideas that can be made using Mason jars. Ideas range from crafts of beauty for people to display, to DIY dry mixes that can be beautifully assembled in jars for people to cook up.
Mason jars are very affordable in North America but can be far pricier in other countries, perhaps owing to lack of volume sales there.
They have become wildly popular for the way they can affordably add a timeless, rustic, homely feel to decor.
Many add-on devices are available now to turn them into soap dispensers, cocktail shakers, etc.
You can also use Mason jars for everyday storage of dry goods, and bits and bobs like buttons and small office supplies.
Antique Mason jars are very collectible. Do you have any that you collect for their value or beauty and would never dream of using in canning?
#MasonJarDay #NationalMasonJarDay #MasonJars
See also: Canning Day, Pickle Day
Mason jar gifts
Holiday Mason Jar Gift Mixes (Julie Garden-Robinson. North Dakota State University Extension Service. FN-1494)
Beverage Mixes in a Jar (Julie Garden-Robinson. North Dakota State University Extension Service. FN-1625)
Gifts in a Jar (Mindy McCulley. University of Kentucky Extension Service. FN-AP-149)
Gifts from the Kitchen (University of Kentucky. NEP-LZM-200)
Mason Jar Bean and Lentil Soup Mix (Institute of Culinary Education)
Why canning cake in a jar is not safe (Healthy Canning)
Mason Jar Meals
Making Mason Jar Meals (University of Washington)
Mason Jar Salads (Michigan State University)
6 Easy, Healthy Meals You Can Make in a Mason Jar (Women’s Health)
Resources
Jars for home canning (Healthy Canning)
Jar lids for home canning (Healthy Canning)
Ball Jars (Healthy Canning)
Canning jars and lids (National Center for Home Food Preservation)
Further reading
Mason’s Patent Nov. 30th 1858 Fruit Jars – Summary (Glass Bottle Marks site)
John Landis Mason and His Companies (Society for Historical Archaeology)
History
For once, this is a food holiday that has a connection to something substantial. The 30th of November marks the date in 1858 when John Landis Mason was issued patent #22186 for a threaded, screw-type closure system on jars.
The webmaster at National Day Calendar site decided to start promoting it as a web holiday in 2017. [1]Accessed October 2021 at https://nationaldaycalendar.com/unboxing-the-bizarre/
In a 2021 search of several large newspaper archives, CooksInfo was unable to find any print media mention of a “Mason Jar Day”, past or present.
Mason jars instituted a revolution in food security. Mason jars, and the home canning technology that came with them, enabled families to preserve more types of food, and in higher culinary and nutritional quality for winter, which was traditionally a time of food insecurity and hardship for many. Mason jars let industrious households instead stock up, so that even in deepest, darkest winter they could “feast like kings”.
When Henry John Heinz began selling bottles of his pickled and preserved foods in the 4th quarter of the 1800s, he realized his biggest competition was the home canner. He had to not only offer them labour-saving products, such as ready-made mincemeat in jars, but also offer them quality and exotic mixes that they would find it hard to replicate at home. [2] Skrabec, Quentin R. H.J. Heinz: A Biography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2009. Page 130.
Sources
Coley, Sam. It’s National Mason Jar Day! Festive Holiday Crafts You Can Do With Mason Jars. Nashville, Tennessee: Parade. 30 November 2017. Accessed October 2021 at https://parade.com/621327/samanthacoley/its-national-mason-jar-day-festive-holiday-crafts-you-can-do-with-mason-jars/
Fischer, Sarah. National Mason Jar Day: Much more than just a storage container. DeKalb, Illinois: The Northern Star (Northern Illinois University). 30 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://northernstar.info/the_cosmos/lifestyle/national-mason-jar-day-much-more-than-just-a-storage/article_d9396112-f332-11e8-bd92-c37e6363c6a2.html
Today is Mason Jar Day! Check out these easy recipes! Smiths Falls, Ontario: CKBY-FM. 30 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.country1011.com/2018/11/30/today-is-mason-jar-day-check-out-these-easy-recipes/
Young, Mark. John Mason, The Mason Jar Inventor, Invented the Lid First. Miami, Florida: The South Florida Reporter. 29 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at
https://southfloridareporter.com/john-mason-the-mason-jar-inventor-invented-the-lid-first/