Stop Hating On Mason Jars
During Yahoo Y’All week, we’re celebrating the food culture of the American South. Expect profiles of cooks, makers, and bartenders, plus recipes showcasing the classics (and twists on those classics) you love.
Why do Mason jars inspire so much ire among certain people? Search “Mason jar hate” for some examples. To me, that’s like hating on jeans or potholders or lightbulbs. Why gripe about something so useful?
For the uninitiated (if those exist still), a Mason jar is a simple glass container with three parts: the glass, the flat lid with a rubber seal, and a screw-top that seals the lid in place. If you’re into making pickles, jams, or jellies, you are quite familiar.
Mason jars were invented by New Jersey native John Landis Mason, who received the patent for his creation in 1858. The patent expired 20 years later, so despite the popularity of his product, he died penniless, according to Wikipedia. (He also is said to have invented the first screw-top salt shaker, so home canners and restaurateurs alike owe him a debt of gratitude.) In 1884, the Ball brothers started making the jars with their very identifiable Ball logo, first in Buffalo, New York, and later in Muncie, Indiana. The Ball company eventually spun off its canning business to focus on recycled metal containers and aerospace products—think satellites and other spacecraft—quite a difference from its humble beginnings. The new company, called Jarden Home Brands, makes a variety of familiar items, including Diamond matches, Bicycle playing cards and StarterLoggs.
Somewhere along the way, someone realized that, once emptied of their preserved goods, the jars could double as cups. Drinking out of Mason jars became a thing, probably in the late 1900s. Fast forward to 2001, when sales of the Ball jars doubled and these one-time symbols of frugality and practicality appearing everywhere. Mason jar crafts took off and several books on the subject were published. Bartenders created Mason jar shakers. Mason jar photos flooded Pinterest boards. Red Lobster and 7-Eleven even offered plastic versions for various drink promotions. And then the haters started piling on.
Photo credit: TheBittenWord.com / Flickr
I don’t remember when Mason jars came into my life. As a child growing up in New York City, I had no idea what a Mason jar was. We drank out of cups, mugs and glasses, not jars. Maybe it was my Southern boyfriend, whose mom is fond of pickling and making jam, who introduced me to them. Regardless, today, I have a cabinet full that I use for food storage, pencil holders, flowers, and yes, of course, drinking glasses. I even pack a large Mason jar with salad and bring it to work. I appreciate that they’re practical, sturdy, dishwasher-safe even, and I like the simple design. They’re also affordable. You can buy a dozen of the pint jars, for example, for $11.99.
Go ahead and call Mason jars trendy, but I have a better word I’d like to use: classic.
Where do you stand on the Mason jar divide? Love them? Want them to go away? We’d love to hear what you think.
