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10:37 am
May 6, 2010
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On a recent trip to visit my Grandma, I was able to go through the barn and bring a few things home with me. It was fun looking through all of the stuff and seeing all of those exciting treasures. I wanted to take everything with me, but there has to be some left over for the rest of the family if they want it. My husband wasn't exactly keen on the idea of hauling the contents of an old barn back home, either. I was able to rescue some of my grandma's old canning jars from all the spiders, birds and mice. I even found some old blue ball jars. Among the jars was an old foley food mill. It is still in pretty good shape. Just a little bit of rust on the outside bottom. Is it still useable? My husband thinks I am crazy for carting a bunch of old junk back home, but I am just thrilled with my treasures!
12:37 pm
October 17, 2010
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Wow, what treasures! I love the old blue jars. Can't find them anymore around here unless you want to pay antique dealer prices.
I would think the food mill would still be ok to use after it's cleaned up, as long as the rusty places aren't where food will touch them. It's worth a try! You can always just display it in your kitchen even if you don't want to use it.
4:18 pm
February 22, 2010
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One of my Foley food mills has a tad bit of rust on the bottom. Each time I use it I just clean it good and it's good to go…then put a little bit of cooking oil on it before I store it ( I always put a paper towel under it when I store).
I love digging thru things that belonged to my grandparents. Those old blue jars are wonderful for storage and decorating.
11:14 am
July 3, 2012
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Upon going down to the "Abiss" as we call it (my grandparents basement) they had a crawl space under the house:::part of the house that was built in the late 1800's early 1900:: any who, I found like 8, gallon blue mason jars:: one still had something in it ?? crazy:: brought them home, cleaned them up, now I store all my dry goods in them. I love digging in the dirt! you never know what you may find! oh and I got my great nana's old butter churn as well !
Sandy
1:03 pm
September 12, 2011
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Wow! What a great find!
As a side note, what did they used to can in those old gallon jars? I found one at my husband's grandmothers house and still have it. I also found some at Ace Hardware. But websites tell us not to can in them because they are too large to adequately heat the contents and kill the germs or bacteria. so far I have been using them as storage for dry ingredients, like oatmeal or barley, but it would be fun to can with them. Soups for large groups?
any ideas out there?
2:29 pm
February 10, 2009
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I would NOT use them for canning. I agree, they are too large for a home canner to get them sealed properly and safely. Half gallon jars are available and difficult enough to deal with, but doable. A gallon jar? Nope, not for me. My Aunt used to use the half gallons regularly, but I don't remember her methods, so I can't even help you there, but even that is not simple due to the size and the amount of water and hence the size of the pot/stove/burners necessary. She had large commercial equipment including a giant commercial mixer and a big grain mill, stove and other equipment thanks to her years in a commercial kitchen and bakery.
7:42 pm
February 22, 2010
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My MIL said they canned dill pickles in them. I am not sure but they may have just put them in and let them ferment and not used a water canning method.
11:04 am
July 3, 2012
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Well when I found them ( I was super stoked! to say the least, ) I was in my mid 20's crawling on my hands and knees down in that nasty wet stanky basement:::it was so gross! came upon them by total accident::: they were on an old shelving unit way back in the back and the shiny glass caught my flashlights eyes::: my father told me he remembered his Grandma putting stewed tomatoes in them? the one that had stuff in it, I have no idea what that was in the beginning, it was black mush when it went down the camode::lol, I was thinking that it could have been sour kraut, they canned their kraut and let it work out right in the jar's? processing it later in the back yard in a huge wash basin hooked up over a fire ring:::My grandmother had 8 boys on a 65 hundred acre farm: working farm at that, so she had to put up a lot of goods and in mass quantities. I have used them now for over 20 years storing dry goods in them: they appear to be hand blown, they have the little nub on the bottom of each jar accept for 2 of them I do believe, so I'm not quite sure on their age, but the shape is kinda unique:: I've not seen any of them on line yet? but I've not really looked around much, maybe I should do that??? I love my old jars though::would not trade them for the world! my collection is slowly growing::
I started canning and learning to preserve at a ripe old age of about 8 or 9:: just posted a recipe for our beef vegetable soup (to can) if any of you are interested?? it is so so good!
I by the way went to an estate auction back last fall, won a bid on a 5 gallon Mason jar! talk about huge!!! I had only seen them in pictures, set up as store display models back in the 30's::
1:56 pm
February 10, 2009
Online
Well, on top of the question of safety, I wouldn't want to risk them cracking from the heat. That happens with regular jars every year. A slight fault, scratch or blemish in the glass or a tap at the wrong moment, or the change in temp can break the bottom right out or at the neck when processing jars. It's not common, but why risk such great old jars? I sure wouldn't want to!
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