A Good Thing : Ball Jar Caps

Banana blueberry jam and of course...Ball Jar caps!

I have a strange love of canning.  When I was a little girl, we would come up here to visit my grandmother and pick buckets of raspberries for jam.  This was back in the 80's when it was still thought to be OK to seal them with paraffin wax.  Which fascinated me, by the way.  But as an adult, how gross.  It's like a jam and a candle in the same jar.  Strange.

Then when I lived in DC, Little taught me to make red pepper jelly.  Only it never jelled (or is it gelled?).  So we made a huge amount of red pepper sauce.  Which I used to top chicken for a while but eventually it got thrown away.  Because really, how many jars of red pepper sauce can one single girl use?

I didn't can again until a few years ago when I became a little obsessed with making things.  The entire process fascinates me.  I know, so strange.  Especially when you know that I don't eat much that I make.  Which is why I was excited that the watermelon rind pickles turned out so well because I love them.  However my dad does love my jams.  And uses them almost daily.  But his complaint is that the tops of the Ball jars are a pain to use.  I totally agree- they are a royal pain. 

This year though, I spied a new (to me) product by Ball.  Screw on plastic jar lids.  These are for use after a jar is open- so after you have processed with the normal lids in a water bath.  To make it easier to get into- just like a regular store-bought jar. 

I know it's a small find.  But I just love when something little and inexpensive makes life easier.  I think they were @$3 a box (eight in a box) at Walmart.