I grew tons of Roma tomatoes this year, specifically for canning. Marie made it clear that she didn't want to can. I made it clear that I would. Then things got crazy at the office and I ran out of time. It became her job to can tomatoes so we'd have non-GMO salsa all winter.
Alas, everyone has been canning. Although we have plenty of jars, we can't find the lids. Everyone is sold out until at least October.
We found ten lids and are re-using old lids (which is supposedly risky, since the seal could be compromised) . . . and crossing our fingers.
Smithsonian Magazine just ran a timely article on the history of the Mason jar, if you're interested. Excerpt:
In 1858, a 26-year-old Mason patented threaded screw-top jars “such as are intended to be air and water-tight.” The earliest mason jars were made from transparent aqua glass, and are often referred to by collectors as “Crowleytown Jars,” as many believe they were first produced in the New Jersey village of Crowleytown. Unfortunately for Mason, he neglected to patent the rest of his invention–the rubber ring on the underside of the flat metal lids that is critical to the airtight seal, and made wax unnecessary–until 1868, a full decade later. By this point, mason jars were being manufactured widely.
