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Which size lids do you use?

 
Joe Hallmark
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This will be my first year trying to preserve my garden instead of just giving the excess away. Do you use regular or wide mouth? I know it’s a pretty silly question but which one and why?

I am assuming it’s preferable to have them all the same for convenience sake…

I’m starting with nothing so I can go either way.

Thanks!
 
Robert Ray
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I like wide mouth lids. I sometimes use 1/2 gallon jars, so to keep everything the same I use the wide mouths. I have big friggin' hands that won't fit into either.
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Timothy Norton
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I've gone with wide mouths because my mind went "Easier to stick hand in to empty out". Not probably the wisest reason but a real reason.

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J Garlits
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Generally speaking, wide-mouth jars were created for making it easier to can whole veggies. Regular Mason jars are best for liquids and other things you can easily pour. From that perspective, you might go with mostly wide mouth jars. But there are a couple caveats: First, the wide mouth lids (you re-use the rings) can be harder to find. And lastly, there are some things that need the shoulders of the regular Mason jars to keep solids below the liquid line.

Clear as mud, right? Regular jars are everywhere. You can even find really old ones at flea markets and auctions, and the regular lids fit them. If you go that route, you'll want to cut up your veggies instead of canning them whole.

j

Joe Hallmark wrote:This will be my first year trying to preserve my garden instead of just giving the excess away. Do you use regular or wide mouth? I know it’s a pretty silly question but which one and why?

I am assuming it’s preferable to have them all the same for convenience sake…

I’m starting with nothing so I can go either way.

Thanks!

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I prefer wide and that's all we buy...now. But we have a bunch of both and keep using them every year. Now you've got me wondering if it would be worth getting rid of the narrower jars to standardize.
 
Anne Miller
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I prefer the wide-mouth pint jars.

There are only two of us so the pint makes it easier not to have a lot of leftovers.  And easier for making stews and soups.

The wide-mouth jars make it easier to fill and get bubbles out.

I still have a lot of quart jars still full and unopened from years ago.

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I used to go to more than a few auctions, so I have a mix.

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Joe Hallmark
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Looking like widemouths are gonna take the win. What started this thing is tractor supply had 4 sets 1/2 off. So I buy them and get home and notice they had different. I’ve never canned anything so I didn’t notice at first.
 
Larisa Walk
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Regular lids seal easier since there is less circumference to make the seal. Half gallon jars only come in wide mouth, however, unless you find a source of antique jars. We use our half gallon jars mostly for dry beans, grain, etc. so don't usually can with them. We do "can" apple cider by filling half gallon jars within 1/8" of the rim and put hot lids on them and they will seal without further processing. We use regular lids for tomato sauce (in quarts) and cider syrup (in pints). Everything else gets dehydrated, root cellared, or pickled/fermented.
 
Carla Burke
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Another vote for wider mouth, here - at least for most things.

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Judith Browning
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When I canned a lot it was mostly regular mouth quarts because I was given dozens and dozens...we canned green beans, fruit, tomatoes both whole and sauces, chutneys...pickles and all in them...just get a nice stainless canning funnel for filling the jars.

Now, even though I mostly dehydrate and ferment I prefer widemouth as they are more useful for us.  i make quarts and quarts of yogurt in them, use them for my sour dough starter and for small ferments and refrigerating broth.

I love the half gallon jars for big batches of yogurt and storing dehydrated things.

The lids and rings seem really expensive for either one now but I'm mostly reusing them.

And as Timothy says being able to get your hand inside is a plus.

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Cujo Liva
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I've standardized on wide mouth wherever possible, mostly to make getting things in and out easier as well as easier to fit in my hand.  The only regular mouth jars are cup sized.

I was fortunate to get a bunch of lids at end-of-season clearance before the Covid rush and a bunch of free rings, so I'm set for years.
 
K Kaba
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Wide mouth. They're just easier to work with for all the reasons listed here.

But I do keep a collection of the other ones around, and if they're free I might add to it. They're good for sauce type things.
 
Joseph Lofthouse
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20% of my bottles are wide-mouthed. The rest are regular-mouthed.

Wide-mouthed lids and rings cost about double what regular-mouthed cost. Regular-mouthed bottles are less expensive, and more readily available as new and used jars.

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