[laceymike]

Hi!

I'm a new bachelor who likes to preserve food and there are some great things to 'save' up here in the Pacific Northwest. My problem, however, is with storage of the jars after they're empty!

Some of the jars I bought which had the cardboard box and separators, some were given to me and some were handed down. Many don't have the boxes and so I have loose jars all over my messy house. Help! How do you hold them in an orderly manner so they can be stored in a garage?

Thanks much,

Mike

[MaryB]

Upside down in any cardboard box works well. I buy bottled water occasionally and the flat it comes in works well.

[oldschool1982]

We have a cabinet that is set aside for the empty canning jars we get back from friends or what we use. Typically I keep the bands and put them back on the jar and throw away the lids. The bands protect the glass lip so it doesn't matter to me whether I store'em right side up or upside down plus I have to wash and sterilize them before they are used again anyhow.

[allie]

Like Oldschool, I have a cabinet specifically for the jars. I keep the bands and toss the lids. I have boxes for some and those get stored out in our storage shed when empty.

[laceymike]

Thanks to all of you for your kind, informative responses. I'll start looking for cardboard...and I do buy water sometimes! Thanks again.

[siduri]

Living as i do in a small apartment, despite having converted our largest room into the kitchen, we still have too little space for everything. My jars are wedged into every nook and cranny in the cabinets, packed in, rolling around and generally making a nuisance of themselves. If i had any extra cupboards or cabinets, not to mention a GARAGE i wouldn;t have a problem!

[billperry]

Excellent question....I appreciated the suggestion to store jars with lids and found that using cardboard boxes sold for storing records (legal / standard) will work very nicely to put 12 quart jars upright and about 10 pint jars on top (with an under layer of cardboard or newpaper) works most efficiently to get the maximum jars with rings and still be movable with ease. They are available as a box of ten to be assembled at Staples and other office supply stores.