Several weeks ago, I got 16 dozen free canning jars, most of them quart sized.  I was thrilled, since this is the size I use the most often, and you can never have too many canning jars – especially when they are free!  Even if you can find them in the stores, they are pretty expensive and it takes quite a while to amortize that cost.

Some of you have asked me, knowing that I keep kosher, how I am able to use jars that may have been used for non-kosher food.  Firstly, glass has a status that is different from let’s say, china or plastic.   This is a very important factor, the most important factor.  We were told that we could kasher (the term for making kosher) these used jars after making sure they were spotlessly clean, regardless of what they had been used for, by doing hagolah (boiling).  They then have to be toiveled (ritually immersed) and can be used without any further steps.

Because some of you have asked your rabbis and were told it wasn’t permissible to use second hand jars, you wanted to know who I asked.  I don’t generally share this kind of info, because I think everyone has to ask their own rabbinical authorities who they know and trust.  But because I don’t want people to think I’m relying on lenient interpretations of Jewish law which makes it possible for me to get inexpensive jars but puts it out of their budget, I’ll share that we asked Rabbi Moshe Heinneman of the Star K in Baltimore, and this was what he told us to do. Anyone who knows him knows that he is not lenient at all, and is very, very knowledgeable about Jewish law and particularly the field of kashrus. 

So this is what I’ve been doing today, kashering dozens of glass jars.   I’m satisfied with the number that I finished today, and will toivel them tomorrow.  It’s more work to do them all at once in some ways, but makes keeping track of what state of usability each box of jars are much easier!  I might have finished kashering all of them before going to sleep tonight, which would have been very nice, but I have some late night canning to do. 

This afternoon I took several packages of turkey pieces from the freezer to make room after ordering a bunch of chicken wings  (they’ll be here tomorrow).  At 99 cents a pound and with kosher chicken prices being what they are, I couldn’t not get some, right?  I ordered 40 lb (using all but the last dollar I had left in the food budget until the 15th :)) and will pick it up tomorrow.  Even though canning the turkey pieces means more work for me now, I really appreciate having the ability to take advantage of sales that I would have passed on for lack of space in the past.  I chose to can the turkey pieces instead of chicken wings, because the pieces are meant to be stewed or sauteed, so the canning process is perfect for them.  Canned chicken wings didn’t sound appetizing to me, though. 🙂

Avivah