Look for French canning jars, such as this vintage fine on Etsy. Not secure enough a seal for true canning, but for quick pickles, this would be awesome.
In my mind, it’s all about Ball. The Ball Company, as my mother would have said, “makes the best canning jars”, and she may have been right from a functional perspective, but aesthetically, there are many options. The only issue may be that beyond the classic Mason or Ball jar, most other brands are not as secure for preserving food, and are best for refrigerator pickles. Use care and judgement if you are preserving any type of food, but for simple refrigerator pickles, here are some stylish options as our gardens over-load us with produce.
I don’t know about your cellar, but in mine this is what I find lots of….classic blue glass Ball caning jars. They still show up at yard sales and on Etsy.
Weck Canning jars are available online, but most home canners agree that their seals are not secure for long-term storage. That said, the Weck collection is still the finest for form.
Images from hte great Katy Elliot blog.
Leifheit Canning Jars are very stylish. look for them here.
Finally, someone is designing beautiful jars for home preserves. Still, best for refrigerator jams, and not for long-term storage, these jars from Burgan & Ball outshine any other jars available today. Come on Ball company…….let’s keep up!
My favorite jars for Jelly, Jams or refrigerator pickles are these Burgon & Ball jars from the UK. Difficult to find in the US, Terrain now offers a ‘pickle’ version.( below).
