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I just love mason jars. My first jars came from my mother in law who passed hers down to me. At first I thought these are cute maybe I can can something or put some flowers in them. Fast forward a few years and I have found many more things to do with these jars than just canning and putting flowers in them. Don’t get me wrong I love those things too. But then I wanted to know what makes a mason jar a “mason jar”. What about all the great jars my jam and spaghetti sauce comes in. Apparently the answer is pretty simple.

If the jar has a lid with a rubber gasket and is fastened on with a threaded screw top lid it’s a mason jar. The name mason comes from the tinsmith John Landis Mason who improved on the original mason jar. He gave it a much improved threaded mouth, rubber seal and a reusable screw on zinc cover. You can read more about John Landis Mason here at the official mason jar website.

Even if the jar doesn’t have the mason name on it. Or maybe if it doesn’t have any name on it at all. It’s still a mason jar if it has a lid with a rubber gasket and is fastened on with a threaded screw top.

The parts of the mason jar include the mouth. That’s the opening at the top. The lip, that’s at the edge of the opening. The bead, this runs around the jar just under the screw top. The neck, it’s under the bead and comes before the shoulder. Then the body, the heel and finally the base. Simple yet amazing!

Whats not to love about this perfect little (sometimes quite big) jar. I find new ways to use it in my home everyday. I love how it works well for modern uses yet has a vintage look. It keeps things preserved, organized and beautiful all at the same time. I hope you’ll enjoy the mason jars as much as I do. If you’d like to read more about the history of mason jars you can go here.