Jar shortage

[Smoklahoma]

Been trying to find some 1/2 gal Mason jars. Everyone is out of stock, except amazon and they want $65 for a six pack. Not happening! Going to buy some food grade 5 gal buckets with gamma seal lids to cure in. Does anyone here use buckets to cure in? I know a couple of the commercial growers here do. Just wanting some opinions.

[Ckbrew]

Smoklahoma Before u use plastic check Uline.

https://www.uline.com/BL_8192/Ball-Glass-Canning-Jars?keywords=Mason+Jars

[Smoklahoma]

They didn't have any 1/2 gal canning. But have regular 64 oz glass. I'll order some monday.

[DeadlyFruit]

I’ve been slowly acquiring cobalt coloured mason jars. They are a fair bit more expensive so I just pick up a 4 pack or two whenever I am at the hardware store. I pair them with a one piece plastic lid also made by ball (sold separately). It is dishwasher safe and won’t rust like the metal lids (not suitable for actual canning though). Sorry, this doesn’t solve your problem, and both the lids and jars are way more expensive on amazon.

I do the usual approach of an ounce/jar but what I would like to add to your question, if you don’t mind, is if there is a problem with doubling it to two ounces in the jar once the bud is cured and the humidity has stabilized? Does it continue to need the additional head room to deter mold? Has anybody tried this and did it cause problems? Given my summer grow turned out massive (compared to my normal yield) I have run out of jars (~2 pounds @ 1oz/jar is a lot of jars). If I can do 2 ozs/jar now that it is all dried and stabilized I will have enough free jars free for the winter grow.

edit:attaching pics mentioned in my comment

[DeadlyFruit]

Smoklahoma sorry, I misspoke, mine are actually amber rather than cobalt. I got them for the same reason - to keep out UV light. Agreed the grey one piece lids are so much easier than chasing the two piece ones that always seem to pull a runner in opposite directions whenever I take them off.

Ckbrew I haven’t seen any white ones so not sure if there is a difference but the grey ones are made by Ball and they are designed for the jar. Are the white ones made by Ball as well and just another colour or are they another company?

grouchyoldman did you use the grey ones made by Ball or another type? I haven’t tested the lids with a qwet type liquid but I’ve used them on regular mason jars for storing leftover soups and stuff in the fridge and haven’t noticed any leakage (sometimes the jars get stored on their side to fit on the shelves so there should have been leakage if it was going to). They are supposed to be dishwasher safe (and I’ve washed them all in the dishwasher without problem) but they say on the package that they shouldn’t be used for canning because they don’t have a coating of a sealing substance that the rubber gaskets on the metal disks have so I don’t think you get a true air tight seal in the way the metal lids have but my experience has been that the seal is pretty solid (you have to be careful though that the lid is on straight and threading properly). I didn’t realize it but you are technically only supposed to use the metal disks a single time because of the glue substance on the seal. The next time you make jam or whatever you are supposed to use a new disk. I’ll test a plastic lid to see if it can hold a positive seal on a jar full of alcohol laid on its side.

[grouchyoldman]

The ones that I had leak problems with are white and they came with the jars. I should also mention that the jars in my case were the little pint sized ones and I think the white plastic lids had been through the dishwasher at least once. Maybe the heat from that warped them?

[DeadlyFruit]

grouchyoldman Ckbrew @smoklahoma
I ran a couple tests last night to see how leaky my lids were (the one piece grey plastic lids made by Ball). I was hoping they would be ok because they literally say leak proof on them but it was a mixed result. I first filled an off brand jar with water (it said atlas on it and I think it was one of those spaghetti sauce jars not a true mason). It was a regular mouth jar. Regardless how tight I screwed it water leaked. Then I tried a Ball mason jar. It was a wide moth, one of the half sized jars. I lightly hand tightened it and it leaked slightly. I tightened a bit tighter but not reefing it down and that stopped any water leakage. I shook it up a bunch and left it on its side all night with no drips.

My takeaway is for some reason the lids don’t work as well on off brand jars. The jar top seems the same but there must be a small difference in some - glass thickness or minute diameter difference or something. It may be that the white ones don’t work as well as the grey ones but the grey ones do work work on Ball jars.

I don’t think I can post a pic in a sub comment so I’ll attach a pic of the exact lid and jar in the main comment.

[dilvish]

I would venture to guess even food grade plastic containers would not be a good idea. Plastic can cause all kinds of problems and I'd advise not using it for curing and storing because cannabis contains oils that could penetrate the plastic over time causing it to breakdown and eventually leech into the buds.

[soonboomer]

I had 24 when I started my harvest (Wal Mart was the best source at the best price), but needed 6 more and none were available in OKC. Had to settle for quart size, and even they were hard to find with wide mouths.

[bdeegan]

Nice, but sad, to hear I’m not the only one struggling to find jars. I cannot find quart size any where (locally)!

[Rwise]

I found the best price on wide mouth quarts at Target, I picked up a case or 2 ever time I went there, I have 2 cases left over.

[Going2fast]

So you will eat and drink food stored in plastic containers you won't smoke bud stored in it? Well I'm screwed cause a lot of the weed I purchased came in a plastic baggie. Definitely a shortage of jars. Been looking for them myself for a few months. I'm using the 1/2 gallon glad food containers and the bud is curing great. DeadlyFruit I tried cramming 2oz into quart jars a good 2 months after cure and did get some mold. Rh was stabilized at 58 but still showed up so I'm not doing that again.

[DeadlyFruit]

Thanks for the feedback g2f. I may try 1.25 oz and save a few jars but I’ll definitely go no higher.

[Rwise]

I think its the fear of PCBs that keep folks from using plastics. I understand as even bottled water is not safe IF it has been exposed to direct sunlight (and maybe heat) which leaches PCBs from the plastic into the water.

[Puglover1]

Dollar General has had more jars than anywhere I've been. (not that I need them but I still look.)

[Puglover1]

Here are some clamp top, various sizes, free shipping at $49 https://www.worldmarket.com/product/...ks&from=Search They have some 2-packs of quart jars, I was looking for the gallon jars with screw-on lids that I bought from them.

If you want to check other stores, these shipped for me: https://www.worldmarket.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks

[MagicMike66]

I got these for my last grow. They’re 1gal mason jar that can easy fit 5oz + of bud inside. Much easier only burping one instead of multiples but obviously only useful if you have a lot of the same strain

[hairyman]

I use peanut butter jars. I eat alot of peanut butter and so I have lots of them. The small Adams ones hold 1oz of weed..

[BCOutdoorBudz]

I am having a different problem I have Mason Jars for days but finding wide mouth mason jar seals was insanely difficult finally found them online at a grocery store and grabbed them after two months of searching

[Rwise]

Yep, lid and rings have been hard to find here as well

[Puglover1]

Last year around this time I had to order complete lids, they didn't have rings and seals. I was gifted 18 free quart jars, not wide mouth but I used them.

[Oreo]

Everyone should have this problem. I can still remember my wife asking where all the jars went to. First the larger jars. Then the smaller jars until the beautiful harvest is totally consumed.