When I learned to can it was through the Illinois Extension Office and reading books. There was no internet. I was wondering how all the canning members here store their full jars? With or without the rings. I don't think there is a right or wrong way. I have learned to take them off. First, because I wash my jars after canning with soap and water. Second, because I wash my rings also because if there is any food that seeps out during the canning process and stays on the ring they will corrode and rust. I dry them carefully, let them set out for a while then put them in a plastic bag that hangs on the wall in my pantry. I used to string them and hang them in the pantry but that was a pain in the neck. Since I could can 38 jars, wide or regular, at a time I keep about 70 of each size. That way if jars are still cooling and have the rings on I am able to put another set on and into the canner.
I remove the rings and wash the jars an rings and store separately. If I am selling the product (jam, apple butter, jelly) I replace the ring because I have to sell it with the band on it.
I learned to make jam and jelly from the instruction sheet that came in the first box of Certo I bought in 1971 and I still use that same sheet to this day 43 years later. Certo came in a brown bottle back then, you emptied it to the line in the middle for one batch and finished it off for the second batch. I taught myself to make pickles back in 1986 following a recipe from a friend of my Mother's. So being self taught and waaaaay before anyone ever even thought about such a thing as home computers much less the internet, I never heard anything about taking the rings off after the jars were sealed, so I always leave them on.
Gee ... I never put much thought into this! I am a newbie when it comes to canning, and I have been buying rings as I use them. I got jars from a friend and they didn't have rings so I am still short rings compared to jars. I have been leaving them on, but now I am wondering if there is a reason I should be removing them?
I haven't canned anything for some time but I used to leave them on for the most part. If I ran out of rings and needed a few I would take them from jelly or jam. My mom said the sugar would keep them good for a longer time and we'd eat those jars of jelly first. Any thing acidic I would leave the lids in place. dooley
I leave most of the lids on unless I need more of them. Then I'll remove the ones off the jars I pressure canned.
I take the rings off. After the jars have cooled and I'm sure the lids are sealed, I take off the rings and wipe down the jars with a damp cloth. That way anything that got caught under the ring during the canning process is removed. I have more jars and lids than rings, so the rings get re-used several times during the canning season.
