Note: Yesterday’s post was mysteriously truncated – so I am trying again.
Headline: Bastion of America’s Canning Scene Downsized and Marginalized – What Does This Say?
When do Obsession and Nostalgia become Neurosis? It’s funny to think of the things we become obsessed with. I still have a small basket which my Mom got flowers in when my brother was born – in 1957!!! I miss my Pears Soap. I miss Gourmet Magazine. I miss my vintage Ball Jars and the Ball Jar Co as it used to be* ……..
“circa” 1957, in pristine condition
one of a couple of “original” Pears soap bars I have left – don’t tell anyone – I don’t want anyone breaking into my house to try to steal them!
now safely and freshly, albeit sans-lid, housing Kit’s cookies, these two jars have become much beloved! oops, poor Christin (she’s still on my S. list for this) – I actually dug these lid pieces out of the garbage and am hoping to crazy glue them back together.
Time passes on and the winds of change blow through. In the world of consumer products, companies morph, come and go and re-imagine themselves. I get this, I do. I understand why companies come and go, I know all about economies and efficiencies, the fickleness of supply/demand, the fickle consumer tastes and all of that – as well as the quest for a positive number on the bottom line. But when classic, mainstay staples whose personalities, domestic interest and staying power go through a cyclone of turmoil and are spit out into the landscape in little recognizable form of its former self, I go a-wondering why companies “call” things wrong or take away a brand when they have one solid market to indulge in …….. Try to bear with me……
There are a few products, which over the years, have become near and dear to my heart. One is Pears Soap, which I mentioned a few weeks ago. When Unilever took control of the brand through a succession of muddle-headed maneuvers they promptly endeavored to inflict the dearly-beloved product with the magic wand of “improvement” aka to produce the product more economically, i.e. cheaply and thereby removed all the qualities that had made this little meager bar of soap a much-beloved item from the time of its inception in 1789. For those of you who are uninitiated, Pears Soap is the oldest brand of soap, actually the oldest “brand” of anything, in the world and was licensed no less to Her Majesty the Queen. Quelle nightmare – and wow did they underestimate the consumer reaction to this change. I know what you’re thinking, it’s just a bar of soap.
Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is another product line which was sucked into the Unilever conglomerate. Ugh. Ben and Jerry defended this decision at the time – as one which would ensure longevity of jobs and product quality, but, um, I am appalled at how a company formed with the very best of organic intentions could even be considered to be sold out to a huge corporate conglomerate – one which has to, by sheer virtue of its size, can not protect the integrity, nor consumer devotion to the purity of its initial visionaries.
Recently, we had a little debacle in the pantry. Christin dropped the top of my beloved Ball “Cookie” Jar – one of two 11″ tall Limited Edition Ball Clamp-top jars, shown above, which I was lucky enough to serendipitously procure a few years back. For some odd reason I became particularly enamored of these jars and their usefulness and endeavored to buy a couple of more – I quickly realized that these were only put into production for a very short while and were gone from the market.
I know what you are thinking – what is wrong with this person that forms odd attachments to essentially mundane consumer products and becomes obsessed? I can’t really explain myself except for to say that , it’s just who I am. It probably has to do with holding onto memories or something hopefully no more neurotic or pathological. I define this as true nostalgia – not wanting to let go of people and things which have a profound positive meaning to them (like my Grandma’s lost recipe for Taralle, and the Honey Loaf recipe from B. Altman – but I digress).
Anyway, back to the Ball Jar debacle.
For anyone who is interested in canning or who had a Grandma who “put up” their jams, produce, sauces, etc., etc., you all know who the Ball Jar Co. is. I got my first Ball Blue Book Cookbook around 30 years ago – I think my Mom bought it for me.
Anyway, last week when I once again went about trying to order a replacement lid for this jar I instantly became confused. I googled Ball Jar Co. and couldn’t find it. I found the Ball Corp and clicked on that – I found a new-fangled website which introduced Ball Corp as a company featuring: Packaging, Aerospace, Sustainability and Innovation. Huh?? They now make aluminum cans, food cans, aerosol cans, paint cans, and a variety of other items not related to glass canning jars. Really? I felt worry and dread beginning to sink in……..
Well, to make a long story short, the Ball Jar Co has been spun off to a different company called Jarden and they no longer bear any resemblance to who they once were. They are now found under the moniker, freshpreservingstore.com and their line is severely limited, as is their customer service. They do have a Facebook page but I assure you they are no longer the Company they once were. There is another website called Mason Jar Headquarters at www.masonjarshq.com but I could not make any headway here either.
What particularly astounds me about the Ball Jar Co. story is that interest currently in canning and the small batch food movement couldn’t be greater. So, why did this happen? Seems like a seriously folly-ridden set of decisions to me. But, then again, I realize that the overall demand for glass canning jars is basically immaterial in most corporate agendas. Yet, curiously, I have seen the emergence of Italian jars and other brands, like Kilmer and Kerr rushing in to fill the vacuum left by Ball. Oh well. What about all of this?
I use ball jars for a multitude of functions aside from canning. I currently have two large jars of Rose Petal syrup I made in May in my fridge. I have a “vase” of freshly cut hydrangeas on my kitchen counter in a ball jar. I mix my salad dressing in them. I have some small ones I store keepsakes in. Bottom line is, the Ball Jar Co, that age old and ubiquitous purveyor of glass canning jars in multitudes of shapes, sizes and for all applications has been shrunk down into a tiny fraction of its size. And, it’s support team has been obliterated as well – they used to be a fountain of information and help. Last night I walked into Whisk, in NYC – at 933 Broadway. Immediately inside the door we saw a selection of Ball jars – a few – mixed in with the Italian jars from Bormioli and a few others. The biggest selections of Ball products used to be found in hardware stores – where the ladies (and gentlemen) of canning foraged for their supplies. The scene is all changed now. Oh well. Add it to the list.
Well, now I’ve basically gotten that off my chest so let’s move on. Wait……Can we make an offer to buy out the brand from Jarden and take it back private and restore it? I’d love to. Pears Soap, too. The Gourmet Magazine moniker, too. Ok, I’m going to take my medicine now. Deep breath, deep breath.
Here is something to occupy myself with – I think I’m going to head out for a bushel of peaches and wash up my jars! 🙂 I think I am going to make a cake first – my Mom always baked a cake for therapy!
(Please note: I am having problems with my website and can not display the remainder of this post – I am working on this problem)
Courtesy Stark Bros:
HOMEMADE PEACH JAM – courtesy Stark Bros:
Peaches have a long growing season (late May through October), so, luckily you have lots of time to make a whole cupboard-full of delicious jam. Depending upon the kind of peaches you grow, you’ll want to eat some of them fresh, and leave other varieties for your jam-making. In all, there are three different categories of peaches:Freestone. This type of peach is very aptly named: the stone is easy to free from the peach. Freestones are usually what you see in grocery stores, and are great for fresh eating, canning, jam, baking and freezing. They’re generally bigger, sweeter and firmer than clingstones, as well as less drippy. A good all-around peach.Semi-freestone: This type of peach’s pit tends to stick, usually on one side, so it falls somewhere between the freestone and clingstone category. A general all-purpose peach that good for eating and canning.Clingstone. The pretty yellow peach flesh “clings” to the stone, and therefore the name. These are the earliest peaches to come in. Distinguished by their juiciness and sweet peach flavor, they lend themselves very well to jams, preserves and canning. This is the canned peach you usually see on the supermarket shelf.We have several outstanding “jam” peach trees that we recommend:
Carolina Belle Peach
Perfect for honey-sweet peach jam and preserves. Large freestone fruit with gorgeous red skin and creamy white flesh, intensely peach-y flavor. Ripens in mid-August. Self-pollinating.Redhaven Peach
An early medium-sized freestone that is non-browning, with sweet yellow flesh that’s firm and smooth. Excellent for canning, freezing, and fresh eating. Self-fertile. Ripens in late July.Stark® Hal-Berta Giant™ Peach
Large (up to a pound each!), luscious, nearly fuzzless and freestone, so it’s easy to pit. Sensational peach flavor makes a winning jam. Ripens in late August. Best pollinators: a different peach variety, such as Burbank™ July Elberta.Stark® Elberta Queen™ Peach
Just “peachy” for canning or jam! Big, sweet, firm peaches that ripen in August. Self-pollinating.
You’re likely to have more peaches than you’ll know what to do with when the harvest comes in, so make sure you have enough canning supplies on hand.
Tips:
- Get everything in place before you begin, because there are points in the process where you won’t be able to stop and get what you need.
- Don’t be tempted to increase the spice amounts; you want the peach flavor to shine through.
- Use the amounts below, follow the directions, and your jam will come out perfect every time. Overcooking and using the wrong proportion of ingredients are the main causes of runny jam.
The Best Peach Jam Recipe Ever
You will need:
- 8 cups pitted, peeled* peaches, cut in a 1” dice
- A large bowl of ice water
- Zest of half a lemon
- 4 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 6 Tablespoons classic fruit pectin
- 7 cups white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Large canning pot with rack
- Jar lifter (typically found in canning sets)
- Large tongs (typically found in canning sets)
- Large ladle
- A wet paper towel
- Dry paper towels
- 6 one-pint (16 oz.) glass canning jars, with lids and screw-on bands
Instructions:
- Get your boiling water going in your canning pot. The water should be two inches over the height of the jars. Heat jars, lids and bands in simmering (not boiling) water until ready to use. Remove with tongs and set on dry paper towels.
*You can use the same pot to peel your peaches. Cut an X in the bottom of each peach. Drop 4 or 5 at a time into the simmering water for 45 seconds. Immediate remove peaches and drop in a large bowl of ice water for 20-30 seconds. You should easily be able to slip the skin right off the peaches. Repeat this step if the skin is stubborn.- In a 6- to 8-quart saucepan, set to medium-high heat, bring the peaches and lemon juice to a boil. Lightly mash the peaches (this will help thicken the jam).
- Add the pectin and quickly return the mixture to a boil. Stirring constantly, gradually add the sugar.
All at once, stir in the crystallized ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, reserved lemon zest and salt, and continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.- Remove from heat. Skim any foam off the top.
- Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rim with wet paper towel. Center lid on jar. Screw on the band until firmly in place.
- Process in the boiling water bath 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids after 24 hours; they should not flex when center is pressed.
- Label and date your jars. Peach jam will keep up to two years.
Makes 6 pints.
