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View Full Version : was this tacky? you be the judge!



big country
10th June 2010, 04:11 PM
So here is the situation:

My wife and I have been looking for a house to buy, out of town with a little acreage. We looked at a house yesterday that the owners sister lived in for 45 years (single). The basement had about 100-150 mason jars, about 30-40 still with food in them. The realtor acted like they were an eyesore for the house, and mentioned that the owner "couldn't possibly move anything else out" because she was 87 years old.

We aren't interested in the house (due to location and a few other things) but I sent the realtor a message saying that we'd be interested in the jars if the owner couldn't take them and if the realtor wanted them gone. I even offered to pay a "nominal price" if that is what it took. Do you think it was too tacky to make an offer like that?

I don't know if they are antique jars or not but it wouldn't surprise me. They were all clear. I'll be sure to report back if I hear anything.

gunDriller
10th June 2010, 04:28 PM
that's not tacky. that's how you get jars.

but i suggest checking around the glass "screw part", where the lid goes on.

sometimes those get chipped, and if you're screwing or un-screwing a lid, that chipped glass can be like a very sharp knife.

i had that happen to me. when sharp glass meets human flesh, normally, sharp glass wins. my experience was no exception :CS

k-os
10th June 2010, 04:43 PM
Not tacky at all. It sounds like you would be doing her a favor by taking her jars out of the basement.

If you don't ask, the answer is always no. At least if you ask you have a 50% chance. ;)

Quantum
10th June 2010, 04:43 PM
Tacky to ask to buy jars that would be thrown out? No!

big country
10th June 2010, 04:56 PM
alright I didn't think so, but who knows. I had already asked before I posted here so even if it was tacky too bad! Haha. I don't know that they were going to be thrown out, they were there and it didn't sound like anyone was doing anything about them. The realtor wasn't going to just "throw them out" and neither was the owner, who knows about whoever buys the house!

I'll be sure to let you know the answer, and if I get them I'll post a picture!

So, the ones with food still in them. From the quick look I took it all looked fine (no black jars, etc...) would you guys just empty them out and toss the food or would you try it?

BrewTech
10th June 2010, 05:04 PM
alright I didn't think so, but who knows. I had already asked before I posted here so even if it was tacky too bad! Haha. I don't know that they were going to be thrown out, they were there and it didn't sound like anyone was doing anything about them. The realtor wasn't going to just "throw them out" and neither was the owner, who knows about whoever buys the house!

I'll be sure to let you know the answer, and if I get them I'll post a picture!

So, the ones with food still in them. From the quick look I took it all looked fine (no black jars, etc...) would you guys just empty them out and toss the food or would you try it?


It's no coincidence that somebody just happened to offer you preps as part of a deal. You are who you are and you know what you know... everything happens for a reason.

If they look fine they probably are fine. If they smell fine, they probably are fine.

If you eat them and get sick, they weren't fine... ;)

k-os
10th June 2010, 05:21 PM
If they look fine they probably are fine. If they smell fine, they probably are fine.

If you eat them and get sick, they weren't fine... ;)


Ha! I was going to say to at least see if they pass the smell test.

MNeagle
10th June 2010, 06:06 PM
I wouldn't risk eating them!

Heimdhal
10th June 2010, 06:12 PM
hell no that wasnt tacky. Thats the best way to get cheap jars. Get em all!

willie pete
10th June 2010, 06:25 PM
Just curious, why do you want them? To re-use the jars? just wondering, I wouldn't eat any of the contents though

big country
10th June 2010, 06:51 PM
Absolutely to reuse them. Mason jars are expensive and we only have about 30 quart jars and approx 24 1/2 gallon jars right now. I would add them to my stash for future use. Plus if they're old antique jars they are a LOT thicker then the new mason jars you can buy new.

SLV^GLD
10th June 2010, 09:00 PM
Wow, I probably have 30 cases of jars... of each size. I push jars and lids out of my way all the time. They are infinitely useful.
You cannot have too many.
Depending on what was inside and if dates were used and if the storage conditions seemed okay I would consider eating the contents.
Otherwise, cheap jars cannot be beat.

big country
18th July 2010, 01:32 PM
Well I got to go pick up the jars today. We were slightly fooled by the amount of jars because apparently the lady that lived there saved EVERY jar, including mayo jars, pickle jars, jelly jars, peanut jars, etc... We took all the jars as a favor to the lady for letting us have them but threw away all the "unmarked" jars that weren't canning safe.

We ended up with ~50-60 quart jars, ~80 pint jars, and 8 half-gallon jars. They were all OLD jars and VERY VERY thick compared to the jars you buy today. Not saying that they're necessarily better but they are heavier. Most all the jars were ATLAS brand, but there were some BALL, KERR, and Golden Harvest jars in the mix. There were also 10 or so blue jars? They're definitely mason jars as they are BALL brand but they are blue colored, Kind of neat. We'll just wash them all and they will all be put to use eventually.

Glad we got them, it was worth it for free! We're not going to try any of the food that was still in some of them, the lids are rusted pretty bad from being in a damp basement and I don't want to risk our health. I'm sure it would most likely be fine but it isn't worth dying to find out. I'll get some pictures up as we get them washed out.

SLV^GLD
18th July 2010, 03:04 PM
NCHFP recommends replacing lids every 5 years even if unused. I don't live by that but I would get new lids for these jars if I were you, too.

Thicker glass is definitely better. It gives more surface area for the seal and is far, far less prone to breakage especially over years of use.

chad
18th July 2010, 04:39 PM
any old jar that has a rubber lined cap can be r-used for dry canning. mayo, salsa, whatever. you can't with them because they'll explode. however, if you regularly save the jars that pasta sauce or whatever come in, clean them really well, and dry can dry items with oxy absorbers they work great.

i had a threa, now lost, on gim that followed me using them for years. they work fine for dry canning. i have probably close to 100 of them from "whatever" that we have used for years. they pull a seal really well if you stick 1 or 2 oxy absorbers in them.

right now i have probably close to 55 jars of dry canned beans in classico tomato sauce jars...

muffin
19th July 2010, 12:19 PM
If you're willing to part with the blue ones, they're going for about 10 bucks each at antique stores.... And also any of the unusual ones mixed in...

k-os
19th July 2010, 01:25 PM
Glad we got them, it was worth it for free! We're not going to try any of the food that was still in some of them, the lids are rusted pretty bad from being in a damp basement and I don't want to risk our health. I'm sure it would most likely be fine but it isn't worth dying to find out. I'll get some pictures up as we get them washed out.


Just for the price of asking. I just think that is so cool.

TheNocturnalEgyptian
4th August 2010, 02:24 PM
Oftentimes, offering to pay for a semi-junk item (in the perception of the owner) results in you taking it home for free, whereas if you asked if you could have it for free you may not have gotten it.