Were crockery vessels used in home canning?
People have used crockery containers for pickling and storing food for centuries. An early example of a pottery jar used for home canning was what I call a “canning crock.” These were wax sealers with a groove in the top where a metal cover was placed and wax poured over the cover into the groove. Others, without grooves, sealed with parchment or cloth. Some of these are civil war era. Manufacturers used Mason’s patent on crockery canning jars as well as the famous Weir patent of 1893 utilizing a cast iron clamp pivoting on a wire bale. The jar sealed on the top with a rubber gasket between the top of the jar and a domed crockery or glass lid. The Weir jar was the forerunner of the modern cheese jar you still find at places like Swiss Colony or Hickory Farms. Some crockery canning jars, especially those made in Red Wing, Minnesota are in demand by both jar collectors and Red Wing pottery collectors. Red Wing, Minn. was a huge pottery town and many people specialize in collecting items
