In this article, you’ll find detailed information on how to label mason jars for food storage correctly.
Effective labeling strategies allow you to avoid common problems like rubbing off, falling off, and legibility.
How to Label Mason Jars
Mason jars are widely popular for the wide range of benefits they offer.
One of the most common uses for mason jars is food preservation. Now, proper food preservation requires correct labeling. To avoid a messy labeling job, you need proper guidance on how the process should be done.
The following procedures are straightforward to follow and help organize your kitchen pantry.
About Mason Jars
Before we get into details on Mason jar labeling, it’s essential to provide a brief background on how this helpful storage jar came about.
It all started in 1858 when John Landis Mason invented and patented what we know today as the Mason jar.
It quickly became a ready solution for food canning as it had all the characteristics needed, including a threaded neck with screw-on zinc with rubber rings for airtight sealing.
Overall, mason jars have been around for centuries helping with food preservation. With that said, let’s return to the main focus of the discussion.
Proper Labeling Mason Jars for Food Storage
Whether you want to preserve jam, pickles, herbs, teas, spices, etc., mason jars will primarily meet all your needs.
However, for storage to be complete, adequately labeled jars are needed for easy identification. Not doing this can create confusion, especially when you have multiple mason jars holding stored food n your pantry.
How effective your labeling depends on what your needs are. For some people, anything goes as long as it indicates what’s stored in the jar.
However, some other people are more specific about the look or quality of labeling. Some others may wish to start a business by producing highly appealing Mason jar labels.
You’ll find this section helpful and informative in whichever category you belong to. So, what are your needs? If you want to add some style to your Mason jar labels, you may have to consider your preferred shape.
In personalizing your label shapes, you may choose from oval or circular labels, choose from custom shapes, or go with a square or rectangular label.
Whatever you decide is all up to you as long as it fits your requirements.
Features of a Good Mason jar Label
Picking the correct label for your mason jar will require considering certain factors. Tags must be resistant to heat and cold.
This is necessary to avoid such getting destroyed when exposed to extreme temperatures. Being waterproof and having a solid adhesive are additional features worth having.
Does the material allow for easy writing with a permanent marker? Is it non-toxic? It definitely should be non-toxic as it involves food.
A good Mason jar label should be foil stamped, have a smudge-free print, and be sturdy and of high quality.
Starting a Mason jar Label Business
We earlier mentioned that this article serves different audiences as readers will seek to find answers to their specific needs. So, persons seeking to start a Mason jar label business may have to consider certain factors.
These include researching the market and assessing your competition.
Other factors include how the label speaks of your brand, choice of a customer label shape, quality of material, and how it holds up under extreme temperature conditions.
A lot more work is needed, including a plan (business plan), marketing, and distribution of products.
Creating your Mason jar Labels: DIY
If you plan on creating a basic label design for your Mason jar(s), there are simple ways to go about it. Now you don’t necessarily need to get a label material or paper as such labels can be created directly on the Mason jar(s).
This is the most straightforward labeling technique to adopt, and we’ll expand on it.
If you’ve bought your jars, have them readied by washing and allowing same to dry appropriately. You’ll need an oil-based based marker for this labeling procedure.
You may need clean mistakes that may result from labeling. Some lemon essential oil will serve this purpose.
Now, brainstorm on how you want your label to look. Here, factors like using all uppercase or mixing both upper and lower case letters will need to be decided.
With labeling completed, what remains is to have your jars filled up with food for safe storage.
i. Buy your Mason Jars
To begin with, you’ll need to get the Mason required jars for food storage. Your specific needs will largely influence how many of these jars you buy.
ii. Have them Washed and Dried
It’s time to have your jars washed and thoroughly dried. For proper drying to be possible, you must remove the lids, and the glass jars are turned upside down.
iii. Get an Oil-Based Marker
An oil-based marker will be an excellent fit for your labeling needs. For the most part, this marker won’t smudge. Writing with an oil-based marker will mainly serve your needs.
iv. Make Provision for Correcting Labeling Mistakes
It’s essential to make provisions for mistakes that often arise from labeling. However careful you are, the chance of making a mistake is high.
So, you’ll need to be able to clean such without difficulty. Luckily, lemon essential oil serves this purpose. You only need a drop of this oil to remove the paint.
v. Brainstorm on Labeling Style
Before you begin writing on the Mason jar, deciding how it will go is essential.
As stated earlier, you need to decide on the letter case as well as the size of the writing. Sometimes it may be necessary to re-write it where essential to train your hands and mind.
Now write what you want on the jars, and if there are mistakes, have them corrected. You might want to repeat this process until you get it right.
vi. Fill up Jars with Food
Your jars are now ready to be loaded up with food for storage. It’s up to you what you choose to preserve in these jars.
Labeling Mason jars for food storage isn’t rocket science. It’s a basic procedure you can complete in record time if you know what to do.
We’ve provided information on how to get things done. With these, you should have no problems at all.