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How you seal your honey jars?

54K views 36 replies 15 participants last post by  spreerider 
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#1 · (Edited)
Hi there

I am looking to gather more information from the experts here about sealing honey jars ... How you seal your honey jars, if you are using machines, kindly attached the links!

Thank you!

 
G
#3 ·
Mark, I am looking for more safety for my customers, Right now I am sealing from the outside but sometime, the honey leaks, so I am looking to seal it from the inside ..thank you for your reply.
 
#4 ·
I bottle thousands of lbs of honey each year which are sold directly to stores. I don't know what you are doing w/ your jars that your honey leaks from them. I don't seal my jars, neither does Dutch Gold, and I can stand my jars on their lids and not have any leaks. Not that I do that. So I don't know what to suggest you do differently.

How do you seal them from the outside?

My Mom used to put up strawberry jam sealed w/ a layer of wax and then a screwed on cap, Mason Jars. Is that what you are looking for?
 
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#5 ·
I don't have that much leaking, but I wanted to add extra sealing from the inside, you know those self sealing seals ... now a days the people are so picky, that is why I am giving them a high-End Product and also I am always working to add more safety to my jars, thank you so much for your reply.
 
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#8 ·
Sounds like you are looking for a seal that gives the consumer confidence that it's not been tampered with as opposed to preventing leakage. They are common on many food products and we've all seen them. They are placed inside the lid and are pressure sealed when you screw it down. When the lid is removed there is a seal that often says 'Sealed for Your Protection'.

Kelley sells them as well as some of the other beekeeping suppliers. Also available from many other non-beekeeping suppliers. Not familiar with any machines that seal jars but I'm sure they're out there if you can afford them.
 
#13 ·
Most plastic squeeze containers with a flip-top lid come with these already inside the lid. They are not as common for glass so you may have to purchase them separately if you want to use them. Yes, place them inside the lid and screw it down tight.

If this link doesn't work then go to Kelley's website, select Honey Jars & Containers, then scroll down to Polyfoam Pressure Seals.

https://kelleybees.com/Products/Detail/?id=3336333433393339&grouped=1
 
#18 ·
Most plastic squeeze containers with a flip-top lid come with these already inside the lid. They are not as common for glass so you may have to purchase them separately if you want to use them. Yes, place them inside the lid and screw it down tight.

If this link doesn't work then go to Kelley's website, select Honey Jars & Containers, then scroll down to Polyfoam Pressure Seals.

https://kelleybees.com/Products/Detail/?id=3336333433393339&grouped=1
I couldn't tell, do these come in different sizes? Such as for 1lb., 2lb, or 5lb.?

I really gotta say that imo anything more than filling jars and screwing on caps is overkill. I guess I can see using tamper proof seals, but vacuum seal? Unnecassary.
 
#20 ·
I also have trouble with mason jars leaking. No matter how tight I try to put it on; I do fill as much as I can to make it 23 ounces. I use Ball jars and Walmart's Mainstay. The lids that are included are the 2 part kind, rim and inner cover.

I haven't resolved the problem yet, though I did buy some separate twist on metal lids that I haven't tried. I hate to throw away a perfectly good lid. I also prefer glass because I think honey looks prettier and are healthier than glass. I use plastic for smaller amounts of honey.
 
#23 ·
I haven't resolved the problem yet, though I did buy some separate twist on metal lids that I haven't tried. I hate to throw away a perfectly good lid.
Those two part lids are capable of making a good seal, they are used in home steam canning on a regular basis and work fine. Since you are are not using the steam (vacuum) process with honey, you may need to tighten the lids more. Perhaps the tool that is generally used to loosen these lids may work for you in tightening the lids.


(photo linked from: http://www.equipmykitchen.com/2008/...er-the-tool-exerts-the-pressure-not-the-cook/
similar items are available at Walmart)

As far as not having to throw away the two part lids, find someone local that does home canning. At a minimum the flat part of the lid is valuable and usable by anyone doing home canning. Walmart sells a dozen of the Mainstays brand flat lid parts for about $1.50. National brands like Ball cost more.
 
#24 ·
Thanks RS, I will get one of those tools. I need one anyway as I often have trouble opening jars.

Mainstay jars have lids packaged separate from the jars, so selling lids is a good idea too. I can use my 1 piece lids for those jars.

I've noticed that with Mainstay I can easily get 23 oz in, whereas Ball leaves very little room on top with 23 oz. Ball jars are the ones that I have most problem with leaking too.

typo in my first post, I meant honey healthier in glass.
 
#25 ·
Just curious bevy, why don't you simply put a little less honey in your jar, say 20 ounces? I bet you have to be really careful filling jars so you don't over fill them.

My recollection of when Mom canned pickles or beans or jelly was that once the flat lid was sealed down to the jar the ring came off to be used w/ the next batch. The ring and flat part weren't supposed to make a tight seal on their own, it was the pressure cooking that created the seal. So, I think that using canning jars and lids and expecting a leak proof seal may be beyond design expectations. Proper tool for the job? Maybe?
 
#26 ·
Mark, you are right. I need to either buy separate 1 piece lids (assuming they are going to seal tight) or switch to all plastic jars.

And yes I have to be very careful filling. I try for 23 oz because I mostly sell those and 12 oz, which I price at half the cost of mason jars. Not sure my logic in that though. Maybe I make things too hard for myself.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I love the look of clean sparkly glass with honey in it (or other colorful foods like jams/jelly) . Love the canning jars as they are reusable. Not too fond of foods in plastic jars. It seems more and more foods are coming in plastic jars and not glass. The benefit of canning jars is they are strong and can be reused for canning or freezing foods. I put a lot of foods in canning jars in the freezer. Those types of jars can take heat or cold.........just don't give them thermal shock or they can crack.

We have been using a new Food Saver to vacuum seal canning jars of food for the freezer (tomatoes, fruits, berries). It can also be used for sealing stored dehydrated foods. However, just vacuum sealing a jar of food alone, does not preserve it. Canning is for that. Of course, honey does not need the extra treatment.

If someone wanted to vacuum seal their jars of honey and then sell them at a self serve stand, the customer could check for the "seal" to know it was not tampered with.

I believe there is a You Tube video that shows how to vacuum seal things like your hex jar/lid combo. Just need to get the jar with lid on into a larger jar. Vacuum seal the larger jar and when you release the pressure on the larger jar, the smaller jar seals.

~~~~~~~~~~
 
#31 ·
We use glass jars and two piece metal lid and screw them on. Leave a 1/2 inch of air space above the honey and have no problems with leaking.

To get a vacuum seal with these lids, screw the lid on slightly loose so as the honey and air expands when heated in a hot water bath, and some air is exhausted. Remove jars from the heat, screw the lid down tight and when the honey and air cool they contract and will create a vacuum inside the jar. Never tried it with honey but this works nearly 100% for home canning.
 
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