Do cloth and paper covers over jars have a practical purpose?

8 years ago

Just one of those things I've wondered about but never really knew any one to ask: In books, magazines, blogs, and commercial websites we often see rounds of decorative cloth or paper covering home canned foods, often tied with twine or ribbon. Do they really serve any practical purpose?

Are they dust covers originally meant to make long storage in a primitive cellar a bit less grimy?

Perhaps they are vestiges of a time when people covered their jars to exclude light where there was no cellar.

Were they originally used only on wax sealed jars?

Are they meant to be reminiscent of the cloth covers some people used to (and still do) used to cover open crocks with?

Are they just a 20th century invention meant only to add color and charm to gifts of home canned food?

What do you think?

Featured Answer

Sarah Hudson

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

my granny used squares of scrap fabric from the kids clothes to put on top of the jars as a dust cover because they lived in the oklahoma during the dust bowl, and they storred all their canned goods in the cellar. Which wasn't as good as our cellar now days. She would can through the fall and in the winter time she would embrodoir the square clothes and all hers were color coded, blue was for fruit, green was vegtables, red was meats, and purple was jams. There was other colors but I don't remember what colors were for what. when she got ready to use them she would set the dust covers aside and wash them out later. I inheritated several of them when she passed, but I don't use twine or ribbon to secure mine, i just use rubberbands. obviously I probably don't need to use them like she did. But it makes me feel connected to her when I do. So I do.

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Comments (7)

annie1992
8 years ago
I believe they are decorative only, and when I process 700+ jars in a season, I'm not fiddling with it.

Annie
matthias_lang thanked annie1992
digdirt2
8 years ago
Agree that they are decorative only, mostly used when given as gifts.

Dave
matthias_lang thanked digdirt2
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years ago
I've seen old jars of preserved fruit etc in historic houses which date from the 19th century. Paper or fabric was tied down tightly over the jars as a lid in a time before plastic or canning lids. Over here where we do not can traditional jams, jellies or chutneys we can buy cellophane jam pot covers for covering the jars. I don't use them because the preserves tend to shrink through evaporation. I reuse screw top jars.
matthias_lang thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
irun5k
8 years ago
Many recommend removing the bands after canning since they serve no purpose at that point and can lead to other issues. Perhaps some use the decorative fabric/paper since the jar can look a little "bare" when the band is removed and the jar is gifted to someone.
matthias_lang thanked irun5k
HU-313415449
4 years ago
Im sure those are ferments
HU-313415449
4 years ago
Ferments or they got all the oxygen out then poured wax over top to seal perhapes there was a canning lid shortage .