I make jellies and jams, and give lots away, and get some in return. Some people have returned just the jar and screw ring to me, and I have some jars that I'm wondering if I should give back.

Should recipients return the jars? Should they return the screw-on rings and tops?

Brian,  

 I'm from a family that cans quite a fair bit of stuff.  Everyone loves it if the receiver returns the canning jar and ring.  Allowances are always made, however, if the receiver of a home-canned item a) lives out of state or out of town, b) gives a home-canned item in return, or c) is completely uninformed of the labor of love that homemade jelly is.  Yes, I really do give it away to friends who do not understand the work I've done to make the gift, but I would never make them feel ignorant, for it was my choice to give it as a gift!   Sometimes I tell them that if they love what I made, I can refill their jar when I get it back.  That seems to be a nice way to let them know I reuse the jars without embarrassing them.

Remember that the lids should be used only once for a great seal. 

Opallady

Thanks for your thougts. (I sometimes cheat and reuse the lids once if the sealing area is still pliant...)

Giving the jar back, or another jar the same size is always welcome by people who can. Giving the ring back is nice, too, but unless you are absolutely sure it's dry under there, do not screw the ring back on. Rusty rings aren't nice to get back. :)

NEVER EVER re-use your lids! Not just because you waste your time if it doesn't seal, but also because there can be tiny imperfections that might cause it to lose it's seal slowly over time and you could end up eating food that shouldn't be consumed!

The cost of a box of lids is NOTHING compared to the risk of eating spoiled food.

My mom was a big time canner and everyone in the know was aware of her "rule"--don't return a jar, you don't get a full one next time=)   She wasn't mean about it or anything but the regular crew of recipients were very agreeable and it became a sort of running joke...although she did get the majority of her jars back ;)   Some people even bought a case of new jars for her so she had enough to work with whenever necessary:lol:

Gifts to new aquaintences or paperboy, mailman etc were exceptions to this practice.  They weren't getting refills:lol: