Around the same time as Mason, other countries around the world had their versions, such as Kilner and Norway.In the 1800's there were hundreds of different brands throughout the world selling essentially what we have come to call Mason jars. The most common North American brands are Ball, Kerr, Golden Harvest and Bernardin, all are made in the US & Canada by Jarden.Other brands such as Orchard Road and generic Mason jars are mostly made in Asia.In Europe we can still find Kilner, Quattro Stagioni and Le Parfait.

Jars were used by many a wife and mother to can and preserve food.

Nicholas Appert was up to Napoleon’s challenge—though his invention was a far cry from the Mason fruit jar that came later.

Appert devised a means to hermetically seal jars, which are just bottles with wider mouths. Interestingly, the heat killed the bacteria in the food product, but at the time people did not know that bacteria was the cause of spoilage.

They canned everything from mint jelly to beans to peaches in syrup.

As a very necessary tool in the kitchen, the canning jar helped many families make use of harvests well into winter.