Help me label my jars

August 4, 2010 6:37 PM

I've got the canning bug this year - we'll have loads of produce, and I want to start pickling (in addition to jam and sauce). Yay! My problem? I need labels!

Specifically, I'd like to find round, stick-on labels that will fit on the lids. Then, when the stuff inside is used up, I throw away the lid, and don't have a label to pry off the jar.
Any great ideas on where I can find said stick-on label? Last year I searched and searched so many weird canning sites, I can't tell you. I also tried to search the Avery site, and that was an epic fail too.
So I've turned the hivemind - hope me, please!

posted by dbmcd to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

I just write on the lids with a permanent marker.
posted by ob1quixote at 6:41 PM on August 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

Here you are. I have found World Label to have the best prices too.
posted by banished at 6:44 PM on August 4, 2010

Wacky website but it seems to hit the mark...

Some here look to foot the bill

There seems to be a lot of options out there actually.
posted by nanojath at 6:47 PM on August 4, 2010

One year I came down with an odd aversion to the very idea of adhesive labels, and ended up sanding a frosted patch on the side of the jar itself (where there is a raised oval meant for a stick-on) with 120 grit wet/dry sandpaper (available in the body-work section of auto parts stores) and writing on that with a #9 pencil (up to HB would work about as well, really) which can easily be washed off with Bon Ami.
posted by jamjam at 6:58 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Hmmm. Last year, I drew labels, printed them on regular paper, cut them with a circle cutter (cheap, widely available, and fast) and stuck them on with rubber cement. It was the easiest way to get labels that were exactly the right size. I suppose you could cut circles out of label sheets, too.
posted by peachfuzz at 8:38 PM on August 4, 2010

Best answer: As an amateur beer brewer, I'll pass along the homebrewer secret: you can pretty much take ANY piece of paper and dip it in whole milk and once it's applied and dries, it will be stuck. I used to do this regularly with laser printouts on copier paper. I say get a paper cutter or sit down with some scissors, cut up a bunch of rectangles at the optimal size, dip in milk and stick them on. After it dries write on it. You can even get creative and use construction paper if you like to color code them.
posted by crapmatic at 8:41 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm a big fan of the "sharpie on the lid" approach. My pro-cook ex was fond of masking tape beforehand, but I've never found it necessary.

Product and date. Boom.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:19 PM on August 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

Avery 5294 are 2.5" rounds that fit on both regular and widemouth jar lids. That said, I am lazy and use Sharpie.
posted by catlet at 9:27 PM on August 4, 2010

Best answer: How About Orange has some super cute printable jar labels. She has really cute stuff in general.
posted by bibliogrrl at 10:13 PM on August 4, 2010

We just get them when/where we buy jars.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 4:53 AM on August 5, 2010

Sharpie on the lid. That way you always use the same jar/lid for sauerkraut instead of strawberry jam.
posted by JJ86 at 6:58 AM on August 5, 2010

I use lined scrap paper cut into even strips -- like 3/4 inch strips -- write the label and then use some scotch tape on either side. It creates a simple, cheap, uniform looking label and when I've used the jar I put up, I snap the paper label in half and peel off the tape.

I thought about buying labels but I didn't want to stick something to a reusable jar that would take an excessive amount of effort to remove (or goo gone). And then I am also canning when things are abundant for the sake of thriftyness so it seems less thrifty to go out and buy a pack of labels.
posted by countrymod at 7:09 AM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks folks - I've marked a few answers that seem to hit the mark for me.
More details - I wanted these to be somewhat attractive, because I often give stuff (especially jams) as gifts, therefore the "sharpie-on-masking-tape" didn't quite say what I wanted.
I didn't know circle cutters existed - guess what I'm buying with my next JoAnn coupon?
posted by dbmcd at 9:00 AM on August 5, 2010

Best answer: I'm on the same quest!

Last year, I used these Martha Stewart labels that I found at Michael's and A.C. Moore (see them in action here). They aren't perfect, but they were cute and gave everything a uniform look.

Here's what I've found online that I'm considering:

Custom labels by an Etsy seller.

Cute printable citrus fruit labels.

Various designs of labels and tags.

Lots and lots of customizable labels.
posted by xsquared-1 at 2:39 PM on August 5, 2010