Old jelly glasses
When I stayed with Granny this week we went on a field trip to the basement.
A few years ago when she went outside for the first time, with Paul’s help, after breaking her arm, she told him it felt like she was going on a field trip 🙂 Since then we use the term in a joking manner when Granny does something unusual.
Since she became too feeble to make it down the basement steps she rarely gets to go to the basement. If she needs canning jars or something like that she sends one of us to fetch it.
Really the only way she can visit the basement these days is to walk around the house and go in the basement door where of course there are no stairs.
Yesterday we canned three runs of green beans.
It was her first canning of the year and we had an issue with the canner right away, but thankfully had another seal on hand to replace the leaky one.
The little bit of trouble we had got Granny to wondering if her old canner was still in the basement somewhere. I said I’d run down and look but she insisted on going with me.
After she heard about the half gallon jars I bought at the old antique store we visited she told me she wished I had asked her first. Her cousin sent her a whole box of them and I could have had them instead of buying any.
Once we found the old canner she wanted me to find those half gallon jars. It took opening several boxes.
While we were hunting the jars I found a real treasure: a whole box of old jelly glasses!
Old jelly glasses are my favorite type of glass to use. I know I’ve written about finding them at yard sales and thrift stores over they years.
No matter how careful we are there’s always accidents that end in a broken glass here and there. My jelly glass supply has been dwindling down in the last two years. In fact I bought eight old drinking glasses at the antique sale since I hadn’t been able to find any jelly glasses lately.
I told Granny “Well your basement was full of the treasures I wanted. If I had only known to shop here for free before going to the antique sale.”
When I quizzed Granny about where the pile of jelly glasses came from she told me a story that I found hard to believe.
Just down the road from us there used to be a little country store. It never had gas pumps, it was just a small store with goods in it. I can barely remember being inside with older cousins when we walked to get a coke. It couldn’t have been long after that when it closed for good.
The store was owned and run by Clarence Hemphill. Farmer Tim that I mention sometimes is Clarence’s grandson. In recent years Tim has used the old store to sell produce.
Granny said when Clarence was closing the store she went and bought the jelly he had left on the shelves so that she could have the glasses.
I loved the thought of them coming from Clarence’s store but found it hard to believe they’d been hanging around in the basement since then.
When I asked Granny if she was sure that’s where they came from she said “Of course I’m sure I bought them!”
Last night’s video: Ain’t a Thing for a Poor Man in Appalachia.
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We had those jelly jars for glasses too. Short ones and taller ones with those pop off lids. I am the one who breaks those in my house. I currently have quite the menagerie of drinking glasses; down to one of the Bonne Maman jar for everyday drinking & four glasses and two matching juice glasses from a yard sale and two heavy glass jelly jars with handles. I have a few Looney Tunes glasses and Smurf glasses from the 70’s that you would get from Hardee’s or maybe McDonald’s. I have them in a box for safe keeping, because I am certain I would promptly break the thin glass from which they are made. I am tempted to donate them and clear them out of my house. I have a summer memory of going to our small town library, we moved there in 1976, which was in an old building with creaky wooden floors and low bookcases to check out books with my mother and then getting something from Hardee’s or McDonald’s-whichever it was – to take home to eat outside while I started reading my new book and drinking out of the new character glass. I didn’t realize it then, but, those were really good days!
Jelly glasses – 1960s – Bama jelly came in glasses with flower patterns. I still have my Fred Flintstone jelly glass. And a couple of the flower patterns. All now displayed in the china cabinet. Good memories from simple glasses.
Oh how I enjoyed the trip to the old antique store! Thank you for taking us with you. Such treasures. Can’t wait to hear the books you will read us from your new/old bench under the apple tree. Tipper, you & your family are the best treasures yet! We are blessed.
My Mom is almost 96 & is in Assisted Living now so we recently had an estate sale at her house. The only things I wanted out of the house were the old timey things hidden away like my Great Grandmother’s large train trunk filled with great treasures. My Great Grandmother’s purse, hair pins, & her watch locket necklace were all in the trunk as well as old love letters she received from a disappointed beau. I also brought home all the jelly & snuff glasses & the small green dessert bowls from oatmeal. Pictures of my great grandmother were in the trunk as well as a baptism gown, crocheted baby cap & old timey baby bottle that belonged to my grandmother’s first baby who died at 6 mos. I grew up in a large Southern pink brick home in Mississippi with huge white columns & my Mom still lived there until recently. My brother & sister just wanted all the expensive furniture, silver, crystal etc & they kidded me about just wanting junk. That junk is as precious to me as pure gold. My family always called me eccentric because I loved old things & nature. My parents grew up in the depression & therefore always wanted the finest & fortunately Dad was very successful & could afford it all. I have always been the odd ball out & like the simple life & old treasures & animals. I guess I was a disappointment to them!
I remember the various dinnerware collected from jelly and cheese purchases, found in oatmeal, cereal, and detergent boxes. So useful. By the time my children came along I could only find jelly and some cheese spreads with pop off lids. so like when I grew up, my kids grew up with Jelly jar glasses and cheese spread juice glasses. The youngest two later shared a house together; when it came time to divide their goods, the only argument they had was who would get the jelly glasses! Daughter got most but younger son did get a few. I have searched for those jars since and have only been able to find 2 at garage sales.
For juice glasses remember Kraft Cheese had a great assortment in the refrigerated foods. Peanut Butter also came in beautiful milkglass stemware and dessert dishes.
This surely takes me down memory lane! We used jelly glasses also when I was growing up. The ones you found look just like the ones we had. Of course, over the years glasses got broken and then replaced with other types. I also remember when she bought a set of “Sunday glasses” as she called them. They were the dark green ones that looked like a pineapple with a little base. Congratulations to you and Granny on the first canning of the green beans! What sweet memories you are still making with her. Have a great day everyone!!
I can remember drinking out of jelly jars when I was at either Grandmother’s homes. I volunteered at a thrift store for years and don’t remember seeing any. What a treasure!!!
I enjoy going to farm auctions, where I know the farmer has retired. I have found so many canning supplies there.
One more thing, my canners are all older than me! 1950, 1953 and 1957! Make sure to have a dozen or so seals on hand and you can’t go wrong. Starting my 36th year of canning and the only problem I’ve had is my handles on the pressure canners breaking. Luckily, I have a handy husband who has re-made all of them!
It is great that Granny’s mind is so intact. That reminds me how I would get my Mom in my car and drive a few feet to my garden for her to enjoy. With a walker and a fold up chair, I was also able to take her to Dad’s graveside. So important to Granny are all those little things you do. My offspring will not have a field day if I pass, because they are not interested in old things. Actually, they are part of the generation that discards everything except what is totally necessary or beautifies. Through the years I have found homes for many items to prevent them getting tossed at a later date. I find a peace and solace when I used anything that once belonged to my parents. I made memory quilts and pillows from Dad’s old flannel shirts. I have the cast iron, and I carried my Dad’s leather keychain for a very long time. Your jelly glasses remind me of when I buy spaghetti sauce that comes in a glass canning jar. It is amazing that I get the sauce and the free jar….like I need more jars 🙂
I don’t remember jelly jars from my youth that didn’t have screw on lids. We made the jelly that went in them. I helped pick the apples, grapes and peaches that went into the jelly making. We drank from mostly from Grammaw’s snuff jars. The smallest kid might have a little dried beef jar. Daddy liked gravy made with dried beef sometimes. I guess that was his version of the SOS that our WW2 soldiers were served so famously.
I try to recycle everything I buy. It don’t always work but I really do try. I bought Solo cups so I didn’t have to wash real glasses and ended up washing the Solo cups. If you think I’m weird, I have to agree! So call me a hoarder, yep that’s me!
Did you notice the two rhymes in that last paragraph? I didn’t do that intentionally, it just happened that way. Maybe today is just a poetic fingers day.
I want to comment about something said in two earlier comments. To Glenda, for all of my life when people would be canning I would hear them say a run of beans or whatever they would be canning. I think it meant each time the pressure pot was filled with the jars and sealed I agree with Mint2Bee, we now live in a throw away world, even if an item can be replaced the cost of repairing it makes it cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one. If you can repair it yourself and not have labor cost this might not be as true. I mentioned a few days ago about collecting Coleman lanterns. I have lanterns from made the early 1900’s up to 1985, along with other things back then they were made to last forever with just replacing less than 5 parts and a little bit of common sense in taking care of them. I call this using but not abusing , this can apply to a lot of other things. Since 1985 most of their models have been cheapen by using plastic instead of brass and very thin metal for the 2 or 3 burner stoves. I would much rather spend few dollars repairing an older model than spend a lot more money on one of the new ones. Most of the parts needed are still available and can be fixed by anyone with just a little bit of mechanical ability. Piece of cake for the Deer Hunter.
Maybe I should have said pressure canner, my mind went blank and I can not think of the correct name.
They make things so complicated that it is hard to fix some stuff now. We have a Keurig coffee maker, that started throwing a ‘code’ that had to do with the water sensor. My husband is brilliant with fixing stuff (he’s a mechanic). He did manage to bypass the sensor by making all sorts of mods to the machine. It kept it going for another year, but it is failing again and he said he isn’t messing around with it again because it is all plastic and he had a heck of a time getting it put back together. This thing is only 4 yrs old & was expensive. Me personally, I’d rather just make coffee on the stove – it tastes better – but the convenience of make just one cup is nice, as I am home along most of the time. Alas, old things just have less to go wrong with them! I love reading your posts, RAndy, and the lantern fiddlin’ sounds interesting to see how you bring new life to them. Have a blessed day.
This reminds me of the bowls that came in boxes of Quaker oatmeal. I loved to watch Mom pull the string that removed the lid and find the dish. This must have been in the late 50’s, before Osha. I’m sure it wouldn’t be approved today. I haven’t thought of those dishes in a long time. Thanks Tipper for bringing up memories.
I remember those dishes in the oatmeal boxes. In later years, they were plastic. It was fun to see which piece was in the box.
The first time I came to the Folk School, June of 1978, I went exploring one afternoon after class and found Hemphill’s store. I went in and had a soda. Only one old man was in the store and we enjoyed a pleasant get acquainted conversation. I did that in future years but sadly he soon closed. Thanks for the welcome memory.
It’s very rare that anything gets broken at our house since our daughter left home. I remember glasses being in several products when I was a kid. My favorite milk glass came from a box of oatmeal. It held a full pint of milk.
I love that they are all matching! How great is that! My cabinet has many a one off jelly jar. Don’t believe I have two alike. Come to think of it, most of my kitchen wares are a hodge podge collection of treasures from my mom and aunts and I love them all dearly!
Oops! My late aunt had a steel trap memory of things like that too.
Whether a gift received or an acquisition from yard sales, etc. Not sure if it was because of living the tail end of the depression or just how things worked out.
Found some ‘jelly’ jars last year & they had a white plastic cap-lid on each. Picked up 6 or 8 so I can make pudding & serve them as an evening snack. Good seal without resorting to foil.
I remember glass jelly jars with pop off lids! Growing up we used them as drinking glasses too. There were the best kind of drinking glasses. We had a basement too, but ours even had a root cellar in it way in the back of the basement. At one time it was easy to get to. Then dad had a big furnace system installed and there was just a small walk way to get back to the root cellar. It wasn’t the easiest to get to it, so my mom stopped storing her canned and garden goods in it. It became a scary place because of all the ghost stories my older siblings told me about it. As I got older I realized they just wanted to keep me out of their winter play area. I did love our basement filled with boxes to look through, adventures of fun creative imagination that kept us kids busy while mom did laundry in her wringer washer and we hung the clothes up on the inside clothes lines during rainy or snowy days. A basement was handy to have. Sad most houses don’t have them now. I know ours just has a crawl space. Thanks as always for your blogs that always stir up our own memories of the things you write about. Good memories of jelly jars glasses and basements.
I like the little glasses with pop tops that has Braswell’s fig preserves in them. When I get too many I give a set to a friend.
I remember jelly glasses but not like your picture. The ones I remember were smooth and tapered from the top to the bottom. As many of us recall, back in the day things were made with forethought to their reuse and repurpose. Works like a charm for rural folks but not nearly so well for urban ones. One might think in a “green” society that idea would be revived but I doubt if on the whole society is that green. Probably the best motivation to conserve is having lived without and how many are left that have ever had to do that.
You were a blessing to Granny and she to you. I have to work at remembering that to receive something someone wants me to have blesses them more than me. My nature is to give rather than receive because I feel obligated to do for myself.
Tipper,
Today’s post reminded me of the old snuff jars that people in Northeastern, TN used as Jelly and Jam jars. They were mainly referred to as Jelly or Jam “glasses”. They were also used as drinking glasses, especially with meals.
Since the lids did not seal, there was a layer of melted food grade paraffin wax poured over the top of the content to “seal” the jar. The wax solidified at room temperature. This was intended to prevent mold and usually worked pretty well.
I love my small jelly jars. They have fed six grandbabies milk and juice until their little hands could reach around a regular drinking glass.
I love this and feel the same way. I keep almost all of my jelly jars though I don’t have any antique or old tyme ones. Old glass is so pretty.
I love the old jelly jars too. My Mother was a Hemphill. Her Grandparents had a store in Bridgewater NC. In the summer, she would go stay with them for a few weeks. The train tracks were close to the store. She would talk about riding the train to get there. I have my Greatgrandma’s rocking chair and a few dishes. One has a note taped to it that says early 1800’s so not sure how many generations that it goes back. My Grandmother, Mom’s Mother, was born in 1900. I have her set of dishes. I cherish these things and hope that someone will feel the same when I am gone.
I grew up drinking from jelly glasses. The last ones we had all got gone several years ago. I don’t recall seeing any for sale at flea markets or junk stores lately. About 2 years ago, I did find a snuff glass that is about 8 or 10 ounces . it’s quite old but in perfect shape. I like using it. Do you remember when snuff came in glasses like that? I don’t use tobacco in any form, but I worked in a grocery store while in high school and all the tobacco products were kept on shelves up by the cash registers. I remember those glasses from then.
Larry-I love those old snuff jars and have several. We drink out of them too 🙂
My daughter and her family are building a house where I grew up and found some snuff glasses. My mom and dad “dipped”snuff and it came in glasses. They must be over 60 years old…left in an old chicken house covered in dirt!!
I like those jelly jars as drinking glasses too and what a wonderful time you and Granny had looking in the basement for the half gallon jars. You just created another precious memory for yourself and Granny. I treasure special memories of family times with my Mother. Even though I know my Mother is in heaven, I sure miss her here.
Pap’s voice is always beautiful and so is Paul’s voice but on “Ain’t A Thing For a Poor Man in Appalachia,” Paul’s voice really stands out.
“Yesterday we canned three runs of green beans. ”
Your use of “runs” as a plural noun is one that has common usage in our neck of the woods, but I wonder about elsewhere. Both “Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English” and “Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English” cover run with respect to distillation.
The use of “run” as a noun which has to do with a streak is in broad common use, but its use in terms of a batch process (like canning) is, as far as I know, distinctively Appalachian. Or for that matter, it may be localized to WNC. Might be a good question to pose to the BP&A extended family.
By the way, “put up” isn’t in the Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English, but is in Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English.
Don, I live in CNY and I use the term ‘runs’ of….. all the time. Runs of laundry, runs of canning, etc… I didn’t think it sounded too unique, but seems like a few of the comments point to that being the case.
What a shame most products now days are disposable. It would be nice if more things could be reused or repurposed and become the “treasures” like you found with the jelly glasses. Not only are the glasses a treasure but Granny is such a sweet treasure as well 🙂
Your trip to the antique store revealed many treasures and I hope they do well with the sale this weekend.
I love how you relive and go through memories with Granny…Sorry she broke her arm, and prayers for her. I had never heard the slogan’ ‘run of beans’, but that is a good slogan. God Bless.
I too think old jelly jars have lots of character and they’re pretty too. Oh how I wish care would be taken like in times past! We live in the truly INSTANT generation. I’m glad you found the jars and I know granny is too. I love drinking from glass but it’s plastic time in summer going in and out. Breaking and falling on glass can be detrimental. (As a RN you see catastrophes before they occur.) Many years ago broken glass was a major problem. Joan Crawford (the actress) was to be a dancer but she cut her foot up badly as a girl jumping onto broken glass. I once told a millionaire friend to move his washer and dryer into the kitchen out of the basement. He did not and was found practically dead at the stairs bottom which did cause his death shortly after. Why? He was too STINGY to move his stuff so now he doesn’t have to worry about his money. His daughters can who have the personalities of the south end of a bull… BTW NO BASEMENTS FOR ME….
I’m sorry Granny got hurt! She is so precious!
It pays to pay attention, we never know there or when we’ll find a treasure. I like yard sales because you just never know what treasure might turn up. Although I have to say I haven’t been going to yard sales much lately. Covid has made me reluctant of groups of people.
I bet those old jelly jars cleaned up good!
Jelly glasses! We still have a few hanging around. Ours have been broken over the last 60+ years and since no one seems to sell jelly with pop lids anymore, I haven’t been able to replace them. Now some jelly comes in plastic too.
Granny buying up the jelly makes me think of a recent story. I had a couple that I was friends with ,& they operated a little Deli Mart. The store was really struggling because it didn’t have any gas pumps & a chain convenience store went in, up the road a piece. The convenience store was new & shiny, had gas pumps, and could buy things thru distr. for much cheaper & they were killing my poor friends’ little local shop. They decided to start offering some other, unique items & thought of making special homemade jams & jellies in their kitchen. Now, this was a USDA cert/inspected kitchen where they made pizza, baked goods, etc… So they made the jams & she was so proud of them – put them on the shelf. The next time the inspector came, they cited them for selling the jams w/out a ‘special processing permit’ to make them – EVEN THO the kitchen was inspected & licensed!!!! So she had to take them off the shelf (she was going to bring them home to eat). But he wasn’t satisfied with that. He made her pour them ALL OUT in front of him, so she couldn’t put them back on the shelf. And they had to pay a fine. I ended up with the jelly jars & we were all so mad & disgusted at the waste of food. NY has such ridiculous regulations about this kind of stuff, that it is nearly impossible to sell anything homemade w/out jumping through a lot of hoops. This kind of thing ended up putting their little store out of business & ended up bankrupting them. Lucky find for you, Tipper. Never seen any jars like that before.
I remember my mom getting jelly glasses I loved the ones with the cartoon characters on them. There were some very pretty ones too.
We had ones with the cartoon characters, and I still have one with Wile E. Coyote on it. He’s my favorite character.