>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

>> That flower feeling... at home... at work... or any time.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists.

At Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... >> On today's show, we explore the history of Mason jars and see why they make ideal vases for flower arrangements, large and small.

We'll visit a museum dedicated to them and see how one flower farm creates beautiful arrangements in them.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

A frequent vessel for any bouquet is the ever-present Mason jar.

While their popularity for events may ebb and flow, their near perfection as a vase endures.

They come in a variety of sizes and even colors, and are always at the ready to hold an unexpected bouquet.

Of course, the original intent is for preserving food, and as such are often gifted with wonderful delights other than flowers.

Of course, I return Mason jars to their owners, filled with flowers as a thank you.

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the Mason jar?

We're here at the Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie, Indiana, to find out more.

♪♪ Today we're here at the Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie, Indiana, to learn more about everybody's favorite vase, the Mason jar.

One brand of jars, Ball, began production in 1884 and continues to this day.

I'd like to introduce you to Tania Said, Vice President of Exhibitions and Programs, who can tell us more about the history of Mason jars and Ball jars specifically.

So, Tania, I am so excited to be here because I have this affinity for Mason jars.

They are a great vase and it's because of the construction of it.

It holds lots of water.

It's got a little smaller neck so it makes the flowers splay out.

It's a wonderful thing for flower arranging.

But I wanted to know more about the history.

And you have this amazing exhibit about crisis and canning.

There's a legacy between different events in our lives and the popularity of canning.

Can you tell me more about that?

>> The domestic arts can be something that are not always very popular, but during times of need, whether it be economic or whether it's a crisis like a war, World War I or World War II, or even the pandemic that we recently had, that it will drive interest in these kind of home arts.

And so food preservation really took off, and canning specifically really took off.

And that's when even shortages of some of the basic supplies that people needed were experienced during the height of the pandemic.

I think it's really fortunate that people rediscovered the art of canning, the art of home food preservation, because it provided this resurgence of interest in canning and made it even more relevant for this exhibition Crisis Canning today.

>> We went through a place called Gas City, which was a natural gas community because there was natural gas there.

So how do natural gas and jars go together?

>> So, what's wonderful about Muncie's history and several other communities that are nearby is that natural gas was discovered here, causing a gas boom in the late 1800s.

So jars are made from primarily sand to make glass, right?

And so to be able to melt that, it was the combination of the natural gas that we have here, plus sand dunes in Michigan City, Indiana, that could be transported here as the source material for those jars that help build the wealth of the ball family and the community at large.

>> That's so interesting.

So those wonderful sand dunes, the natural gas makes these beautiful vases... >> Yes.

>> ...for me to arrange flowers in.

>> Yes.

>> You were very kind.

You also gathered objects from your Heritage Collection.

Can we take a look at those?

>> We would love to show you those.

Our archivist and our collections manager have made sure that we have a very representative group to show you.

>> Thank you.

♪♪ >> We are so lucky to have the kind of collection that we do that represents Ball jar history and the history of our community, but in many cases, these are really rare examples.

We do our utmost to care for them in the most professional, mindful manner, including the kind of ether foam that you see here that's a barrier under the objects against this table here in the library of Minnetrista Museum & Gardens.

So over here we have a mold for Ball jar production.

And if you can look closely at it, you'll see that there's not only the Ball logo, but measurements along the side to make the jars more practical for use.

This beautiful blue jar over here is the Perfect Mason jar, and you see the Ball insignia on it.

And for die-hard collectors, they know that when those imprints and signatures change, that there's something that tells you the year or the period.

This is from the mid 1920s to the mid 1930s.

And then this clear one over here that even has the wire bale on top is a Ball Ideal jar.

These clear jars were considered to be a little more expensive to make as well.

And that color that you often see in Ball jars is from the sand that was used to make it, specifically the mineral content of the sand.

>> Oh, wow, okay.

>> So, J, if you look at this one over here, you might notice that it has a slightly different shape to it and even a tiny bit wider at the top because it was a freezer jar, and it was something that could be used to more easily turn the contents out.

And so that particular form would have been really important for the function of home use in that case.

Contract jars allowed for the company that wanted to put its contents into these jars to have it particularly made for them, and there would be no Ball insignia or logo on there at all, whereas a packer jar, like, if I were to turn this over, you would see that it actually says Ball on the bottom.

But it was custom-made for another company to add its contents as well.

>> So there's a few more we can look at, right?

>> Yes, there is.

Let's pull those out for you too.

>> Okay.

So, Tania, you talked about these colors being because of the minerals that were available in the sand.

>> This amber one, for example, that comes from sulfur and iron content that's a little higher in the sand.

>> Okay.

>> Yes.

This is a really special jar.

It's connected to our founder, Edmund F. Ball, and his signature is on the jar as well.

If you look at the box, you look at the jar, you can see the connection to 1776 and the bicentennial.

And so this was produced in a limited edition of just 5,000 jars.

So this too is extra special.

>> Finally, this is one of my favorites, the art in food inside the jars.

>> Food art its own special genre of food preservation.

And so we have here a fish and a cowboy.

Walter Jones, who did both of these in his retirement, won something like 7,000 ribbons or awards.

And that eggplant and the other vegetables in here have really stood the test of time.

These were done in the '60s and the '70s.

So here we are, still admiring this work by Walter Jones all these years later.

>> It's such a wonderful, wonderful archive that you have, and being able to make it available to us is wonderful.

I appreciate it so much.

>> It's been our pleasure, J, and I want to thank you and your team for coming to Minnetrista Museum & Gardens.

We are really honored to have you here to show you the Heritage Collection and also show you all what we're about here at the Minnetrista Museum & Gardens too.

>> It's our pleasure.

Thank you.

♪♪ It's not often, in fact, never before that I've had the chance to arrange flowers with a centenarian.

This is my friend, Mrs. Lois Boersma, who has invited me to her home to share some flower-arranging ideas.

Lois, thank you so much for having us here today in your home.

It's lovely, and I appreciate you talking to us.

>> Well, you're very welcome.

>> Good, good.

You were born in 1922.

>> That's right.

>> So that makes you 102.

>> That's right.

>> You were saying that people refer to you like that.

And can you tell me a little bit more about that, that they refer to as the 102-year-old lady?

So... >> Well, I'm often introduced as "this is Lois Boersma, and she's 102."

Well, you know, I would rather be just introduced as myself.

>> Yeah, yeah, I think that that's very important.

You have seen a lot of technology advancements in the world from radio, television, phones, cellphones.

What do you think is the most valuable piece of technology we have?

>> I think the first one I should remember that changed things immensely was the telephone.

Radio was quite new, which of course then led to television, which maybe doesn't lead to it, but at least then computers come and change everything.

They still baffle me.

>> [ Laughs ] Me as well.

I agree.

I don't think you're alone on that.

>> One thing builds on the shoulders of another.

>> Right.

You have a beautiful garden out back.

And did you enjoy -- do you enjoy gardening?

Is that something that's, you know, exciting for you or...?

>> I like gardening, but I can't do as much of it as I used to.

[ Chuckles ] >> Well, what's your favorite part about it?

>> Cutting the flowers and taking them in the house, I guess.

>> I love that.

That's the same as me.

I think that's wonderful.

So, this show is about Mason jars.

When we -- When you and I were visiting, you had told me that you're not really crazy about canning in Mason jars.

>> No.

I'm not.

When I was a child, I don't think you went to the grocery store, bought a lot of canned things.

They weren't there.

>> Uh-huh.

>> But women spent most of their summer afternoons, I swear, canning things, like peaches.

They canned applesauce, they canned all kinds of jams -- cherry, grape.

So as kids, we were recruited, so to speak, to help.

And I spent a lot of summer afternoons, beautiful summer afternoons in the kitchen, helping with the canning, which I sort of resented because we don't have that many beautiful summer days here.

And I really wanted to be at the beach or outdoors.

So I decided I wasn't going to learn to can myself.

So I buy my cans.

>> Would you like to make some flowers with me?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Okay.

Well, let's do that.

So, Lois, you inspire me because, you know, everybody has a different preference for what kind of flowers they like.

You like arrangements you can see over and that are lower profile.

>> Well, I make that claim more because they're better for the table so people can talk over, not have a barricade.

>> Exactly.

That's wonderful.

And I love the little arrangements.

And now, you said that this was a reclaimed one because his stem broke, but just these little accents around the house make me so happy.

I think that that's just -- that's the great part about it.

With your garden too, it -- I think that that's an interesting concept too.

So if we're cutting from our garden that some days there might be one or two flowers, some days there might be 10.

We don't know.

And you have a special greenery here that you like to use.

>> Well, that's really ground cover.

That's Pachysandra.

>> Uh-huh.

>> And you can cut any amount of it.

It grows back, so... >> And that's wonderful.

So you're going to make a style of arrangement that you like.

And I'm going to make one over here the way that I like.

>> And I think that's the best part, so yeah.

>> We'll try it.

>> Okay.

Alright.

That sounds good.

>> Should we start?

>> Sure, we'll start.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ How did you learn to arrange flowers?

>> I just learned by trial and error, I think.

>> Ah!

Self-taught.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I think you did a great job.

It's beautiful.

>> Anyway, for what it is.

>> I think that's wonderful.

Did you have fun?

>> What?

>> Did you have fun?

>> I always enjoy it.

>> That's the best part.

That's great.

Well, thank you so much.

I have a tradition.

I always make a flower crown.

>> Wow.

>> So, yeah, so this is a little flower crown for you.

♪♪ That looks pretty g-- right?

Right?

That's my favorite part, is whenever somebody puts on a flower crown, they always laugh and they smile.

So thank you for making my day and for sharing today with me.

It was fun.

It was fun for me to be with you and have a good time.

♪♪ ♪♪ There are two main types of yarrow -- yellow yarrow and cottage yarrow, which comes in a range of subtle, generally muted colors typically available from late spring through late fall with the peak season at midsummer.

All types of yarrow are perennials.

Cut them back and they will grow again stronger than before.

The flattop flower heads of cottage yarrow look like clusters of many individual daisy-like flowers, with easily distinguished center disks and ray petals.

Few cut flowers used in floristry have as rich a history in folklore and herbal medicine.

Yarrow has long been used to heal cuts and wounds.

In the Middle Ages, yarrow was regarded as a magic herb used for protection against all manners of disease and ill fortune.

Yarrow is often included in gardens in order to attract butterflies.

♪♪ Here's an easy technique for changing up the look of a Mason jar, especially as a way to add color and highlight any impression on the surface.

We've got different types of containers, and what I've done is I've painted them with an opaque paint.

Then what we're going to do is go through with a sanding block and sand off just the paint on these impressions to give us the same look as this bottle over here.

It's a wonderful way to do that.

This is a Mason jar that has a honeybee on the front, but there's also other containers that are out there.

This little bottle has a maple leaf.

This bottle has flowers around the base.

And this Mason jar has a wonderful little fruit display on the front.

It's the same one that's on this one.

But what's interesting about this is this jar is brown.

So when we sand this off, it's going to have a brown imprint on the center.

Let me show you how it's done.

♪♪ ♪♪ It's always great to go gently and carefully because you're going to notice that where you actually touch the glass, you can wear through a little bit there, too.

But we've got this impression all up and it looks beautiful right now.

So I'll show you a couple more examples.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ You can see experimenting with this technique will allow us to achieve different looks.

With these two, you'll notice that I rubbed more along the edge to give it kind of a shabby chic look, especially with the brown coloration of this jar.

This has a lot more definition.

Or we can just gently do it on a bottle like this and create a fun way for us to store things or to make beautiful vases.

So let's take a few minutes and fill these with flowers.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ This is a great craft to try out.

You'll notice that certain colors don't show off as well.

The pink, for example, doesn't show off as well as the blue or the green.

That's the fun part about crafting -- being able to get in there and try different techniques to see which one you like best.

My favorite part is filling them with flowers.

♪♪ ♪♪ Mason jars are a popular way to arrange and display flowers so much, in fact, that bouquet makers are assembling arrangements in them for sale at popular retailers around the country.

Join me on a visit to Kendall Farms for a fascinating look on how they retain the personal touch while incorporating technology to assemble bouquets.

You use Mason jars here.

>> Yes.

>> And I love that.

And you had to make your own special kind.

So tell me about that.

>> Yeah, huge fan of Mason jars.

They helped us tremendously.

And one of the things that what a Mason jar is, is actually square with rounded corners.

And so one of the things we found that we needed to do is have a Mason jar for every season.

>> Sure.

>> So to do that we made our own labels.

So this is an example of one of those labels that we have, a seasonal Mason jar throughout the year, so 365 -- >> So this is what it looks like?

>> Yeah.

So at the end this is what we have.

>> Wow.

♪♪ So what made you say "I want to do Mason jars"?

>> One of the big things that helped us with -- as a farm were growing flowers.

And those plants throw out stems of all different shapes and sizes.

>> Right.

>> And so normally you need 24 inches for a standard stem for a bouquet.

Well, we have lots of 14- to 16- and 12-inch stems, and I don't have a home for those.

So instead of going to the compost pile or trimming off, this allowed us to use those stems.

>> Like a beautiful bouquet.

>> Yes.

It's a huge solution for us.

We can have a Mason jar program.

>> I love it.

Thanks, Troy.

>> You bet.

>> And now it's time for my favorite part of the show, "Flowers from You," the viewers.

Today I have a few arrangements from Jackie James of Chicago.

She watches the show on WTTW.

Jackie writes, "After watching your Think Pink show, I used your ombré idea to help me put together this arrangement for work this past Thursday.

I sort of had an idea of what to do, but while watching the show on WTTW this Sunday morning, I saw your ombré pink arrangement and got a 'I got it!'"

>> Jackie, the colors are incredible.

You simply blew me away with this ombré-inspired centerpiece.

All I can say is 10, 10, 10s all across the board.

Thank you, my friend, for sharing.

Please send me your pictures of flower arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them "Schwankes" after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to j@ubloom.com.

That's the letter J at the letter U bloom.com, and watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

I hope you've learned more about the where and why of flowers in Mason jars.

These versatile vessels are a great go-to for arranging flowers.

You probably have some around, so I encourage you to enjoy arranging flowers whenever possible.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

And Ball jars specifically.

>> Good.

>> You okay?

>> Yep.

>> You can stop it.

>> Stopped it.

Alright.

>> Okay.

>> One take always, eh?

>> No.

>> [ Laughs ] >> It's a really good day.

Really good day, Tania.

Really good day.

>> Happy days.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Oh, is this supposed to be like bullets?

Like gun bullets?

>> Could be, yeah.

>> Chamber, gun chamber.

>> Is it... [ Indistinct talking, laughter ] >> No.

>> Is it still in -- It's still -- But it's in -- He designed those.

They're not -- It isn't nature.

>> [ Laughs ] This isn't nature.

[ Laughter ] >> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit uBloom.com to access all episodes of "Life in Bloom," plus exclusive flower videos, J's newsletter and blog.

Find recipes, flower tips, techniques, and much more.

Be sure to follow "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" on social media.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

>> That flower feeling... at home... at work... or any time.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists.

At Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... Closed caption funding provided by fabulousflorals.com.