freezing in glass jars?

[chewie]

with my goats, I get plenty of milk, and like to freeze some for when the girls are dried off. this year I did it in ziplocks, and I think when stuff gets shifted in the freezer, the bags get a tear and then the milk isn't so great.

In the past, I've frozen a half gallon jar on more than one occasion, and as long as it wasnt' over full, it did fine. can I freeze my winter stock this way next fall? I have all these jars that take a ton of space while the gals are dry too, so that'd solve 2 problems at once. not to mention, when thawing a bag of milk, they drip and leak and then I have to pour them into the jar anyhow.

maybe this is the wrong place to ask this, if so, please move it mods!

[stamphappy]

Well beer mugs are kept in the freezer many places, why couldn't jars? And you've done it before. Like you said, keep plenty of head space. And don't heat them up quickly, thaw at room temperature.

Might be a good idea to somehow mark the ones you freeze and when you go to use them for canning if any crack, you'd be able to make note for the next time???

[MO_cows]

I have frozen broth in jars, just have to leave head space and handle them with care when rooting around in the freezer. Also, I re-use 2 liter pop bottles by filling most of the way with tap water and freezing. Keeps the freezer full and efficient and stores water. So maybe you could use some pop bottles for the milk, too. My grandmother didn't go to the store real often when she got older, so she would freeze some milk right in the carton it came in, and that seemed to work out fine, too.

[motdaugrnds]

I often freeze goat milk in canning jars. Just leave couple inches of space and don't tighten lid until frozen. (Best to store them in the boxes those canning jars came in too as it protects the glass jars from other frozen items.)

[kasilofhome]

I did can milk. I will not give the instructions as I do not have them at hand and wish no one harm.

Now, the site (I got the instructions Maybe at Jackie clays's site) stated that some might curdle and some did. I used the canned milk for cooking with no issues. and the ones that curdled why the animals loved it. It did change the color to a tanish and it had to be shaken. I did this as the goats (just 2) over produced and I was not up and ready to make cheese. I used the frozen milk and canned it to empty the freezer to put the fish that comes all at once

[suitcase_sally]

If you are going to use jars, use wide-mouth tapered jars as they are designed for freezing. Don't fill past the "freeze line" on the jar. BTW, wide mouth quarts aren't tapered so they won't work (ask me how I discovered this). Liquids will expand in all directions when frozen. This means outward as well as upward. If the jar isn't tapered the expanion will crack the jar. Plastic jugs will work well because the plastic will "give". Beer bottles and some wine bottles are designed to take pressure also, but allow room for expansion.

[laughaha]

Canning in Ball jars is fine. I think it's the Golden Harvest jars that say not to freeze on the box.

[olivehill]

I have broth frozen in regular wide mouth jars. None have cracked.

[belladulcinea]

I use the Ball jars to freeze in all the time. Leave headspace and it is great!

[highlands]

I've done it and broken the jars. Yuck.

[backwoods]

We have frozen goat milk in 2 liter plastic soda bottles for years and it worked out very well. Same advice, don't overfill!