Transporting jars while warm?

My friend and her mother will be coming over to can tomato sauce.

I doubt that the jars will be completely cooled by the time we finish canning and visiting.

Is it okay to move the jars if they are not completely cooled? Should I only send them home with the ones that have sealed? Should I deliver the jars to them at a later date?

If it is okay, any suggestions on how to send it home with them? My only thought is to send the jars in the original Ball boxes.

Thanks.

I would wait until they seal, but while they are warm is okay. You want to avoid glass-on-glass bumps, so the original box is great with its liner. In a pinch I've wrapped the jars in newspaper to keep them from bumping.

Mamachibi wrote:I would wait until they seal, but while they are warm is okay. You want to avoid glass-on-glass bumps, so the original box is great with its liner. In a pinch I've wrapped the jars in newspaper to keep them from bumping.

+1. The official recommendation is to have the jars calm for 24 hours after processing, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I am sure they will be fine with gentle transport.

I think the only other thing I would recommend is to keep the rings in place during their travels.

the main reason for letting them sit on the counter until completely cool in the center is that you want to make sure the contents cool in a reasonable time, otherwise you end up with a condition known as flat sour--this results from the jars staying too warm for too long. additionally, if something has gone wrong in the canning process--not processed long enough, or not acidified enough, or something else wrong--the microorganisms that would have been killed off will instead have a cozy little incubator to get them started in life.

in my canning classes i always send home warm jars--it's just a reality of time. as long as there is a seal, and as long as the jar is not tipped over so that the contents make contact with the lid, it is generally fine to move the jars. make sure that to tell your friends that when they arrive home with the jars they should be set out on the counter as if freshly canned and allowed to finish cooling with good air circulation around them (but not in a draft). they can safely go into the pantry once they have come to room temperature.