"...and haul it all up and dispose of it."
Did you start a compost pile at your new house? That stuff would be a great starter!
"I would like to keep the jars if possible though, anyone have any ideas?"
The jars should be just fine as long as you wash them out, then sterilze them in boiling water before you use them again. If any of the jar lips are chipped, throw 'em in the recycling bin; they won't seal properly.
Save any blue jars you find, especially if they have the twist on, one-piece metal tops! You can sometimes get $5 a pop for those at antique shops or flea markets. :)
I have a collection ranging from the smallest to the biggest. I use them to store dry goods, buttons, marbles, candle stubs; all sorts of stuff.
The canning jar is one of those things on my 'useful and beautiful' list along with things like rag rugs, wooden bowls and spoons, ceramic mixing bowls, old milk bottles, etc. ;)
I don’t have a compost pile and not too sure where exactly I would put one. My property is kind of funky the way it and the house sit and full of large trees and bushes. I just cleared out a bunch of weeds (who knew weeds could be illegal, the mayor apparently) and found 2 chokecherry trees. I have no idea how they hid all year on less than half an acre.
I found a box of 12 of those blue quart Ball jars with the Perfect Mason, and the metal screw on lid at a garage sale last year. He wanted $10 for them but since it was the last hour of the last day he gave them to me for $5. I had never seen them before. Hubby uses them for glasses.
I am quite frankly afraid to open those jars downstairs, some of the things looked alive when I went down there last time. I guess I just have to bite the bullet and go down there with the spiders and the bugs, like Nike says “just do it” It is so bad down there the last time we had a tornado warning I loaded up all the kids and we left town and came back after it was over.