Ready to preserve like a pro?
This year, you can too.

For the latest information on home canning…from safety tips, to basics, or hints from the pros, follow the links below.

Getting Started

Canning Safety

Canning Basics

Frequently Asked Questions

Take a look back at the milestones that have preserved Mrs. Wages® reputation as your trusted partner in the kitchen. We are proud of our high standards of quality that have truly stood the test of time.

1950

It all started with a feisty lady named Mrs. Wages who loved to put up food from her garden. She and her husband had a country store near Tupelo, Mississippi, way back in the early ‘50s that was a gathering spot for local farmers.

Decorative image of pots and pans

1960

A friend, Mr. Erskin Dacus of Dacus Drug Co., dropped by the store to inquire about a pickling lime recipe to add to a line of home canning products he was developing. Customers overheard the conversation and recommended Mrs. Wages’ recipe. Mr. Dacus tried her recipe and the rest is history! He bought her recipe on the spot and it became an instant hit.

Excerpt from newspaper describing Mrs. Wage's beginnings

1970

MID 1970's

Mrs. Wages® includes original pickle mixes (spices), vinegar, sealing wax, pickling lime, pickling salt, citric acid, fresh fruit preserver, and Home-Jell Fruit Pectin.

Mrs. Wages' pickling lime bottle
LATE 1970's

Pasta Sauce, Pizza Sauce, and Chili Base are introduced.

Vintage home canning machine

1980

1983

Dacus Foods was incorporated.

1987

Introduced Taco Sauce, Light Fruit Pectin Home-Jell, & Pickle It

LATE
1980s-90s

Salsa Line was introduced

Cartoon silhouette of various Mrs. Wages main ingredients
Vintage Mrs. Wages' Home-Jell box

1990

1995

Precision Foods Inc., acquires Dacus Foods of Tupelo, MS specializing in dry canning and pickling products.

1996

PFI admin moves to St. Louis, MO from Tupelo, MS.

1999

PFI moves admin functions from Tupelo, MS to St. Louis, MO. Tupelo remains open as a production facility.

2000

2003

PFI moves into a new 125,000 square foot facility in Bolingbrook, IL & closes Tupelo, MS facility.

EARLY 2000s

New logo is launched for a full rebrand. Ranch Products were launched.

new ranch products
2005-2010

Introduced different heat levels for the Salsa line.

2013-2020

New Product Additions: Guacamole, Spicy Pickle Mix, Taco & Fajita Seasoning Mixes, Pepper Jack Queso, Fruit Pie Fillings & Juices, Margarita, Salsa Con Queso, Zesty Potato Topper, 1 Step Kimchi, & 1 Step Coleslaws

Land o Lakes

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