That's strange… here in the U.S., the rubber sealed "canning jars" are and have been for a long time, a thing of the past. I'm not sure one could even buy the rubber seals. In fact, I buy a sell things from farm and ranch auctions to re-sell on eBay and I find that vintage canning jars with the "flip-over" bails to hold the glass lids snugly on rubber seals are a great item to resell due to their "antiqueness".
We can a lot of things… vegetables, meat and, of course jellies, preserves and jams and the typical "canning" jar comes with a lid that has a 'pimple' in the middle that sinks with a noticeable "ping" when the contents cool and cause a vacuum to form.
See here:
http://www.walmart.com/c/kp/canning-jars
The jars (and lids) come in lots of different sizes as well a decorative ones and more work-a-day ones...