We go through a slew of glass jars in this house. We eat a lot of salsa, applesauce, pickles -- lots and lots and lots of pickles! Instead of tossing them all into our blue recycling bin I wash them out and put them to good use. I love these plain and simple jars. When filled with the right ingredient, I think they are beautiful. These glass jars, of all sizes and shapes are readily found in my cupboards and on my shelves in the basement.
The beautiful picture above is from A Touch of Country, a new blog I have very recently discovered. I use my mason jars non-stop during the warmer months as they are a perfect way to display cut up vegetables such as celery, carrots, cucumbers, asparagus and other light snack-able items such as pretzels, bread sticks and cheese straws. The jars are also a perfect vehicle to house your utensils for a garden party. I love how she houses all the jars in an old milk crate. Isn't it beautiful!
If plain mason jars are too simple for your style, jazz them up quickly with a simple grosgrain ribbon.
Other good uses for mason jars are:
- Storing pencils, markers, and scissors in an office or craft room -- or as I have above my desk in the kitchen.
- Storing buttons and other crafting items
- Making and storing home made salad dressing (We rarely buy store bought dressings and we eat a lot of salads, so I make enough dressing to fill a jar and it serves us for a week or so.)
- Grandma's Strawberry Jam jars get cleaned out and sent back to Grandma in anticipation of the next batch!
- I love serving beverages in mason jars --whether it be sun tea, lemonade or even sangria. Fill the jars with ice, fresh fruit, beverage and a straw. So simple and so pretty!
- A perfect way to present candy, and other small snacks
- My kids turned one into an Ice Cream Jar where they dump all spare change (mostly mom and dad that they rummaged around for) so that when an ice cream craving hits we can run!
- I have a Fun Jar filled with folded pieces of paper... Little notes on each piece of paper say things like "Let's Bake Some Cookies" or "Paint Pottery" or "A Trip to the Bookstore" or "An Ice Cream Cone for You" or "Movie Time" and other things that we like to do.
- In the basement, next to his work bench Daddy has a bunch of baby food jars that he uses to store nuts and bolds, screws and other small items. He drilled the jars in to a piece of wood that hangs from the wall and when he needs a screw or nail all he has to do is unscrew the jar, take what he needs and place the jar back on the wall. Nifty, eh! (Though I am not certain there are many glass baby food jars there are anymore as most, unfortunately, seem to be plastic from what I have seen, these days.)
- I use glass jars of all sizes as miniature vases. They are perfect for freshly picked outdoor flowers such as daffodils, jonquils, tulips and roses! Line several jars up together on a windowsill or use them as informal centerpieces for a springtime luncheon.
I would love to hear some of the clever ways you recycle your mason jars!
