I have a confession. I am obsessed with mason jars, and I don’t know where this love affair started.
I was going along my normal life and one day bam! I realized that I thought mason jars were cute. Almost like the feeling you get from looking at a baby or an animal.
I tried to talk myself out of how strange it is to love a clear glass jar and how trendy it is right now is not cool either, but I was finalLH caught by my best friend. She said “ You have a thing for jars, don’t you”.
That was years ago so I’ve had time to come to terms with my bizarre obsession.
Now that I have a blog, I wonder if other people enjoy these containers as much as I do.
They are so useful for storing items, come in amazing shapes and sizes and even have accessories.
I figured I should write down my love affair and all the reasons why.
History
According to Wikipedi the Mason jar was named after American tinsmith John
Landis Mason, who patented it in 1858.
John Mason had created and patented a design similar to what we see today - a glass jar, rubber seal and screw top design.
The article goes on to say he did not protect his patent after registering it which allowed other canning jars to be created. When he tried to sue for patent infringement in 1865 the judge ruled the patent had not been protected and was essentially null.
Vintage canning jars in color “Ball Blue”
The creation of mason jars were to find a way to preserve food when electricity wasn’t available. I have always been in awe of how people lived without a refridgreat or freezer.
I understand they stored root crops in cellars, and made apple ciders and wines from fruits, but there was no way to have fresh fruits and some vegetables prior to the mason jar.
These days we thankfully have many options for food preservation (see preserving strawberries guide here). We are also blessed to be able to go to the grocery store and purchase fresh fruits and veges no matter the season.
Over the years we’ve come up with plenty more uses for mason jars besides just canning.
Food uses for mason jars
Herb Garden
I was so excited when I purchased this Ball herb growing jar collection a few years ago.
It is still one of my favorite possession. The roots actually grow into the water so you can easily see them.
Herb Garden Mason Jar collection
Ball brand Herb growing kit
It appears these are no longer sold by Ball company. I have seen great DIY versions though.
Gather a wide mouth mason jar, a yogurt cup, soil and a cotton wick.
simply punch holes throughout yogurt cup to drain and hold cotton wick and place this in the jar. tighten metal band to hold yogurt cup in place and add seeds.
These are gorgeous on a kitchen windowsill.
The water needs to be changed out once a week to keep plants growing strong.
Grow Sprouts
Another amazing jar I found along my travels was a sprout jar.
The story with sprouts is that when a seed grows into a 1” sprout it is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. people believe if they eat this small sprouted green it will provide health benefits equal to new life.
I'm on the fence about any magical properties, but they taste good and are good for you.
These sprout lids allow air to the seeds and make it easy to change water twice per day.
I enjoy the slight bitter taste of broccoli sprouts, but some sprouts are mild and sweet with a nice, healthy crisp.
Fermenting Jar
I absolutely love sauerkraut. It must be my polish roots showing. As soon as fall weather shows up I crave sauerkraut just as much as I do pickles in the summer.
There is some evidence that fermented foods improve gut health. I didn’t realize all the things that you can ferment until I purchased this Fermentation Mason Jar.
The lids have a small cap to burp the jars and the metal springs press the food down to help with fermentation.
Alcohol Shaker Tops
You may be saying why, but I am saying why not! I found a picture of these cocktail lids on some mason jars on a Facebook page. The owner was asking what are these for.
I, myself, am saying woah!
I can totally see these on a cute metal tray with some cocktail olives or cherrys in a mini quilted mason jar. I never thought about a mason jar bar till right now.
Add some large Mason jars and label them “Moonshine” and you have a unique party table decoration.
Follow this link to get a 6 piece set of these, liquor pourers and sprout lids.
Drink Ware
I couldn’t make a list of mason jar uses without mentioning these lids with straws. Since I have a huge amount of mason jars, it makes perfect sense to use them as glasses when I have a large gathering.
These are great for outside because the lid keeps bugs off my drinks.
This fruit design is extra chic.
These bamboo lids have a more natural look.
I also stumbled across this cute mason jar tray on Wayfair.
Mason jar tray
Food Storage
We have a blog post that covers food storage with mason jars here. In order to can many items you can use a water bath canner and mason jars.
I prefer to purchase food in bulk for cost savings and I always need someplace safe to store food. Mason jars are a perfect option for storing foods you process yourself and grains, sugar and chips for later use.
Fruit Juicer Lid
This fruit juicing lid is pretty cool. Makes it easy to juice and store fresh fruits.
Decorations for home and gift
I can't help myself. Alot of the decorative mason jars are too cute!
Here are some of my favorite decorations and gifts.
Solar Light Hanging Jars
These hanging mason jar solar lights would be perfect in a tree, on a porch or up a walkway. Wayfair has them on sale now for $65.00, but with lights, jars and mason hangers they are too easy to make yourself.
Fill with lights and fake flowers, leaves or candies and celebrate the seasons.
Speaking of hanging mason jars, this hanger is sold separately to hang a jar anywhere.
Hanging Mason Jars
Hanging Mason jars
Call me a nerd if you want, but there’s is something about the glass, wood and black metal combination that makes this look cool to me.
I can imagine this in an entryway or replace the flower with a tealight and hang in the garden.
Flower Holder
They make flower frogs for mason jars too. Flower frogs allow you to arrange flowers into a jar evenly spaced out.
Chandelier
How cute is this? We finally got in to a local tea shop for lunch. Lettie May’s tea room in Morris, Il is the cutest little tea room with gorgeous, rustic decorations. And guess what we found for this blog piece?
A Mason jar chandelier!! The blue jars paired with blue crystals really make this piece pop!
Catch All
Bear with me on this one. I’m thinking of all the places where odd things collect like dressers in bedroom or counters of bathroom.
What about decorating a Mason Jar and using it to catch these stray items.
Change, receipts, business cards will all look tidy in a cute jar.
コメント