Learn some more clever repurposing mason jar ideas.

Canning season is upon us and that means you are inspecting your mason jars for wear and tear and taking those jars out of your rotation. In addition, it’s common to have way more jars than needed as garden harvests tend to ebb and flow over the years. That means you always have a supply of extra mason jars and are on the lookout for mason jar ideas. If you aren’t a canner with a supply of your own jars, then this is the time of year where it is easy to find mason jars at yard sales and thrift stores.

Mason jars are seriously one of the world’s most useful and versatile inventions. In our home we use them for food preservation, both canning and freezing (as an alternative to plastics containing BPA), and as many other uses as I can dream up. They make great catch all containers, change jars, pencil and paintbrush cups, but there’s so many more mason jar ideas.

Of course, there are so many more clever and unique uses out there for mason jars than those mundane uses.

9 Insanely Clever Repurposing Mason Jar Ideas

1. Adorable Love Birds Diorama – Make your own tweet sweet diorama with a mason jar, fabric scraps, faux grass and fake birds.
2. Lavender Diffuser – Add dried lavender blossoms to a mason jar, top with a coffee filter and wrap with twine and place wherever you need a fresh scent.
3. Spa in a Jar – Make up your own “Spa in a Jar” kits that make the perfect gifts for your friends.
4. Mason Jar Floating Candles – Add a little farmhouse chic to your next special event with mason jar floating candles.
5. Sewing Kit Mason Jar – Create a practical on the go sewing kit complete with a pin cushion lid.
6. Mason Jar Terrarium – Make a terrarium with a mason jar and have an instant mini-biome in your home.
7. Salad in a Jar – Easy peasy way to pack salad for lunch while keeping everything crisp and fresh.
8. 5 Minute Mason Jar Lamp – 5 minute lamp? Need I say more?
9. Vintage Matchbox Car Mason Jar Snowglobe – DIY your own super cute mason jar holiday ornaments.

Related on EcoSalon

20 Ways to Use a Mason Jar That Have Nothing to Do With Canning

DIY on the Fly: Mason Jar Herb Garden Planters in 6 Steps

Blue Ribbon Country Canning: Pickled Vegetables Recipe

Top Image: TheShabbyChicWedding

The post 9 (More!) Mason Jar Ideas that are Insanely Clever appeared first on EcoSalon.

A Mason jar isn’t just retro-chic, it’s also extremely affordable and functional. We turn some into herb planters. Ooh la la!

If you haven’t gotten on the Mason jar train just yet, let me be the first to strongly urge you to do this. They make life so much easier. In the kitchen, I store all my bulk grains, nuts, seeds, beans and flours in them. They’re easy to store (we have great pull out shelves) and there’s no guessing what’s inside (I learned the hard way: mark your flours).

We also use these in the fridge instead of yucky plastic to store leftovers, homemade nut milks, and juices. They store well in there, too, and unlike plastic containers, I can easily see through the glass to know what we have to eat, instead of opening a plasticy rotten mess too late.

Mason jars have other uses around the house, although I keep any new acquisitions in the kitchen rotation—seems we can’t get enough!—but they can be storage savers for nails and screws, buttons, odds and ends. If I were a candle person (but I’m not), I’d make my own Mason jar candles. I have made lotions right in Mason jars before, and that’s quite fun, too (next tutorial?).

What I haven’t done, yet, but am willfully relinquishing some of my kitchen stash to do ASAP, is make Mason jar herb garden planters. Sounds easy enough, right?

My partner has the green thumb in our house, but even I know that plants need drainage. So, I was a bit confused about how a sealed glass jar would be a suitable environment for plants, especially yummy ones I plan on eating. But a little Googling and I learned a thing or two. Most experts recommend doing the following in crafting Mason jar planters:

1. Start with clean Mason jars. Soap and water should do fine. You can vinegar rinse them too for an extra clean.
2. Use small rocks or marbles for drainage (aha!). Place these in the bottom of the jar. For a standard quart-sized jar, fill about 2 inches of rocks or marbles at the bottom.
3. The website Homegrown and Healthy recommends adding about ½ inch layer of activated charcoal next, which will prevent mold from contaminating your garden (a risk when there’s no drainage).
4. Next, add your soil. A rich, organic soil is best. Add a little compost as well and more soil. Leave about an inch from the soil line to the top of the jar (about where the jar neck starts), and do not pack the soil. Leave it loose.
5. Finally, add your herbs. Whether you do this with seeds (follow the seed packet instructions) or starter plants is up to you. Choose herbs that will do well with the light you have. Recommendations for kitchens include basil, mint, cilantro or parsley.
6. Water lightly. You’ve got very limited drainage, so your soil will stay moist.

For the super crafty, the next step is to build a stylish repurposed Mason jar planter holder. If you’ve got a lot of wall space, this can be quite the way to transform a well-lit room. This can be done with old pieces of wood or metal, an empty drawer, just to name a few ideas. Check out this fun wall planter tutorial from Not Just a  Housewife.

Happy growing!

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image used with permission by  JessIsMore

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Upcycled home decor using stained Mason can be a rewarding DIY project.

Stained Mason jars are super hip in DIY home decor right now, but finding the vintage ones can be really tricky, and when you do find them, they’re often super expensive. Instead of shelling out big bucks for a genuine stained Mason jar, you can pretty easily make your own! Here’s how.

My favorite part about staining jars is that you’re not limited to Mason jars. Got an old pasta or baby food jar? A translucent coat of color makes them look so much fancier. I love the look of a cluster of stained jars on a mantle or as a centerpiece for the table.

One note about this staining method: To keep this as eco-friendly as possible, I chose white glue as my medium. White glue is water soluble, so you want to avoid getting these wet when they’re done. You can still use them as planters or vases, just be careful of any splashing, and gently dab water off of the outside immediately to avoid messing up the finish.

Ready to get staining? Let’s go!

You’ll need:

• clean, label-free glass jar
• white glue
• food coloring
• small plate or for mixing color that you don’t plan to eat off of again. (You can use this to mix paint for other projects, but the glue might not come off, and I’d hate for you to ruin your nice dishware!) An empty produce tray will work, as well.
• sponge brush that you don’t mind possibly ruining
• rag that you don’t mind staining

Method:

1. Pour a generous dollop of white glue onto your plate or tray, then add a few drops of food coloring. Use your sponge brush to mix the color well.

2. Using the same brush, paint your jar all over the outside with a coat of the dyed glue. When it’s nice and coated, turn the jar upside-down on the rag, and leave it to dry.

3. It will take a few hours at least to dry completely, and you’ll want to check on your jar periodically. The thinned glue is going to run a little, so inspect the jar a few times as it’s drying and use your brush to fill in any bald spots with a little more glue/food coloring mixture.

4. When the jar is totally dry – I’d wait overnight, especially if you had to repaint any spots – you’re ready to use it however you like.

 photos by Becky Striepe

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ColumnFrom recipes to love, Ask Foodie Underground has the answer.

Dear Foodie Underground,

Are dietary restrictions a right or a privilege?

When you disconnect that IV (irrevocably vegan) drip and venture into someone else’s dinner party, should you ask or expect your frantic host to accommodate your dietary demands?

Is it the host’s responsibility to prepare an extra buffet table to deal with your antipathy for meat, cheese and wheat stalks? Or are you obliged to give your dietary mandates the night off?

I am eagerly awaiting your answer, if not the next bowl of edamame.

Hip Deep in Hummus

Dear Hip Deep in Hummus,

Dietary demands are a touchy subject, but with a little social finesse you should be able to wow any guest at your next dinner party. These days, it is in fact the host’s obligation to check in on dietary restrictions. You don’t want anyone passing out at the table because they’re allergic to peanuts and your chocolate mousse was sprinkled with them, now would you?

People are allowed to eat as they choose, whether or not what they’re eliminating from their diet will actually have a negative effect on them. It’s not up to you to determine what makes them feel good.

That being said, if you’re hosting and your specialty involves a hefty dose of dairy, gluten and carnivorous delights, make it. Extra buffet table? No. But be sure you have at least one dish that satisfies a variety of dietary restrictions; it will push your culinary limits after all, and you might find yourself concocting a recipe you soon can’t live without.

And a word to the wise: Eat what you want, but if you’re the kind of company that is off nightshades and eggs, but you don’t offer to bring your own dish so that your gracious host doesn’t have to go out of their way to cook for you, you can expect them to start befriending some new dinner guests.

With love and sea salt,

Foodie Underground

***

Dear Foodie Underground,

I like to pretend that I love quinoa as much as the next person but really all I want is hot wings.

How do I make delicious hot wings but present them as “foodie couture”? How would I incorporate a mason jar so that I can do the whole country chic thing?

Thanks,
From Me and America

Dear From Me and America,

I appreciate your nationalistic attitude, it’s important to celebrate local food tradition after all! And who says wings and foodie couture can’t go together? There’s a reason Pok Pok opened up a New York City location after all. All you need to do in order to feel no shame bringing your wings to a foodie party is to put an edgy flavor in your glaze: cardamom, fish sauce, sesame seeds… the options are endless.

And while you’re at it, go ahead and serve them in a mason jar. Just make sure there is a layer of herbs that accompanies the flavor of the wings lining the bottom. The last thing you want to do is make something that isn’t food porn worthy. You might just start a new food trend that even Paula Deen can get behind.

With love and sea salt,

Foodie Underground

Have a question? Send it to Ask Foodie Underground. Email food [at]ecosalon[dot]com with any and all food questions. The more complicated the question, the better, and we won’t say that we can be bribed, but if it comes with a food porn attachment or a recipe, you just might get a response a little quicker than you think.

The post Ask Foodie Underground: Dinner Party Etiquette and Foodie Couture Wings appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIf only food conversations were this interesting.

“All I had to bring was this jar of homemade pickled carrots.”

“Oh the popcorn? Yeah, it’s the truffle oil that does it.”

“It was Sunday. So I got the pan-fried trout.”

These are all direct quotes that I overhead, or caught myself saying, in the last week. If you spend any time around food lovers, or are simply food obsessed yourself, and you will pick up on some humorous things. Absurd even. If ferment, infuse or are co-op are part of your vocabulary, you know what I am talking about. But don’t you just wish that the foodie world would take it to the next level? Here’s what you wish you had overheard.

“We have to harvest our sweat today so that we can make salted macarons tomorrow.”

“Your kombucha mother is so beautiful.”

“I finally got into the goat share program.”

“I am my cooking.”

“I couldn’t bear to sleep with him. He couldn’t even pronounce croissant correctly.”

“You need marrow? I know a guy with a freezer on the other side of town.”

“We’re a new kind of DIY artisan butcher. We kill the cow in your kitchen so you get to really take part in the process.”

“I only drink a coconut and sparkling water blend. The effervescence seems to help me absorb the potassium better.”

“Is your butter hand churned?”

“I name all of my fresh eggs before I eat them. I find that when my food has a personal identity I enjoy it more.”

“Oh, please don’t take a picture of that, it’s so rude when people photograph during a meal.”

“We’ve been working on recycling the leftover coffee grounds into a new edible body treatment line.”

“This salt must be from the Northeast, I can taste the terroir.”

“Sorry couldn’t meet that deadline, I had a bit of a infusing fruit with fruit issue last night.”

“Don’t worry, I brought my own fennel seeds.”

“Do you think this sangria has too many floral elements in it?”

“I really would have rather had a fried egg in this spicy ramen broth than a poached one.”

“We’re starting a foraging club for weeds and non-native edible plants.”

“Instead of rose petals sprinkled on the floor, he dusted everything with organic spelt flour before proposing.”

“Canning really allows me to get to know my vegetables.”

“The truffle ice cubes were sort of disastrous.”

“I had an allergic reaction from that instant coffee she served me yesterday. The local espresso blend never gives me hives.”

“Does this camembert taste off to you, or has it just been too long since I was in France?”

“I can’t believe I have gone this long without candied thistles in my life.”

“Would it be possible to get that served in a mason jar instead?”

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s weekly column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, discovering what’s new and different in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.

Image: henofthewood

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