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50 Great Uses for Mason Jars
By Marye Audet, Planet Green
I take Mason jars for granted. I grew up with them in the house and they have been part of my kitchen since I was married in 1980. So, I was surprised when someone saw my extensive collection and wondered why I had so many.
It is a little obsessive, I admit. I have about 300 of them in a variety of sizes. Most of them are hand-me-downs from my mom, and a couple of them are pre-World War II. That is the thing that I love about Mason jars. They are a link to the past. Jams, jellies, pickles, relishes; generations of women in my family have sweated in hot kitchens to store food for their families. Every time I make a batch of strawberry jam or Grandma Vincent’s Bread and Butter pickles I am part of the chain that links the past and the future. Mason Jars are the time machine.
Mason Jars Are a Household Necessity
Mason jars are amazingly versatile, even if you never use one to hold preserved garden produce.
Some mason jars can even be used in the freezer (these are usually marked “freezer jars” or freezer safe). When used in the pantry, the jars allow you to store foods safely. Living in an old house on acreage means that we are blessed with an abundance of mice if food is not stored carefully. The glass jars are impervious to chewing and gnawing and they don’t allow foods to absorb odors from other foods. You can store onions and confectioner’s sugar next to each other without the sugar taking on an onion flavor.
Uses for Mason Jars
1. Canning foods for storage
2. Storing dried foods
3. Storing sugar, flour, and oatmeal
4. Storing cookies
5. Storing bulk foods
6. Storing homemade mixes
7. Recipe in a jar gifts
8. Making and storing homemade vinegar
9. Making vanilla extract
10. Storing leftovers in the refrigerator
11. Use as measuring device
12. Store saved seeds
13. Grow sprouts
14. Drinking glass
15. Hold homemade soy candles
16. Holding sour dough starters
17. Storing fresh milk if you milk your own goats or cows
18. Storing your clearly marked cleaners
19. Cotton balls
20. Bulk or homemade shampoo
21. Bath salts
22. Holding Legos and other small toys
23. Storing small office supplies
24. Bolt the lids (with screw tops) to the underside of a shelf and use to hold screws, nails, and washers
25. Hold balls of yarn while knitting or crocheting…drill a hole through the lid and thread the yarn through. Make sure it is smooth so it doesn’t cut the fiber. Keeps your yarn from rolling off.
26. Make a solar light
27. Make sun tea
28. Use them to hold fresh flowers
29. Reusable holders for candy gifts
30. Portable Garden Cloche
31. Store sewing notions
32. (Mostly) Homemade soap dispenser
34. Bug jars for the kids
35. Keeping change
36. Make a terrarium
37. Catch those pesky flies
38. Here is an easier version of the homemade fly trap. Just put equal amounts of sugar, vinegar, and water in a quart Mason jar. Punch holes in the lid that are large enough for flies to get through.
39. Sewing kit in a jar
40. I love these individual silverware and napkin holders
41. Poultry feeder
42. Mason jar photo frames
43. Potpourri jars
44. Snow globes
45. Add nonflammable material and nestle a candle in it to use as a centerpiece. I used cranberries to hold votive candles in pint jars last Christmas and they were fantastic.
46. Meditation jar - print out your favorite quotes, thoughts, or scripture verses and cut them in strips. Keep them in the jar and remove one a day to contemplate. You can use this for affirmations, journal prompts, or anything similar.
47. Holding scrapbooking and craft supplies
48. Pencil and pen holder
49. Hold shells and other collections for display
50. Cakes in a jar
Where to Find Mason Jars
You can buy Mason jars in almost any store but there are other ways to get them that are less expensive. Many times you can advertise on Craigslist that you are looking for canning jars and someone who is no longer canning will offer them to you. Other ways to acquire them are:
- Check with relatives
- eBay
- Garage sales
- Thrift shops
- Classified ads
Always check them for cracks and chips. If the rims have chips or cracks they can not be used for canning. How else do you use mason jars? Please share below.
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19 comments
add your comment »Wow, this is a wonderful list! :] Definitely favorite'd.
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Such a nice post i must say . Nice jars and you have shared very descriptive information about jars. Thanks.
christmas presents
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Growing up, we had so many, we even used them to drink out of. It was great in the summer...throw in 5 ice cubes and fill it up with water! I now use them to store all of my spices, teas, rice, beans... well, pretty much anything I buy in bulk that can fit into a jar.
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Thanks for posting all these great ideas! Mason jars have their own beauty.
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One cute idea I have seen at local craft fairs -- Mason jars are painted with stained glass paint. A hole is drilled in the lid, and the jar is filled with tiny white christmas lights. The jar is decked out with greenery and bows, and voila!
a sweet mantlepiece decoration.
I also use the jars for storing buttons and small items for scrapbooking.
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So B - I scrub jars and lids with hot, soapy water along with the other dishes. If the lids/bands are rusty, I recycle them and buy new. If the jar stinks I wash it out, let it completely dry, then fill the lid with baking soda, and put more in the jar. I let them sit, separately, on the counter for days, then wash it again. If it still stinks I repeat this process. (Pickles are the worst, but it does eventually come out. Use a LOT of baking soda.)
Sometimes, if I just can't get the smell out, I put something in that it doesn't matter if it soaks up the smell. By the time I'm out of whatever I stored in there, the smell is gone.
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Any tips on cleaning the jars, and more specifically, the lids? i love to re-use glass jelly, marinara, pickles and others, but a lot of the smell seems to remain which makes me hesitant to use them for food because i don't want a transfer of flavor & smell.
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Megan - You need a new lid on your jars ONLY if you are canning. The band can be reused. If you are using your jar in the fridge or freezer, you don't need to seal it, so you can use the same lid over and over. You only need the air-tight seal if you want the contents to be shelf-stable.
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Option # 51: Any jars that are chipped can be made into oil lamps. Lehman Bros. have the lamp devices that screw onto the top of a Mason jar, plus the wicks and chimneys. I have an old blue canning jar that I use for this.
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Several brands of spaghetti sauce come in beautiful jars, ask your friends to help you build up a supply. Remember, you can buy new lids, rings and seals for jars that you already have to make certain they are air tight. My grandmother always put a parafin seal on as well as a jar lid, but I understand that is no longer considered safe.
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