I love mason jars! Don’t you? Simplifying your life can be done in easy, small ways. You don’t need to get rid of all electronic devices and go live in the middle of the nowhere to add some simplicity to your life. I mean, you can, but you don’t have to! I call what we are doing here, Small Scale Homesteading. You too can find small ways to start start simplifying your life today. Using the versatility of mason jars is just one way that our family has begin to simplify our lives.
Mason jars cute, simple, versatile.
Now, while I love mason jars, I won’t lie to you! I have yet to pull ingredients out of the garden or even buy them at the store to make jams, jellies or anything else that you would traditionally store in a jar. This summer I do want to make my own pickles though, with cucumbers that my family has grown! Since we homeschool I feel like that would be fun to do with the kids as part of a science project. The best science is the kind you can eat! Oh, and sauces, maybe I will try making and storing some sauces and salsas this fall too. Watch for future posts with recipes and stories related to trying that out!
I love mason jars because they can be used for so many things!
They can be used for drinking glasses, vases, soap dispensers, storage containers for just about anything, and yes you can use them for jams, jellies and sauces too. You can find them in a variety of colors. There’s also cute covers on them to turn them into fruit infusers, on-the-go cups, soap dispensers and so much more. They make great places to store little craft items like beads, silk flowers, paint brushes and crayons. You can even buy the plain clear glass ones in lager packs for very little. In my opinion, they are functional, practical, inexpensive and cute.
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People are using them as party accents and in light fixtures. They have become a symbol of all things country, homegrown, and simple. In reality people have known forever the utility of the mason jar. Now, however, they’re not just functional, they’re trendy too.
Sick of the plastic!
I love that mason jars are made of glass that’s hard to break! I had 3 kids in about 6 years. Life with littles means ALOT of plastic dishware! When we had finally started moving past the point of them being likely to break, drop, smash, roll off the table and crash stuff into the floor, because it’s “fun” phase. Their motor skills were becoming more developed too, which is helpful when thinking about ways to bring in simplicity and sustainability as a family.
All of our plastic dishware had scratches, chips, cracks, and many weren’t dishwasher friendly. We needed another option that would last longer, look better and was easier to clean. I had seen the mason jar trend and already fallen in love with it. They were subtly all over the house as it was.
However, it wasn’t until visiting a friend that I considered making a major switch. She had open shelves above her kitchen counter, instead of cabinets, which created a beautiful, rustic look. One of those shelves was lined with mason jars. I asked her what she used them for and she said, “everything.” She handed me a jar full of water and I was hooked! I came home that night, told my husband about it and we decided to donate our plastic cups, spoons, plates and bowls, and start treating our kids as if they were capable enough to handle glass. (Fingers crossed!) We bought a bulk pack of mason jars, and started letting them use the regular dinnerware. We had said goodbye to straws about a year ago. So, this switch wasn’t too shocking for them.
The results are in, mason jars for the win!
The kids felt, big, grown-up and capable. Also, they have yet to break one! Best of all there’s no more fighting over who has which color cup. The world as we know it does not end because someone didn’t get their favorite color cup, plate, fork, and so on. Part of this is thanks to maturity I’m sure, but at least some of the credit must go to the mason jars! We have also become more aware of ways that we can reuse and reduce. Are we saving the world one mason jar at a time? Probably not. It does feel good though and it adds a down home vibe to our day which I love. Mason jars are here to stay in this house!
Other’s who have discovered the love of mason jars!
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