Glass canning jars come in many shapes and sizes. They are a wonderful clean way to store food and household items. Even if you never use them for traditional canning, they are excellent for preserving and organizing your pantry. Jars make beautiful handmade holiday gifts full too.
What's wrong with plastic storage containers?
Plastics are made from non-renewable petroleum and natural gas. They are a major source of industrial pollution. They wear out, crack and may not seal properly after regular washing. The plastic smell/taste can leech into food and that food can absorb the chemicals. Read more about plastics.
I started small, buying one case of canning jars when there was a coupon during summer- peak canning season. The local store also sold them at 15% off as they neared the end of summer. The jars are dishwasher safe and be used year after year. You may occasionally buy new lids and you always need new seals if you are canning.
Why take the time to repackage and label food?
Open your pantry, what do you see? Food products come in boxes and bags. It's easy to lose track of what's fresh, how long ago someone opened and didn't quite reseal the package and none of us want to throw away food. It also looks messy. Canning jars make it simple to store staples and nearly anything your pantry currently holds. I like to label my jars allowing everyone at a glance to know precisely what it is.
A sample of my canning jar pantry:
Rice
Dried beans
Whole grains
Dried fruit
Nuts
Animal crackers
Pretzel sticks
Hot cocoa mix
Bread crumbs
Chocolate chips
Baking supplies
Coffee
I specifically chose the wide-mouth canning jars for easy scooping, pouring and hand retrieval. My pantry has a variety of the smallest jars to the largest half gallon jars. We often buy in bulk at Costco and this allows us to wisely store the extra and keep it fresh. When it's shopping day, a quick glance tells what you're running low on.
Even the cleanest homes can occasionally run into an insect problem or the sneaky mouse that found it's way in. You can be assured that little critters won't be chewing through your glass canning jars.
Canning jars are heavy duty, we haven't had one break yet. Young children can learn to be as careful with glass storage jars as they can with anything else. Jars are also useful in other areas of home, such as bathrooms, for storing cotton balls and swabs.
Remember: An organized home, especially the kitchen, is an economically efficient home.
p.s. Don't throw away your old plastic storage containers- they can still be made useful as art supply and craft organization.
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