Mason Jars 16oz and 32oz as low as $7

[JohnDeb]

Ace Hardware has Mason jars for sale. Less than half the sale prices that I see in most prices online. Free In Store Pickup. Great for Wedding Decorations or Canning.

12 Pack of 16oz- $7

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1276024

12 Pack of 32oz- $10

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4418860

 

[Kaido]

I literally just bought the 32 ouncers for $22 shipped last week, dangit! Haha. Note that the 16-ounce jars are regular-mouth & the 32-ounce jars are wide mouth. I use these for all kinds of stuff, mostly food-related, but for other random stuff like storing my dishwashing sponge in at the sink. I actually like to use them as drinking cups because they have a good grip & the glass lip is nice to drink from. Some tips from my experience with glass mason jars:

1. Lip sizes: I only buy the wide-mouth ones because it's easier to get your hand in to scoop things out, although the 32-ounce jars are so long it's hard to do that anyway. The wide-mouth jars are also easier to clean out if you're rinsing them in the sink instead of a dishwasher.

2. Canning: If you want to use them for canning, make sure you get a pressure CANNER, not a pressure cooker. Similar names, but they are two entirely different devices. Lots of stuff out there on the Internet if you search for keywords like "prepper". This DVD is a good intro to canning food: (in particular, meat)

http://www.amazon.com/Sensible-Food-...dp/1608610896/

3. Plastic Lids: If you're not doing canning, they make a nice plastic screw-on lid for pretty cheap: ($4 shipped for an 8-pack of wide-mouth lids)

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Wide-Mout...dp/B000SSN3L2/

4. Short-term food storage: I throw all kinds of stuff in these to keep in my fridge, especially berries. It makes strawberries last like twice as long if you keep them in a lid-tightened jar in a cold fridge. You can also pre-mix smoothies or make puddings or whatever & keep grab & go serving sizes in these jars in the fridge. Here's an easy chia pudding recipe:

http://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/22925t/chia_pudding_fills_you_up_and_so_easy_to_make/

Also good for anything else that needs a good, tight seal. I used to use those Smart Spin containers from TV, but the jars are nice because they're glass (lasts forever) & teh plastic screw-on lids work awesome for giving it a real seal. It's a lot easier to store stuff like homemade BBQ sauce in a jar than a ziploc bag or open cup or whatever:

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/07/raw-blender-bbq-sauce/

3. Pickles: Best pickle recipe ever right here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Slightly-Sweet-Dill-Refrigerator-Pickles-242476

4. Jam: You can make jam really easily with chia seed (puffs out like tapioca). I'm not big into canning or anything, but I live right next to pick-your-own farms & it's awesome having fresh fruit available for stuff like this:

http://ohmyveggies.com/how-to-make-chia-seed-jam/

5. Salad in a Jar: Two items here. First one is that you can build a to-go salad in a jar. Really awesome:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pac...-a-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192174

Second is that you can extend the shelf life of salad greens to over a week using a Foodsaver vacuum-sealing attachment. This is great if you don't eat salad quick enough for it not to spoil first:

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/skinny-secrets/salad-in-a-jar

6. Overnight Oatmeal: Basically just dump in the oatmeal & let it sit in the jar overnight, no cooking required! You can add stuff like nuts, seeds, fruit, peanut butter, etc. to flavor it up:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samimain/overnight-oats-recipes-to-restore-your-faith-in-breakfast

http://www.theyummylife.com/8_muesli_flavors

7. Blender Bottle: Basically a DIY Nutribullet - mason jars can easily be adapted to fit on most standard blenders for single servings of stuff:

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-mason-jar-blender-trick-do-you-know-about-this-195182

8. Labeling: Labeling can be annoying, especially if you use stickers that leave behind gunk on the jar or lid. I have a gluten allergy & have a huge variety of gluten-free flours, so I need good labels to tell which is which. The first product is called Chalky Talky, which is basically a reusable sticker with a chalkboard surface. They come in different sizes & are available on Amazon. I don't know if they have a website, but they do have a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/chalkytalkylabels

The problem is I hate chalk - it's messy & I hate the dry feeling it gives your fingers. Instead I use Chalk Ink (also available on Amazon), which is basically liquid chalk. Easy to wipe off & works great on the Chalky Talky labels:

http://www.chalkink.com/

9. Accessories: There is a pretty decent aftermarket industry for mason jars. I don't like reCap (pop-top for pouring) because the caps break really fast & I don't like the BNTO cup by Cuppow because the lids don't fit right & they're stupid expensive. Other than that, there are plenty of neat options out there, here's a few:

Glass straws

Stainless straws (they also have straight straws & large ones for smoothies)

Ecojarz lids (they also have a whisk ball if you want to do protein shakes)

Also check out Etsy & Pinterest for more ideas. A lot of them are decidedly more female-oriented (i.e. homemade candles, soap dispensers, flower holders, that sort of thing), but you can also do some cool stuff like use them as light fixtures for DIY Edison Bulb lamps.

 

[Childs]

Thanks...never know what to do with my bacon grease. Don't really need 10 of them, but better to have more than what you need.

ACE also has Bag Buddys cheaper than anyone.

 

[Kaido]

Thanks...never know what to do with my bacon grease. Don't really need 10 of them, but better to have more than what you need.

ACE also has Bag Buddys cheaper than anyone.

A few ideas:

1. Hold loose screws/nuts/bolts in your shop
2. Toothpaste/toothbrush jar (next to bathroom sink)
3. Loose change jar (front door or bedroom nightstand)

I've kept part of my southern redneck heritage even after moving up here to the frigid north

 

[smackababy]

A few ideas:

1. Hold loose screws/nuts/bolts in your shop
2. Toothpaste/toothbrush jar (next to bathroom sink)
3. Loose change jar (front door or bedroom nightstand)

I've kept part of my southern redneck heritage even after moving up here to the frigid north

Only good idea:

Make moonshine and store it in these until you are ready to ride the white lightning!

 

[RossMAN]

9. Accessories: There is a pretty decent aftermarket industry for mason jars. I don't like reCap (pop-top for pouring) because the caps break really fast & I don't like the BNTO cup by Cuppow because the lids don't fit right & they're stupid expensive. Other than that, there are plenty of neat options out there, here's a few:

Glass straws

Stainless straws (they also have straight straws & large ones for smoothies)

Ecojarz lids (they also have a whisk ball if you want to do protein shakes)

Also check out Etsy & Pinterest for more ideas. A lot of them are decidedly more female-oriented (i.e. homemade candles, soap dispensers, flower holders, that sort of thing), but you can also do some cool stuff like use them as light fixtures for DIY Edison Bulb lamps.

What do you know about these and would they work in an airtight mason jar?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005W4L6SE/

 

[tracerbullet]

Those plastic lids are great for after the jars are open. Agreed!

I've also found that these jars are useful for saving leftover paint, it won't dry up or get full of rust flaking off the lid over time, and even stores away using up less shelf space.

 

[RossMAN]

Kaido & everyone else,

If I plan on using these mostly for green smoothies, which size would you order 16oz or 32oz and why?

 

[TuxDave]

Ordered! Thanks!!!

 

[Kaido]

Kaido & everyone else,

If I plan on using these mostly for green smoothies, which size would you order 16oz or 32oz and why?

How are you planning on using them?

1. Using the jar as a blender jar?
2. Drinking for it as a cup?
3. Storing it in the fridge?

 

[Leymenaide]

They used to be cheap. Was just in Poland and saw their standard canning jars on the shelf at about 1/3 the above price.

 

[Kaido]

They used to be cheap. Was just in Poland and saw their standard canning jars on the shelf at about 1/3 the above price.

Yeah, they've gotten so much more expensive lately. But they're also coming back into popularity - my local grocery store even started carrying them.

 

[mnewsham]

They work well for storing other green things as well. Though UVB glass is even better for that.

 

[Kaido]

What do you know about these and would they work in an airtight mason jar?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005W4L6SE/

Never used the, looks interesting! Surprisingly good reviews too.

 

[JBT]

Kaido & everyone else,

If I plan on using these mostly for green smoothies, which size would you order 16oz or 32oz and why?

I'd go for the 32oz. 16 is too small for my Shakeology smoothies. I shoot for around 24 oz but sometimes I want them a bit thicker and add a bit of extra ice in which case filling the 32oz cup is easy and clearly the 16 oz would be worthless.

 

[Kaido]

I'd go for the 32oz. 16 is too small for my Shakeology smoothies. I shoot for around 24 oz but sometimes I want them a bit thicker and add a bit of extra ice in which case filling the 32oz cup is easy and clearly the 16 oz would be worthless.

For my to-go smoothies & water, I use Kleen Kanteen wide-mouth bottles (stainless) along with an ice pack in an insulated lunchbox:

http://www.kleankanteen.com/products/wide/klean-kanteen-wide.php

They're not cheap, but they're super-durable & don't hold odors. I use mason jars if I'm at home & can just pour the smoothie into a jar to drink, or if I'm going to be around a fridge to store it in.

 

[Childs]

Picked up my jars today. The clerk commented that it must be canning season, and she showed me a stack of orders 2 inches thick that were all web orders for instore pickups.