I really like Mason jars. They are obviously awesome to preserve food, but can also be used for a host of other purposes in and around the kitchen. We use them for lacto-fermentation, to mix salad dressing, to sprout seeds, as flower pots, etc.
Here are some interesting Mason jar accessories that can be useful to improve current uses or to re-purpose the jars in very interesting ways.
Sprouting Screen
We have a few stainless steel sprouting screens like this one at home. They replaced cheese cloth as our sprouting strainer. They can be used as a strainer for coffee or tea that is brewed in a Mason jar. Sort of a makeshift French press.
As I said in my intro, Mason jars are great to make salad dressings. You put in your oil, your vinegar and any flavoring you want. You close it tight with a lid, you shake and voila! you have a well mixed salad dressing. A spout such as this one is a nice addition that makes pouring the dressing much easier.
I like using Mason jars for lacto-fermentation. They work well for small batches, are really inexpensive, they are made of glass so I don't have to worry about nasty heavy metals that can be in ceramic crocks, and it is really cool to see the vegetables in the jars. However, they have a problem. It is really hard to get the vegetables to stay under the brine, especially if not using the wide mouth jars. Whenever vegetables raise to the top and get into contact with air, they end up spoiling and I have to remove a layer at the top when I want to eat the content of the jar. What I sometimes do to avoid this issue is put a grape leaf at the top. It works really well, but as I am writing this in December, I would be really hard pressed to find a fresh grape leaf. So this Mason jar pickling kit looks really good to me right now. With its airlock it definitely looks like a good option to ensure vegetables don't get into contact with air. Additionally, this system could be used to make a small batch of beer, cider, wine, or mead in the Mason jar.
Why not use Mason jars for something a bit more unusual? Why not convert them in a soap dispenser? There are kits that include the pump and the jar, but you can also just get the pump and use one your old jars.
While we are in the unusual uses aisle, why not light the kitchen with Mason jars?
There are many option in that field. One can just fit a regular incandescent light bulb on the jar using this lamp kit or go with the off-the-grid solar option. One can even go old fashion and turn the jar into an oil lamp.
Last but not least, a baby chick feeder base that can be attached to a Mason jar. Granted the capacity of the jars is limited, but isn't this is a really cool use for them?
We use widemouth mason jars everyday for sprouts and/or lacto fermentation, others for drinking jars and storage and canning, but you've given me even more ideas...thanks. I really want the stainless steel sprout screens and the air lock for fermentation. I just tried a jar on our blender and it fits perfectly.
Our recycling board used to have a fish fry as a fund raiser for our local recycling center and besides real cloth napkins, stainless cutlery and recyclable plates we used pint jars for the drinks.
We use regular mouth quarts for water or tea when we go to town or anywhere really and here locally still get jokes about moonshine...some traditions never die.
Growing sprouts in a Mason jar is really easy--I've sprouted spelt, kamut, and broccoli in the past few weeks. You just soak the seeds overnight to start, and thereafter refill with water, swirl, and drain. The sprouted wheat berries went into bread and the broccoli sprouts went into my mouth!
I've also used Mason jars to ferment, but so far my favorite fermentation container is actually a flower vase. I like it because it is a perfect straight-sided cylinder, and I have corning ware plates that fit perfectly as a press to keep my veggies submerged. I appreciate being able to watch the process.
I picked out one of those sprouters for my sister to give to my brother's girlfriend when a gift was needed. She doesn't do wheat and had a number of other food complaints, so I knew this would be a hit.
Coffee and tea prepared in mason jars can be kept fresh indefinitely if the proper seal is made. I've prepared a weeks worth and taken them to jobs where there is no stove. I crack the lid and heat them up inside a solar collector bag which is placed in the sun to warm.
There's a band called Wide Mouth Mason. I have a relative who claims that Masons control our economy, and legal system, but that's a different story.
I have a mason jar with one of the solar lids on it sitting on my kitchen window seal. It has been there for years. I really like it, and it has held up well.
I also ordered two Ergo Spouts! We have a variety of homemade, real food ingredient salad dressings that we made for the PDC and ATC workshops and that spout would be really handy right about now!
Also, I might have to look a bit more at these links:
Adrien Lapointe wrote:
Soap Dispenser
Why not use Mason jars for something a bit more unusual? Why not convert them in a soap dispenser? There are kits that include the pump and the jar, but you can also just get the pump and use one your old jars.
I tried buying a soap dispenser spout for a mason jar at a craft store and the darn thing rusted. I was not happy. I'm glad this thread was revived so I can look up a better version!
My ALL-TIME FAVORITE thing for mason jars are the Masontops fermentation helpers (for wide mouth jars). Here is the whole kit on Amazon (affiliate link) though you could order just a set of Pickle Pipes, or just Pickle Pebbles or just the Pickle Packer. (And they're fun to say, too! )
To hold the veggies down below the brine for a ferment, you can use a 1/4 pint jar in the neck of a larger widemouth jar. It just fits. Press it down and then use the wide mouth to hold the small jar down.
The amazing Mason jar. It's right up there with towels. Don't forget your towel or your Mason jar:)
Haven't seen this handy use mentioned ... I've use one rather effectively as a solar cooker. Painted black & left in a car or even just in direct light. Car works best of course. Excuse me ... I need to go make a redneck wineglass.
Jocelyn, I was sittin around with not a lot to do so I went on an Amazon Mason jar idea hunt... The sleeves make them almost unbreakable - at least enough to have enough confidence to take them on the go... Cheers
And here's a hummingbird feeder that somebody else created, but I have printed a couple. They are a little drippy, but otherwise work pretty good.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:77439
Also, half of a medium size tea ball will fit the regular mouth mason jars to use as a strainer. I haven't used it for sprouts, but this would probably work well.
I have some glass lids for mason jars but can't find the tops/rings to use with them. The regular canning rings don't have enough depth to hold the glass lid on the jar. Here are a few on ebay, but they are difficult to find. If anyone knows where to find these, please share. Or maybe if they hear from enough people, the jar manufacturers will start producing them. Thanks.
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