Re-Using Partial Jars

 Any of us who have preserved for an awful long time will have at some point sustained casualties with jars and glass lids.  I was in this position with two dispenser jars that I had acquired for drinks, but the cats knocked them over and broke the lids.  They are wider mouthed lids than normal and I had been unable to find any that would fit them.  I was on the verge of chucking them out, but for some reason held onto them.  I am glad I did.  I have found that the re-usable seals on dried milk cartons and also Coffee mate are an ideal fit for the top of the jars - not for preserving but for storing things such as my homemade Lemon vinegar cleaner, and fabric conditioner or indeed Castille soap, both of which can be dispensed straight out of the bottle because of the taps on them.  A much more aesthetic way of making the bottles/jars useful again when believing that because of the breakage of the lids, those jars/containers are no longer useful and only chuck-outable.  I hate chucking something for silly reasons like this.

I collect vintage glassware in any event for my Dressers and Pantry shelves. If I break a jar and the lid is still intact, I keep it in a safe place, just in case I have a breakage down the line and at least then if it is a lid, I have a replacement to hand.  I also keep a look out for the jars I do have in Charity shops etc.  I inherited some from my Mum.  Sometimes as I have said I am left with just the lids, but these lids can be used as weights for preserving such as fermenting stuff generally or Saurkraut.  They are washable and you are re-purposing in the process.

I love stone storage crocks for storing basic ingredients in like, Bread flours, sugar, etc.  I often buy the Bread crocks and just turn them around if they have a name tag on them and put on a label for the contents.  The same as if the lids are broken you can make wooden lids with knobs on to make the crocks functional again.  I also use old Porcelain bread crocks as salting crocks when pickling. I also use them for making Mincemeat.  I have Rumtopf pots as well which I not only use for the Rumtopf itself but also Batchelors Brandy and making mincemeat. 

I therefore nearly always try and re-use, or recycle items.  I do the same with fabric items.  

Makes my home more individual at the end of the day.

I also love the vintage lace trimmed and beaded jug covers.  Still very useful in the Summer here or if you have a jug of water by your bedside.

Do you re-use, revamp or upcycle/recycle.

Catch you later.

Pattypan

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