Spices in Mason jars
I’m back home in San Francisco now, and when I reached for my jar of za’atar to sprinkle on my hummus this morning, I thought of one more item to add to my list of benefits of Houston over San Francisco, which I posted about a few days ago, and that’s the better availability of my favorite Mason jars.
Star anise in a Mason jar
A few months ago I decided I needed a new solution for storing my spices, which were in metal tins that were starting to get rusted and bent, making them hard to use. I knew I wanted to use Mason jars, which I figured would stand up better to constant use and washing and would be easily replaceable when I needed more. The problem was, I wanted these super-cute squat half-pint pint jars that I found online …
Spices in squat pint Mason jars
but they were nowhere to be found in San Francisco. I scoured every housewares, hardware, and cookware store I could think of and had no luck.I discovered that I could order them online from the few sellers who weren’t out of stock, but that the shipping would cost more than the jars themselves, so I wistfully gave up on my favorite jars and decided to go with these smaller, 4-ounce half-pint jars for most of my spices …
Spices stored in half-pint Mason jars
But then, lo and behold, my mom came across the magical squat half-pint pint jars, called “Ball Collection Elite Platinum Wide,” at her local Walmart. She bought me 8 of them and sent them along. I am so in love with these jars. The wide mouth makes the jars easy to use, and they’re just the perfect size for most spices. And they’re so dang cute!
Saffron in a wide-mouth Mason jar
Unfortunately, when I was in Houston last weekend, and I was excited to stock up on more jars, I was informed that they were a “seasonal item” and wouldn’t be stocked again until next summer.
Until then I’ll have to stick with a combo of the two types of jars …
Spice jars
Though the obsessive-compulsive in me that needs all the jars to match can’t wait until I get a full set of the pint jars. But does that mean that I have to visit Houston in the summer? Oh dear …
Just need a confirmation-are the squat jars really one pint, or are they half-pint?
They’re half-pint jars. I realized my error this morning as I bought more 4-ounce jelly jars for some more of my spices. Good catch!
Strawberries are just about ready for picking at Frobergs, so “seasonal” canning supplies should be here soon.
You have to come visit again? Darn, I’ll even help your mom find the jars as I frequent Walmart.