Recycle, eh!

Since selling my lovely vintage preserve canning jars, I started to think about how long these have lasted (mine were from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s and had a lot of use) and how many different ways I’ve used them over the years. No – I didn’t do a lot of preserving except for fruit jellies and jams which are easy to do. But these jars followed me from home to home and I always found a new use for them. Besides storing food supplies such as beans, rice, flour, and sugar in the kitchen, I also filled some with pencils, crayons, felt pens, buttons, elastic bands, and sewing whatnots in my studio. And they were great for my homemade soap bars and bath salts in the bathroom.

I also used some of them to hold votive candles when we ate al fresco on summer evenings. Some I sent away filled with dry cookie and soup ingredients to my daughter at university or to friends who needed a boost. And did I mention how great they are for sprouting seeds? If I still had them, I would probable use them as pieces of sculpture, leaving them empty in rows at the top of my bookshelves. But now most of them are gone – I sold them to a lovely guy who is rebuilding a farmhouse and will be using the jars in much the same way I did. It’s nice to know that these will continue to be used.

Of course, any type of glass jar or bottle can be recycled, vintage or not. All you need are the jars and I’m sure you can come up with dozens of new ways to recycle that jar. And did you know that by recycling a single glass jar or bottle, you can save enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for as much as 4 hours. So you’re also helping the environment. Cheers!