What you’ll need

Your gonna want some warm spices to make this chai tea spice mix but feel free to adjust the amounts to taste. I use ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and a pinch a fresh ground black pepper. To make your cup of tea you’ll also need black tea bags. I prefer English Breakfast. Last you’ll need sweetener. I like to use maple syrup but honey or white sugar work just as well.

How to make homemade chai tea spice

I gathered up all my spices and measured them out and poured them into my mason jar. Give it a good shake to mix up the spices. This can store in your mason jar for up to 6 months. If it last that long!

Tips:

• You can adjust the seasonings to fit your taste. I like mine with a little extra black pepper.
• Chai tea can be served hot or over ice for a cold chai tea.
• Spices won’t dissolve so be sure to stir well.
• Chai tea spice is good in your baked goods, ice cream or even chia pudding. The options are endless.

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How about blueberry cobbler in a mason jar for a wonderful way to serve dessert at your next picnic! Mason jars are so versatile you can even bake in them and this recipe is a fun way to cook up something sweet and fruity for summer (or spring, fall, or winter).

What you’ll need

I have kiddos with food allergies so I always leave out dairy, eggs and nuts. I used frozen blueberries for this recipe but I’ve also used fresh and they both work great. For this recipe your gonna need oats, oat flour, butter (I use earth balance), sugar, salt, cinnamon, and blueberries. If your avoiding white sugar you can substitute with maple syrup or honey.

Tips for making blueberry cobbler:

• I use oat flour in this recipe to stay away from flour but either is fine.
• If you want to use oat flour I just blend my oats in my high speed blender until their a fine flour.
• If you like your blueberry liquid less runny you can add 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder to the blueberries before baking to thicken up the juices.
• Lemon juice and lemon zest add a nice flavor to the blueberries. You can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the blueberries before baking. One of my kiddos is allergic so we leave it out.
• I put the cookie sheet with the mason jar cobbler into a cold oven and then turn it on to prevent jars from baking.
• This cobbler is delicious hot and served with ice cream or cold for breakfast the next day.

How to make blueberry cobbler in a mason jar

I start with the frozen blueberries in a bowl. To the blueberries I add my sugar and give them a quick stir. In a separate bowl I mix my oats with the oat flour adding the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Next I add my earth balance melted and stir until everything is combined. I put the blueberries into the mason jars filling them about 1/3 full. On top of that I add the oat mixture. Here you can put as little or as much as you like. I put the mason jars on top of a cookie sheet and place it in a cold oven. I bake at 350 degrees for 35 -40 minutes or until blueberries are juicy and bubbly.

How to store

The great thing about using mason jars is that if there’s any left you can just pop a lid on the jar and put it into the fridge. It should last up to 3 days. I notice the oats soak up some of those blueberry juices making them quite delicious!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. It makes such an easy, delicious and quick dessert for a picnic for your family or even for a potluck.

To see my favorite mason jars go here.

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Grab your supplies

To plant basil in a mason jar your going to need to grab a few supplies. A mason jar that is at least four inches deep to give your roots plenty of space to grow. Small rocks or grit to put at the bottom of your jar for drainage. A good well draining organic compost. Also basil seeds or a small basil plant. You can grow basil from seed in your mason jar just be sure to keep it warm and in a sunny spot or under grow lights when its starting out.

Plant your basil

Here’s how to plant your basil. Cover the bottom two inches of your mason jar with the rock or grit you chose to use. Next pour your soil into the jar leaving space at the top for your plant to grow. Be sure not to pack down the soil leaving it loose. Next sprinkle a few of your seeds on top of the soil. Pour a little more soil on top of your seeds. Then give them a drink. I used a spray bottle to moisten the top of the soil so I wouldn’t disturb the seeds. Put in a warm, sunny spot or under a grow light. Watch them grow and enjoy!

Care and keeping of your basil plant

This lovely little herb is super easy to grow. Here’s what you need to know for the care and keeping of your basil plant. You’ll want to keep it warm it likes the average temperature to be about 70 degrees. Also give it plenty of sunshine about 6 hours a day of direct light. Keep the soil moist but well-drained. To prune you’ll want to wait until the plant is 6-8 inches tall. Then use your thumb and forefinger to pinch off leaves from the top down.

Planting basil in a mason jars is easy and enjoyable. To see my favorite mason jars go here.

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First up these gorgeous acacia wood lids from Ball. Such a nice look! Their perfect for dry foods and pantry storage. They have an air tight silicone seal in wide mouth and regular mouth sizes. Not to mention one of my favorites when it comes to jars. Their stackable! Thank you Ball.

Next up blue half pint mason jars. Blue happens to be my favorite color. So when I can get my favorite jars in my favorite color I’m in! The possibilities for this adorable jar seem endless. Individual servings of a summer salad. Sparkling water with strawberries and a cute straw. Maybe serving up some blueberry cobbler with a dollop of ice cream. Ah summer!

Last up but certainly not least Ball nesting mason jar pint size wide mouth. How fun is this jar! Yes, you can use it for canning but also how great would it be to use for drinks, smoothies, fruit parfaits, ice cream sundaes. Did I mention ice cream again? Also this jar is stackable. A great space saver in your cupboard if your storing as many jars as I am.

I hope you enjoy all these finds as much as I did. To see a list of my favorite jars go here.

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Nesting Ball Mason Jar Set, Wide Mouth, Pint Size go here

Ball Regular Mouth Elite Collection Half Pint Mason Jars with Lids and Bands go here

Ball Jar Wooden Storage Lids, 5-Pack, wide, Brown go here

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I just love mason jars. My first jars came from my mother in law who passed hers down to me. At first I thought these are cute maybe I can can something or put some flowers in them. Fast forward a few years and I have found many more things to do with these jars than just canning and putting flowers in them. Don’t get me wrong I love those things too. But then I wanted to know what makes a mason jar a “mason jar”. What about all the great jars my jam and spaghetti sauce comes in. Apparently the answer is pretty simple.

If the jar has a lid with a rubber gasket and is fastened on with a threaded screw top lid it’s a mason jar. The name mason comes from the tinsmith John Landis Mason who improved on the original mason jar. He gave it a much improved threaded mouth, rubber seal and a reusable screw on zinc cover. You can read more about John Landis Mason here at the official mason jar website.

Even if the jar doesn’t have the mason name on it. Or maybe if it doesn’t have any name on it at all. It’s still a mason jar if it has a lid with a rubber gasket and is fastened on with a threaded screw top.

The parts of the mason jar include the mouth. That’s the opening at the top. The lip, that’s at the edge of the opening. The bead, this runs around the jar just under the screw top. The neck, it’s under the bead and comes before the shoulder. Then the body, the heel and finally the base. Simple yet amazing!

Whats not to love about this perfect little (sometimes quite big) jar. I find new ways to use it in my home everyday. I love how it works well for modern uses yet has a vintage look. It keeps things preserved, organized and beautiful all at the same time. I hope you’ll enjoy the mason jars as much as I do. If you’d like to read more about the history of mason jars you can go here.

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The short history of the mason jar starts with Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could create a vessel that would preserve and carry food for his troops. It needed to be a container that was safe and reliable. Napoleon was the one who said “an army marches on their stomach”. Enter Frenchman Nicholas Appert. In 1809 Nicholas Appert produced a recognizable version of today’s mason jar. In 1810 Appert was given the prize money which he used to support his canning factory.

In 1858 an American Tinsmith named John Landis Mason patented his own version of the jar. His was a much improved version featuring a threaded mouth, rubber seal and a reusable screw on tin lid.

The Ball Brothers of Buffalo, NY manufactured the design in 1886 and in 1915 Alexander H. Kerr improved on the design. Kerr created a two-part mason jar lid and widened the mouth. The Ball brothers adopted this improvement to much acclaim.

Not much has changed with this amazing jar since the 1850’s! It’s classic, vintage, simple, modern, recyclable, inexpensive, readily available, and truly timeless. Not to mention flowers look great in them.

When it comes to the mason jar you just can’t beat their charm, simple shape, and price. We find new ways all the time to use them in our home. Everything from canning, freezing, baking, storing, and decorating. What’s not to love!

You can read about my favorite jars here.

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Ball 32oz wide mouth here

Kerry 8oz jelly jar here

Ball 12oz wide mouth here

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Ball 32oz Wide Mouth Mason Jar

The Ball 32oz wide mouth mason jar is the best! I love it for everything from my morning glass of ice water to my afternoon smoothie. In addition I use it to meal prep salads, soups and sauces. As a matter of fact if I had to pick one jar I used the most it would be this one. Lastly I also use it to store dry laundry detergent and homemade cleaners.

Kerr 8oz Regular Mouth Jelly Jar

Secondly is the Kerr 8oz regular mouth jelly jar. My favorite way to use it is to store spices. Their just the right size for all my bulk seasonings. In addition to being the right size their stackable. Giving me plenty of room for all my spices in my cabinet. Also their a favorite of my kids. They use them to make overnight oats and chia puddings for a quick breakfast in the morning.

Ball 12oz Wide Mouth Mason Jar

• Next up is the Ball 12oz wide mouth. This is the jar I use when 32oz is to big and 8oz is to small. Great when you have left over spices you need to store. Also great for meal prepping smoothies, individual servings of soup and salad. My family also loves to make individual desserts that are easy to grab at night.

Le Parfait French 11oz Jam Jar and Drinking Glass

• Fourth is the Le Parfait French 11oz jam jar and drinking glass. How cute is this jar! The Le Parfait french jar works great for all of your needs. They make a great drinking glass, individual sun teas and are also great for chia puddings, fruit salads and snacks. I bought mine at grove but their also available on amazon. Not to mention they come with adorable lids.

Le Parfait Super 96oz Storage and Canning Jar

• Last but not least Le Parfait Super 96oz storage and canning jar. Can I just say these jars are Super! They are pretty enough to put on your counter to store all your yummy foods. Great for storing pasta, cereal, granola, oats, rice and any bulk items. They would also work great for picnic in a jar.

Basically those are the five mason jars I can’t live without. Although there’s so many more jars I use and love everyday. That’s a great start wouldn’t you agree?

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• Ball 32oz wide mouth here
• Kerry 8oz jelly jar here
• Ball 12oz wide mouth here
• Le Parfait 11oz french jam jar & drinking glass here
• Le Parfait Super 96oz storage and canning jar here

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Take everything out of your cabinet.

Take everything out of your cabinet. Now you can give all the shelves a good wipe down. Be sure to throw away any expired spices. If your not sure a spice is at it’s best any more give it the whiff test. Take a whiff, if it still smells like that spice it will still add plenty of flavor to your food. I had to get everything out just to see what spices I had in stock and what spices I still needed to purchase.

Next grab your favorite mason jars.

Next grab your favorite mason jars. I chose the Kerr 8oz regular mouth mason jar. This jar is just the right size for those bulk spices I wanted to store. Bonus they are easy to stack! I wrote the name of the spice and the date I put the spice in the jar on the lid with a permanent marker. I purchased my spices from Thrive Market. They have a great selection of spices and you can’t beat their prices!

Last load all those lovely jars full of spices back into the cupboard

Last organize your spices in mason jars. I like to sort them by type of spice. For example staple spices, exotic spices, herbs and baking. It might also be a good idea to put the spices you use on a daily basis on the bottom shelf in the front where they would be easy to reach.

Having organized spices in mason jars makes meal time a little easier because I know just where to find all my spices and can easily see when to replenish them. Plus, now when I open my cupboard I hear beautiful music and it fills me with joy. Just kidding on the music part!

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Kerr 8oz regular mouth mason jars here.

Thrive Market here

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