Old fashioned but wonderfully utile

One of my favorite storage containers in the kitchen is the old fashioned mason jar. It is a wonderfully cheap and airtight way to store the little bits of all of those things you don't use very often.

I label my jars with a strip of medical tape and a sharpie. The tape is waterproof and the marker is permanent to weather spills and usage in the kitchen and yet it can easily be peeled off and replaced when the contents of the jar change.

If you look closely, you will see I use 3 different kinds of labels. The standard, tells me what is in the jar, the instructional, tells me what is in the jar and how to use it, and the blank, things like split peas, pinto beans, and popcorn which need no explaining. (The silver balls are dragees, I will submit an entire post devoted to them later.)

The jars keep ingredients fresh, close at hand, have wide mouths to accommodate measuring utensils, and keep out weevils (every kitchens nightmare). Pop them in the dishwasher when empty or simply hand wash and air dry and you have a safe and hygenic way to store all of those things you hate to keep buying at the store just to end up using one or two tablespoons of.