Reusing Jars

Reducing waste is a huge focus for wintergreens. It informs the order that various foods are prepped (prepare veggies for pickling then use trimmings to make vegetable broth, for example), what tools and packing are used (or not used), it even decides what produce we'll be using. (The hail-damaged apples can't be sold to anyone else? Okay, we'll make applesauce!)

When we pack food in glass, we sometimes use heavy duty canning jars. When we can, we use old jars. They may not look as glamorous, but they're already in our presence, and, when sterilized, can be safely used again and again. Some have the perk of fabulous designs on the lids.

In my own cupboards, I enjoy pulling out my nutritional yeast jar when cooking, for example, because I remember where I got that jar (nearly twenty years ago!).

I hope you'll feel proud to be reusing jars with wintergreens, rather then putting them into recycling after one use. The process of recycling creates pollution, too, and those jars have a lot of functions just as they are. Once you've eaten the food within, please consider bringing your (clean) jars back for reuse.

**Please note: When thawing frozen food in glass jars, loosen the lid, and keep the jar in the refrigerator to thaw. Even the most cheapo commercial jars hold up when food is thawed in this method. Do not run under hot water or put frozen jars in a microwave. If a jar breaks, throw it and the food away. No matter how tasty, it's not worth ingesting broken glass!