do you save glass jars?
Ohioguy
various sizes that I had amassed over the previous 6 years or so.
Lately, I've noticed that more and more store containers that were
previously glass have been replaced with plastic. In the past, I've
kept the occasional glass container, reasoning that the glass lasts
forever, unless it is dropped. Plus, of course, the glass is
pest-proof, unlike the plastic. (which a rat could chew through)
However, I have to admit that I didn't actually USE the glass storage
containers I stockpiled very often. This is with the exception of baby
food jars, which are great for storing things like screws & such under
wood beams. (just put a screw through the lid, then screw on the container)
Currently, we don't really have the space to stockpile anything, so
I've just been recycling. This might change once I get a decent shed
out in the yard, or build more shelves.
Anyone else stockpile glass jars, or miss the days when just about
every food storage container wasn't made of plastic?
The Henchman
"Ohioguy" <no...@none.net> wrote in message
news:penTn.103806$rE4....@newsfe15.iad...
My father does but I don't. We use plastic food containers for many
purposes.
I still use glass jars for canning and pickling but that's it.
Lou
> various sizes that I had amassed over the previous 6 years or so.
>
> Lately, I've noticed that more and more store containers that were
> previously glass have been replaced with plastic. In the past, I've
> kept the occasional glass container, reasoning that the glass lasts
> forever, unless it is dropped. Plus, of course, the glass is
> pest-proof, unlike the plastic. (which a rat could chew through)
Even a mouse can chew through a glass jar. I don't think a rat would find
one much of a challenge.
> However, I have to admit that I didn't actually USE the glass storage
> containers I stockpiled very often.
If you don't use them, they're trash. Put them in the recycling bin and get
rid of them.
> Anyone else stockpile glass jars, or miss the days when just about
> every food storage container wasn't made of plastic?
Glass containers are more fragile and heavier than plastic. What's to miss?
watcher
We've been saving glass jars of all sizes for years, mostly to have something
reasonably sterile and non-toxic to put food in. What do we put in them?
Almost anything, from a box of farina to fruit compotes, to various kinds of
syrups, to marinated veggies and on and on ... We do use plastic(mostly
Rubbermaid) containers for short-term 'fridge storage, but for long-term
stuff, we always use glass. Of course, keeping used glass jars inevitably
leads to more glass lying around than we can ever actually use, so, every once
in a while, we go through what we have and take extras and dupes to the
recycling bin. As for getting more when we need them, I'm not worried; almost
everything we now buy in glass jars(spaghetti sauce, salsa, etc.) will
probably continue to be packaged in glass for some time to come, mainly, I
think, because the contents are too corrosive to be packed in the commonly
available food plastics.
W.
Rod Speed
I did wonder if there was any point in continuing to do that, and
then I couldnt find anyone supplying commercial marmalade that
I liked and started making my own and was very glad that I had
kept the jars the commercial stuff had come in.
I make it using mostly limes, some lemons, and limes are
quite expensive most of the year, so I make lots when the
limes are cheap which usually happens once a year or so.
So I needed 40 600g jars to make about a year's supply.
And since then they have discontinued the relish I like and I will
probably start making that too, so those jars are just what I need
too. Those are mostly tomato ingredient wise and they are also
much cheaper at one time of the year so a year's supply makes
sense with them too.
Ohioguy wrote:
> We recently moved, and I took stock of the pile of glass jars of
> various sizes that I had amassed over the previous 6 years or so.
I didnt need to bother, didnt move.
> Lately, I've noticed that more and more store containers that were previously glass have been replaced with plastic.
None of the stuff I buy has except tomato sauce and salad dressing.
> In the past, I've kept the occasional glass container,
I kept most of the stuff that I bought much of and some of
the stuff that I didnt buy a lot of, just for the different jars.
> reasoning that the glass lasts forever, unless it is dropped. Plus, of course, the glass is pest-proof, unlike the
> plastic. (which a rat could chew through)
I've never had that happen. I have has a couple of the paper
packed things like flour chewed by a mouse and I just keep
those in those big plastic boxes now so they cant do that again.
> However, I have to admit that I didn't actually USE the glass storage containers I stockpiled very often.
I did use some, particularly when say opening a tin of tomatoes
and not using all of them in a particular recipie etc.
> This is with the exception of baby food jars, which are great for storing things like screws
Yeah, I used the small relish jars that way quite a bit.
> & such under wood beams. (just put a screw through the lid, then screw on the container)
I just put them on a shelf. More convenient to use.
> Currently, we don't really have the space to stockpile anything, so I've just been recycling. This might change once
> I get a decent shed out in the yard, or build more shelves.
I've got lots of shelves that I do using slotted square
steel tube welded into a rectangular frame, and then
dynabolted to the concrete floor and concrete block walls.
I use flat aluminum in the slots as the supports for the
shelves and wooden shelves. Some natural wood for
the bookshelves, what we call particle board painted
for the very deep shelves and melamine coated board
for shelves like in the kitchen/pantry etc.
> Anyone else stockpile glass jars,
Yes, I got hundreds.
> or miss the days when just about every food storage container wasn't made of plastic?
Nope, most of mine still does come in glass.
Rod Speed
> Ohioguy <no...@none.net> wrote
>> We recently moved, and I took stock of the pile of glass jars of
>> various sizes that I had amassed over the previous 6 years or so.
>> Lately, I've noticed that more and more store containers that were
>> previously glass have been replaced with plastic. In the past, I've
>> kept the occasional glass container, reasoning that the glass lasts
>> forever, unless it is dropped. Plus, of course, the glass is
>> pest-proof, unlike the plastic. (which a rat could chew through)
> Even a mouse can chew through a glass jar.
I've never seen a jar that one has even started on.
Quite frankly, I dont believe it.
I have got some holes in paper packaging, mostly with flour etc.
> I don't think a rat would find one much of a challenge.
Bet they do.
>> However, I have to admit that I didn't actually USE
>> the glass storage containers I stockpiled very often.
> If you don't use them, they're trash.
Not necessarily, things can change. They did in my case.
> Put them in the recycling bin and get rid of them.
No thanks.
>> Anyone else stockpile glass jars, or miss the days when just
>> about every food storage container wasn't made of plastic?
> Glass containers are more fragile
Yes, but thats no big deal when you have plenty of replacements.
> and heavier than plastic.
Who cares ?
> What's to miss?
The convenience of being able to clean them in the dishwasher effortlessly.
I use about half of the beer bottles glass 375ml bootles we call stubbys.
Very convenient to have the dishwasher wash them. Much more convenient
than the other half, 750ml PET plastic bottles that have to be washed by hand.
h
"Derald" <der...@invalid.net> wrote in message
news:leednZ6tJfqO5YPR...@earthlink.com...> I never in my life have seen that happen. You know, my hovel is
> subject to cyclically recurring invasions of native field mice because
> of which every food item within my sight line on the food shelves (as
> well as very many other items around the shack) is in a closed glass,
> metal, or ceramic container precisely because the field mice native to
> Florida do not attack those materials. Hurts their little toofies.
> Within my experience, mice indescriminately will chew paper, plastic,
> cellulose, particle board, OSB, Bakelite, plywood, solid wood, copper
> (although I believe the copper to have been coincidental). Mice don't
> chew stuff with any particular goal in mind. The gnaw stuff simply
> because it's there; and because they must.
> I just checked my front porch and, if you'd like, I can provide
> photos of a _clean_ glass syrup bottle with mouse-damaged plastic cap
> (but otherwise untouched) as well as of a number of PET bottles and a
> number of poly bottles, all clean, that have been chewed into by field
> mice. If I look around a bit, I may be able to find more glass
> containers with mouse-chewed plastic caps.
>>
>>Glass containers are more fragile and heavier than plastic. What's to
>>miss?
> beverages for years and the alcohol in whisky for generations? I'd miss
> that. I don't buy whisky in plastic, do you?
> Oh, gee, then there's _very_ long term resistance to UV
> degradation.
> Oh, gee, then there's resistance to atmospheric degradation, a 100%
> certainty with plastic that is greatly accelerated by proximity to
> automobile exhaust and industrial gases, etc. Even thunderstorms damage
> plastic.
> Oh, gee, then there's the impermeability to oils and flavors from
> prior contents. I'd miss that. Poly plastics especially, become "funky"
> and unsuitable for food storage with use. Didn't you ever wonder why you
> can't get that red residue left behind by say, chili, ropa vieja or
> spaghetti sauce, off of your grocery-store "Rubbermaid"?
> Oh, gee, then there's the total absence of "plastisizers", the loss
> of which, in part through migration into food, eventually causes
> virtually all plastics to crack, crumble and lose "structural integrity"
> from far less stress than alternative materials, including glass. I'd
> miss that, big time.
Yup. What he said. For meats, I wrap it in plastic and then it goes into
plastic bags. I use plastic tubs for short-term fridge storage (leftovers
and shredded/shaved cheese, etc.), but glass for freezer liquids. The only
exception is turkey stock, which I freeze in ice cube trays and then dump
into freezer bags for longer term storage. Since the stock is already
frozen, the plastic is ok. Soup, tomato sauce, etc., gets put into glass,
frozen uncovered, any bits over the top get shaved off, then plastic over
the top and the top gets screwed on. I prefer glass jars with plastic tops,
of which I have a ton from back in the 70s in my first apt. Can't remember
where I got them (special coffee promotion?), but they've really held up.
Since it's just the two of us, we don't need to freeze all that much liquid.
Lou
"Derald" <der...@invalid.net> wrote in message
news:leednZ6tJfqO5YPR...@earthlink.com...
>
> "Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
I've never seen it in person. What I did see was a show on the the
Discovery or Nat Geo channel about the mouse problem in Australia, and one
segment of the program showed a mouse gnawing through a glass jar.
> >Glass containers are more fragile and heavier than plastic. What's to
miss?
> Golly, how about impermeability to gases which keeps the fizz in
> beverages for years and the alcohol in whisky for generations? I'd miss
> that.
I don't buy whiskey to keep for any length of time, let alone generations.
Don't buy fizzy drinks at all - do use a seltzer bottle once every five or
ten years.
Mrs Irish Mike
> Anyone else stockpile glass jars, or miss the days when just about
> every food storage container wasn't made of plastic.
Of course I do; Where else would I store my urine?
h
"Mrs Irish Mike" <wilm...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:df14aa9f-a247-4a71...@a16g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
Eww. Plonk.
Rod Speed
> Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote
>> Lou <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote
>>> Even a mouse can chew through a glass jar.
>> I never in my life have seen that happen.
> I've never seen it in person.
Neither has anyone else.
> What I did see was a show on the the Discovery or Nat Geo
> channel about the mouse problem in Australia, and one segment
> of the program showed a mouse gnawing through a glass jar.
Bullshit it did. And I live in Australia and have lived thru a number of mouse plagues.
>>> Glass containers are more fragile and heavier than plastic. What's to miss?
>> Golly, how about impermeability to gases which keeps the fizz in beverages
>> for years and the alcohol in whisky for generations? I'd miss that.
> I don't buy whiskey to keep for any length of time, let alone generations.
Others do tho.
> Don't buy fizzy drinks at all - do use a seltzer bottle once every five or ten years.
You have always been, and always will be, completely and utterly irrelevant.
Napoleon
> Oh, gee, then there's the total absence of "plastisizers", the loss
>of which, in part through migration into food, eventually causes
>virtually all plastics to crack, crumble and lose "structural integrity"
>from far less stress than alternative materials, including glass. I'd
>miss that, big time.
I used to have plastic water bottles to refill with water. I used them
over and over and of course they would crack within months. Finally I
got sick of that and the taste of plastic, and how you could never
quite clean the bottle, which always turned green. Plus, the leaching
of chemicals into the water from the plastic is not good for your
health.
So I finally bought a stainless steel water bottle and love it.
However, it still has a plastic cap, and I hate that. When the plastic
cap breaks (and it will) I'm going to replace with stainless steel or
something other than plastic.
I never save plastic containers for anything.
Coffee's For Closers
says...
> We recently moved, and I took stock of the pile of glass jars of
> various sizes that I had amassed over the previous 6 years or so.
>
> Lately, I've noticed that more and more store containers that were
> previously glass have been replaced with plastic. In the past, I've
> kept the occasional glass container, reasoning that the glass lasts
> forever, unless it is dropped. Plus, of course, the glass is
> pest-proof, unlike the plastic. (which a rat could chew through)
>
> However, I have to admit that I didn't actually USE the glass storage
> containers I stockpiled very often.
> every food storage container wasn't made of plastic?
The last time I thought of saving a glass jar was derailed by
effort that would have been required to remove the adhesive from
the label. Although I have a few glass jars that had coffee in
them originally, and easily removable labels. I use them for
sugar, salt, etc.
But, generally, I save the plastic containers. I have over 100
litres of water stored in juice bottles, in case of an
earthquake. Plus items that can be used for starting plants.
Plus various cups and lids, etc.
Where I live, ice cream comes in 2-litre plastic boxes, with
snap-on lids. Which many people save for re-use. For example, I
have a bunch of spare computer cables, power cords, etc, coiled
up (with twist-ties from a bulk roll found in the gardening dept
of the supermarket) and stored in ice cream boxes. Plus other
bits and pieces.
The last time I relocated, (which was just down the road) I went
ahead and dumped a substantial number of plastic food containers.
OTOH, my household pests are just a few insects. Although I had
to deal with a few mice a couple winters ago. Snap, splat,
problem fixed.
--
Get Credit Where Credit Is Due
http://www.cardreport.com/
Credit Tools, Reference, and Forum
Coffee's For Closers
der...@invalid.net says...
> "Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >Even a mouse can chew through a glass jar.
> I never in my life have seen that happen. You know, my hovel is
> subject to cyclically recurring invasions of native field mice because
> of which every food item within my sight line on the food shelves (as
> well as very many other items around the shack) is in a closed glass,
> metal, or ceramic container precisely because the field mice native to
> Florida do not attack those materials. Hurts their little toofies.
> Within my experience, mice indescriminately will chew paper, plastic,
> cellulose, particle board, OSB, Bakelite, plywood, solid wood, copper
> (although I believe the copper to have been coincidental). Mice don't
> chew stuff with any particular goal in mind. The gnaw stuff simply
> because it's there; and because they must.
The main problem I had with mice chewing was the holes they made
in the bathroom wall to get in.
Then, the main problem in general was the turds they left in
various places. Like on my desk.
> >Glass containers are more fragile and heavier than plastic. What's to miss?
> Golly, how about impermeability to gases which keeps the fizz in
> beverages for years and the alcohol in whisky for generations? I'd miss
> that. I don't buy whisky in plastic, do you?
If I bought whiskey, it would be in the cheapest possible format.
To last for weeks, at the longest.
> Oh, gee, then there's the impermeability to oils and flavors from
> prior contents. I'd miss that. Poly plastics especially, become "funky"
> and unsuitable for food storage with use. Didn't you ever wonder why you
> can't get that red residue left behind by say, chili, ropa vieja or
> spaghetti sauce, off of your grocery-store "Rubbermaid"?
I don't care. I would just use a plastic ice cream box, that
would otherwise have been recycled.
> Oh, gee, then there's the total absence of "plastisizers", the loss
> of which, in part through migration into food, eventually causes
> virtually all plastics to crack, crumble and lose "structural integrity"
> from far less stress than alternative materials, including glass. I'd
> miss that, big time.
My greater concern would be the, "migration into food" aspect.
Like, eating the plasticisers. Because my body is much harder to
replace than a cheap plastic container.