Make room for MAson Jars

by Henry Kesner

The dandelion (as I covered in my last post) has become a common friend of our kitchen. We cook with it and drink it and even have a large, botanical reprint poster adorning one of our walls. It has become a landmark and even mascot in our home. While the Dandelion may be the herb king of our backyard garden there is something else that has conquered our kitchen en mass.

Can you guess what it is? Open our cupboard, go on, open it… Yep… Mason jars.



Now I know it is totally hipster to have mason jars everywhere in the home for drinking, storage, pickling, flower pots, light fixtures, you name it. But dare I say, herbalists of all ages and backgrounds have been using mason jars long before I tried cramming my coffee filled mason jar in my skinny pants as I spun off on my bike for work.

Sorry hipsters, the herbalists nailed this one. Mason jars are EVERYWHERE in an herbalist’s apothecary. In our case, we have one, large book case in our kitchen that is void of books and teeming with alphabetized jars of dried and tinctured herbs. Open any cupboard or closet in the kitchen and one will surely find filled or soon to be filled jars of herbs, spices, dried fruits, nuts, and the lists goes on. Take a quick peak out of our kitchen and into the living room and find an old herbarium cabinet also filled with jars.

This is only a start. I have also enjoyed visiting some of the more prolific herbalists of the northeast and have observed a variety of mason jar displays in their home – painted and mounted, each of them a work of art.

For me, the influx of jars in the home was very much welcome and an opportunity to bring the old school in with the new. The jars absolutely speak to my practical side, preserving our food and ingredients in storage friendly containers, allowing me to purchase and divide in bulk. They have also become my favorite food storage containers and summer drink vessels. It is also, by far one of the most beautiful works of art in our home and draws visitors young and old, with or without herbal training into its majesty.

I know, I know, I am trending towards hipster again but also towards fond memories of rummaging through my grandmother’s pantry and marveling at the gorgeous colors of beans and herbs that resided within these glass chambers.

In closing, I say bring on the mason jars. They are beautiful in their simplicity and simple in their beauty. Each one is a work of art, housing a treasure within. To all the herbalists (particularly mine) fill the cupboards and closets of our home with these jars of wonder… Just keep them out of the bedroom, for now at least. Thanks and XO.

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Henry Kesner is a founding member of Herbstalk, where he brings his event & operations management skills to the planning committee. A huge fan of the natural world, he has always found ways to serve as a voice for plants and animals of all kinds. For Henry, Herbstalk is a perfect way to educate a wide audience about the power, use, and wonder of the plants that surround us on a daily basis.

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