The week Scott and I got married (nearly four years ago now!), my dad cut a giant hole in my kitchen wall and inserted floor-to-ceiling spice rack into a few inches of unused space. This had long been the wedding present plan, though looking back on it covering the apartment with drywall dust a few days before the big day wasn’t one of my better laid plans.
Still, I’ll never regret the mess, because I LOVE this spice shelf. Not only did it give me a bounty of additional storage space, the shelves are perfectly spaced to hold the canning jars that house my herbs and spices. Truly, it was one of the best presents I’ve ever received.
For the longest time, I thought I was the only one using slightly past their prime mason jars for this purpose, but in recent years, I’ve discovered that I’m very far from alone. And this spring, Ball finally recognized the fact that many of us use their jars in this way and released a product designed expressly for spice storage.
Meet the Dry Herbs Jars
. They are four ounce jars fitted with sturdy, locking shaker lids. I’m liking these herb jars for several reasons. I appreciate how large the holes are in the shaker lid (they’re akin to the ones you find on Parmesan cheese canisters) because they allow chunky things like kosher salt and red chili flakes through.
I appreciate the slight rim on the edge of the lid, which means they stack with a sense of security. And finally (though this has nothing directly to do with their utility as a spice jar), I love the look of the smooth-sided four ounce jar. Would that they’d kick those quilted quarter-pints to the curb and sell these by the dozen!
Disclosure: Ball has provided these Dry Herb Jars at no cost to me. However, I am unswayed by this gift and my opinions remain my own.
Everything is in the pantry, but it’s a hodge podge – some in the jars or bags they came in, some in ziplocs. I would love to see theses jars on my shelf. 🙂
I store the bulk spices and herbs in larger mason jars or recycled jars from whatever I have. And use old spice jars and reused smaller jars for my spice drawer spices!
I’ve been drying some of my own herbs the past year, and I’ve given some of them away in decorated baby food jars that I couldn’t bear to just toss. The rest of my herbs and spices are kept in their original jars when I bought them. These Ball herb jars are awesome, especially with that opening :o)
Herb storage at my house is pretty chaotic and would drop an OCD person to their knees if they ventured a peek. The haphazard (often precarious) stacking of herbs and spices in their mismatched original jars proves to be a dangerous gauntlet especially at mealtime. A quick grab for a favorite from the front row is fairly safe, but if your aim is something more exotic from the back of the cabinet, prepare to unload at least 10 or 20 jars to clear a path. Better don some protective headgear, too. Now, where did I put that jar of saffron?
Mine are mostly in what I bought them in, some are plastic bags from the bulk bin. Do these jars have the ability to label the lids? I like being able to see the spice name from the top if I choose to put them in shallow drawers. Thanks for the chance to win!
I store mine in small baby food jars or any small jar that I have from something that I used that was in it.
BUT, I LOVE BALL for coming out with these they are Awesome and I now will organize my spice closet with these fantastice jars. Glad to see Ball is still make GREAT products that even my Grandmother and mother would love!!!!
I have some in little tins w/ magnets on the bottom that stick to a metal plate hung in my pantry. Great in theory, except they often get knocked off. The rest are in a fabulous pull out cabinet w/ 3 shelves that accommodate various heights of jars/bottles.
My spice situation is challenging at best. Many many TJ’s jars
Mixed in with this little plastic bags with twist ties full of bulk spices
Then…. An old Nalgene camping spice kit of un-recognizable camping
Spices….. Help! Please send the spice paramedics!
All over the place – in the cupboard, on top of the fridge, in the closet, in the original container, in Pyrex containers, in plastic baggies. Was just thinking about a different plan today, and am thankful I subscribe to your RSS feed.
Mismatched jars swimming around in storage tubs. I save Republic of Tea canisters for the home grown stuff, but you can’t see what’s in them :/ These look like the could work well for dried edible flowers and show off the pretty colors!
Most of mine are in the original plastic container from the store and thrown into a big box in my pantry because I just haven’t gotten around to organizing them yet. I have to dig to find anything and it is horrible!
My herb and spice storage is a mess! There’s one weensy spice rack on the wall with original glass spice jars that I refill as needed. Mason jars, plastic store-bought spice jars, other jars with cork lids, it’s like a rummage sale up in here! Oh and I would love to participate on the Pinterest Board! (http://pinterest.com/mamamoonbirth/pins/)
I have a hodge-podge of sizes and shapes of jars crammed into the top of my pantry. Some are old jars reused. Some are old jars with old spices in them. And yes, there are a few new ones.
Right now my spices are in many different containers. some glass jars, some plastic bags that I bought them in from the bulk section. Others are ones that I dried myself and just tossed in a snack bag. I could really use a better system. I keep all my pastas and beans in old ball jars, but don’t have enough jelly jars to use for spices. I would love to win !
We have an old farm house which means very little storage for anything. All my spices and other kitchen essentials are in Ball glass jars stacked anywhere I can find room. I grow and dry a lot of my own herbs and spices so I do not have the luxury of store bought containers so these containers would be awesome for me!
mostly in small canning jars
I try to use the good glass jars the spices/herbs come in. Especially the ones from Fresh & Easy. Solid lids with tight seal. I usually keep a few empties around for bulk spices and label accordingly. I would like to try these jars from Ball. Nice size too. CHEERS!
Congrats!! I store my herbs & spices in the orig packaging! I know, it’s not good for them or my cabinet!!
I generally store my spices and dried herbs in small glass jars in my pull-out spice drawer
I store my spices in canning jars, old pickle, olive, jelly jars, decorative jars with corks, zip lock bags, Tupperware…Man do I need a new system! My husband likes the quart canning jars the best with ground cinnamon, ginger, paprika, etc!
I store mine in Weck jars. Love them but I think these Ball jars are more practical. Plus they sure are cute.
Marisa,
What do you use to store your water bottles– is that a wine rack? Genius!
I’m currently in transition from an old magnetic spice jar system to small eclectic (thrifted) glass jars. I would totally love to get my hands on some of those smooth sided 4-oz jars!
Yes, that’s an old wine rack. It’s awesome for water bottles!
I store the spices from the garden in whatever I can find, bags, bottle’s, and jars though they never seem to be big enough. Nice spice rack by the way…give’s me ideas.
We store them in a pull out drawer. I love the look of the little Ball jars and would love to try them!
Mine are in a mish mash of jars and containers! I love the fact that these have shaker lids!
My spices are a mess. Two cupboards and counters with misc. size jars. I am very excited about the new ball solution.
My spices are mostly in original jars, in a shallow drawer next to my prep counter.
My spices are in random old spice jars that had been previously some other spice. I’ve scribbled the name (maybe) in a sharpie if it’s lucky. Otherwise we just guess what’s in it by where it is placed on the shelf. Some of my spices are in giant Costco-sized plastic containers which I know I will never use before their prime. I feel terrible about that. The reality is that I really need to dump my ancient spices and invest in some delicious fresh ones. These new jars would be just the inspiration I need.
My spices take up most of the cupboard to the right and left of the stove in a variety of containers, celophane, glass and plastic.
I store my spices in glass jars in a drawer. I wish I had the room for Mason jar spice storage! I’m hoping they’ll sell these lids ala carte. Thanks for the great review!
I store all sorts of things in my canning jars, especially the vintage jars that have a unique shape. These spice jar lids also fit on larger jars. I put one on a pint jelly jar and store my Stevia powder in it. Works great!
I keep everything in the store bought spice jars and I just reuse them. Some may say vanilla bean, but actually have chili flakes in them! It’s slightly confusing!
Ugh! My spices are in totally random holding jars in a drawer, so I have stickers/labels on top to figure out what is what. These look amazing (especially since half of my jars are on their side because they are too tall for the drawer!)
I use an assortment of glass spice jars, but I store my spice overages (that I buy in bulk) in maon jars that I vacuum seal. These would sure help and look pretty in my cabinet.
I store most of my herbs on the plant because I haven’t found a good way to keep them in jars. I’d love to dry some to have in the kitchen so I won’t have to wander all over the yard picking a sprig of this and a few leaves of that – especially in the rain! These Ball herb jars look like the perfect push I need to change my lazy ways and get some nicely dried and well-organized herbs in the cupboard.
Thanks for all your good ideas and fun posts!
My spices are currently stored in the packages they came in. But I’m trying to streamline my life, and would love these because I could fill them in the bulk-spices section!
My herb storage is a huge mess 🙁 I’ve been trying to come up with a good solution for the numerous bags, mismatched spice jars since we moved 2 yrs ago they are just sitting around in a box a basket and it’s a pain to dig around looking for the spices i need. I would love to win some nice spice jars to inspire me to clean up and organize my spice/herb mess.
Mine are in a variety of containers- if I buy them in a jar, they stay in that jar. If I buy them in bulk, bags or packets, they are either in an appropriately sized canning jar, or in a baggie. Right now they are in a narrow cabinet in my kitchen that not a lot of other things will fit into, but I need to work on a system to be able to see what is in there.
My poor spices are just in the containers that they come in on a shelf. Some others from the garden are just in canning jars. These would be really cool! I wonder if they just sell the lids? Also, your shelves are beautiful! Thanks for the chance to win these. 🙂
Most of my herbs are currently in 8oz jelly jars, with a few items that we dry ourselves in larger jars (like the 1qt jar of parsley dried from our garden). These would be a most welcome addition to our spice rack!
I’ve been storing fresh herbs in olive oil ice cubes.
I used the tupperware spice containers for years and have only recently started to move them to glass spice containers.
I love my spice rack with pull out drawers!
I store them on a magnet board which is handy, but they jars don’t hold much! 😉
I currently store dried herbs in whatever I can find–small resealable food storage containers, zip lock bags, and reusing jars from store bought spices are the top 3 methods. It would be wonderful to have a better alternative!
store spices in whatever empty jar I have. would love to pin.
I currently use old spice jars and random jars from the thrift store. I would love to have matching jars for all my herbs and spices!
I store mine mostly in small canning jars. Though I do have a large set of spice jars from an old rack system that I still reuse too!
Most of mine are in the original jars. Although I am hoarding the Archer Farms jars to pu my McCormick spice mixes in down the road…and anything from the bulk place goes in them as well. Except the lavender, cinnamon sticks and rose petals. Which live in bail top vintage jars or the like.
I currently store my herbs in a series of jars, containers, canisters, and boxes… I could really use a system. Thanks for the chance to win 🙂