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
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.
These are awesome! I would love to replace my current mish mash of glass, plastic etc with some of these.
I usually buy spices from Penzeys and they come in economical plastic bags. I usually leave them in the bag and store them alphabetically in baskets in my pantry.
I tend to use old condiment jars for the bulk and home-dried herbs, but I’m not going to lie: I also keep a lot of my spices in the little plastic bags from the bulk section. Maybe I can upgrade with some Kootsacs and Ball Dry Herb Jars!
It had been quite a hodge-podge of jars and envelopes until I recently ordered a set of 4oz jars from Fillmore Container. So, while the appearance is getting better, the location is still bad – I have a shelf over the stove. I know the heat and humidity are not ideal, but since this is the only spot I have, I try to just buy small amounts frequently.
Baggies and jars!
I just bought the 4-pack at Fred Meyer last weekend! They are great!
Some of our spices are in the jars they came in, some in plastic bags, some that we grew are in envelopes in the pantry!!! Obviously, I need to bring order to the spice chaos… More jars would help!
My spices are not stored very well. Either from the bottles they came in from the store or in plastic bags. These would be great to have!
Ohhhh! I love these. I get all my spices from the bulk counter at Whole Foods, so I never have any containers to put them in, therefore I have a container of spices in my pantry. I love the idea of having a smaller container for them instead of being buried in the spin bin. Thanks for the chance to win these and I will definitely be looking out for these.
I dry and powder many of my own herbs and spices. I store them in Ball jars and it is a bit of a hassle removing the entire lid when I use them. These look like just the ticket. I really need to get some.
I could really use those jars. Cool to see that they have such a wide lid… 🙂
We get bulk Penzy Spices and store them in old pesto jars or 4 oz canning jars.
but oh man, i love the quilted jars so much! would be great if they sold these lids separately to fit atop their other jars, no?
My spices are stored mostly in store containers, but the home-grown ones are in re-purposed baby food jars and ziploc baggies. I’d love to try these Ball jars out!
I would be super happy if Ball kicked those quilted 4 ounce jars to the curb and only sell the plain ones they are using with these herb jars. They are so much nicer. And I use a variety of old Ball jars and glass honey jars for herb storage. Although I did just get the 1/2 gallon jars for storing my dried mint and fruits in. I need another half dozen of them now.
I love to go to Zerns in Boyertown and get fresh spice from the spice stand. I would love to add these cute jars to my spice shelf
Usually in the jars they came in. Spice blends and herbs I’ve dried myself go in the 4 oz. jars!
I have a mish-mash of repurposed glass jars holding my herbs/blends. I adore the wide mouth 1/2 pt jars already, so the shaker lids make them all the more perfect!
Awesome! I store my herbs & spices in a variety of reused old spice jars, ball jars, and Penzey’s jars. I’d love to someday consolidate to a single jar system!
The spices from my garden usually end up in plastic baggies. The jars would be great.
I store them in tall skinny jars, and I’d love some bigger options that stack securely!
I store my herbs and spices in small glass jars recycled from wherever I can find them. Sometimes small canning jars, sometimes jars from previous spice purchases, and I have some jars that I don’t remember the original source of. The jars get labeled on the top and are stored in a relatively shallow drawer. Easy to find!
The new Ball jars and lids look like just what’s needed for the herb storage task!
I buy each spice in a pretty glass jar once, and then refill the pretty spice jar when it empties. Thank you for the giveaway!
I ashamedly admit that, aside from my standard spice rack, I store my other spices in the baggies I got them in (from the bulk section of my co-op), all jammed together in one big bag, and, more often than not, unlabeled. Yikes. 🙂
All my store-bought herbs and spices are still in their original containers. It bugs me though since they’re not all uniform in size and shape. I’m excited that Ball has come out with these jars!
Any jar I can get my hands on that are clean with a metal lid. I got a hold of some old small jam jars at a yard sale that are square and they are perfect, but not nearly enough! Stackable is a fabulous benefit! Love them!
I keep mind in rubbermade containers. They’re square, stackable, and I can pack a ton in my cabinets.
Canning jars (ranging from half pint to quart) line the backsplash area of my kitchen counters in colorful and convenient stacks. I love storing herbs and other dry foods this way because they remain fresh, create a beautiful display, and I am always aware of what I have on hand / I don’t forget to use items that are easily lost in a packed cupboard. 🙂
I usually store spices and herbs in leftover jars – jams, jelly, pickle, what-have-you. One thing they miss is those shakers though.
I re-did my entire spice cupboard in the last jar. I used the 4 and 8oz ball jars. Love the look of everything matching and pretty!
I’m very excited for these jars! I already store my spices in the 4 oz canning jars, but they don’t stack well so I can only stack them two high. I already have plenty of this size of jar though; I wonder if they’ll sell just the lids?
These would certainly be an upgrade from the recycled baby food jars and grocery store spice jars that I use to both store and give away the herbs from our garden. Am totally with you on the jar style-love the smooth sides!
I have those magnetic spice tins on my fridge and I hate them! They are messy and obnoxious, and not at all what I had hoped. I’m still looking for the perfect solution to spices! These may come close!
Spice storage is the bane of my kitchen currently! I need to get one putting together one of those magnetic screw top jars attached to the refrigerator or wall systems. The spice jars are eating my cabinet whole! 🙂
Wow, these are great! Right now I’m using a combination of spice jars from Ikea and a revolving spice rack set that I got as a gift several years ago. One of these days I’m going to figure out a way to coordinate them all though!
I usually freeze the herbs that freeze well and use the others fresh, but this year, I’ve expanded my herb garden, so I’d like to explore drying too!
GREAT storage space! Someone was thinking outside the box!
I love the little 4oz jars. Big time! I put the biggest part of what I can in them so that once a jar is opened it gets used up quickly. Since I have a ton of them I’m wondering if Ball sells the shaker-top lids separately or has any plans to?
DON’T pick my name. I’m very well stocked with the jars. I just might want a few of the lids. ;>
As for my spices and herbs, I keep my baking spices in a small lift down box in the cabinet above my baking area: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75667634@N00/3648058491/ I keep my savory herbs in cheap little CD boxes on a pullout by the stove in alphabetical order: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75667634@N00/3648911776/
One of the coolest herb and spice storage ideas I ever saw was this: http://www.beantownbaker.com/2010/01/week-of-kitchen-renovations-spice-rack.html
I keep all of my herbs in a rolling cabinet next to my teeny kitchen. They need a forever home, but for right now this works.
I like to save spice jars then refill them from the bulk bins. I have also acquired a few special jars that are interesting shapes that I just can’t part with. I use them for “everyday” spices like cinnamon and kosher salt so I can admire their cuteness.
I have such a mishmash! A few glass jars, more than a few little plastic baggies with twist ties from the bulk section, a few as-purchased-from-the-store bottles… I’d love to transition to all glass.
my spice cabinet is a combo of an awkward lazy Susan rack with my penzey’s spices crammed into it, and then a shelf of repurposed jars that hold larger spices and ones I’ve dried from my garden. it’s not ideal, so these do look interesting!
My herbs and spices are stored in varies jars in a large kitchen drawer.
I store mine upright in drawers and write the names on the lids. It’s excellent for visibility but I do have a few jars that are too tall.
I keep everyday spices in a traditional masala box. The rest I store in glass and plastic containers.
These look interesting! I just planted my first herb garden this year and it is doing magnificently! Would love to have some jars to store herbs and to fill up as gifts!
Cheryl
I use all kinds of empty jars, including older Ball and Kerr jars. Any jar that is clean and has no odor, with a tight fitting lid, is fair game. I grow a lot of herbs and those I don’t I buy in bulk, so I tend to collect old jars.
inadequately, dried herbs from garden go into plastic bags or old jars.
would love it if they started selling just the lids!
I have some of those ikea spice holders that use magnets to stick to the fridge. I’ve learned you can only use those for larger piece spices. Fine grain gets in the lid and makes them impossible to open. So, have those, some in a drawer, some on the stove. Drives me crazy but haven’t worked out a system yet.
These days I store in bulk bags since I ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs enough spices for ages. But mason jars are so good for almost anything that these would be a great addition to my overflowing spice rack.
Our herbs are in the bottles they came in from the store or, if they’re home grown, they get stored in plastic containers that don’t fit well with the other spice jars. These Ball spice jars look pretty cool to me!
We keep our herbs and spices in a variety of jars. I wish it was more organized! These jars look amazing.
My husband and father made me the best spice racks for my cabinet door that is longer than a standard door.
I store herbs in all kinds of things…glass jars, the plastic ones the ones from the store came in, bags for some bulk stuff, it is a big old crazy storage mess in my spice cabinet! Actually it is pretty organized, but it isn’t all matchy matchy or pretty….
Someone had told me about these already and I’d love to try them. I also recently learned that a parm cheese shaker lid will fit on a mason jar! Now I need to get my friends who go through those jars to save the lids for me. I might end up with my own little spice jars if I don’t win 🙂
I store my herbs in old spice jars, just mis matched jars, some small canning jars – all glass. I’d love to have a set of these new jars!
I use a series of Ball jars, and for a lot of things I actually use the glass jars that Starbucks iced coffee comes in at places like 7-11.
Hodgepodge of old canning and recycled store bought jars. Like the lids.
It’s all a mish-mosh, with excess from bulk buys in tubs scattered hither and yon. Oh, my poor herby babies, you are too old, I only like them NEWBORN *salivates over spice deliveries*
I bought a wall hanging spice rack from Costco years ago (though it never actually made it on the wall!). Additionally, I have a huge shelf in my cupboard filled with spices in their original containers. I would love to have some of these cute little jars!
my bulk spices are kept in a cupboard that i also keep my infusing whatevers. the jars are mismatched but functional for my needs. the convenient cupboard in kitchen is on the other hand quite a mess of grocery jars, small jelly jars, etc. then nifty little beauties just now showed up in some stores here and are quite expensive, so it would sure be wonderful to win a first set
Oh…I would so love these! I currently store my herbs in old spice jars. But, these…oh…so much nicer and more practical.
My messy little herb drawer holds a small collection of small glass jars I fill with bulk herbs from the health food store and an assortment of can’t-do-without-herbs I buy. For the most part I grow the majority of herbs I use in my year-around-garden here in Hawaii. I love the new herb jars – they’d make great gifts. I’m going to look for them immediately.
I use a mix of jars for my herb storage: old spice jars from the store for smaller quantities and past-their-prime canning jars for large quantities of home grown herbs.
My plan is always to reuse spice jars that I’ve saved after emptying them. But really? I have a disability to accurately judge volume. 1/4 cup of dried parsley from the bulk bin doesn’t look like much at the bottom of the plastic bag so I add a bit more, then a bit more. And then when I get home, I have to store it in a pint size mason jar because nothing else will fit it.
I’ve been using the original spice jars, some milk white spice jars that came with a spice rack I inherited from my grandmother, some small canning jars…..these would be cool to have!
I have spice jars I got a yard sales, small mason jars, old jelly jars, you name it I have spices or herbs in it. It’s a mess.
Right now I usually store my herbs in the jars they come in, refilling from bulk packaging when necessary. My dream pantry would include all my spices in matching jars!
My spice shelves are filled with a messy collection of purchased plastic and recycled glass jars, and even a few plastic bags. I’d like to be buying spices in bulk — just what I need and can use before it loses its flavor — and these jars would be wonderful! Thanks for the giveaway chance.
I mostly have spice jars from purchased spices. I have a few of the magnetic kind on my fridge, and for the random spices purchased in bulk when I didn’t have a spare jar, they’re in old prescription bottles.
I’m a mess. I store in glass jars, plastic jars, plastic bags…you namei, I’ve got it.
I am totally guilty of storing bulk bought spices in the plastic bags that they come in. Or.. if I bought already jarred spices, then they stay in the plastic shaker jar. Basically our spice storage is a mess..
I too wish Ball would sell smooth sided 1/4 pint jars in 12 packs. I hate those quilted things, even if I am making jellies or jams. ugh.
We use mason jars too for the grains and larger quantities of herbs.
Most herbs are just sroed in the bottles from the grocery, but I do store some in my jelly jars too. 🙂 Thanks
I often use recycled jars, too.
i use recycled jars, i love to keep them in glass! these new jars are sooooo cute!!
I was just about to order these so I can get rid of my hodgepodge of mismatched jars…now I’ll wait to see if I win!!!
In any kind of jar….What a great idea!!!
I have always loved to grow my own herbs but had a hard time keeping them alive. I finally did some reading and am in a place where my herb garden is actually producing. Now I can finally start harvesting! The only problem is that I don’t have anywhere to store all my fabulous herbs and they end up all over my kitchen in rolls of paper towels.
I use the quilted 4 oz jars but it is a pain to unscrew the lids when I’m using a number of spices in a dish. I like the look of the top. I’m going to see if my local jar store is planning on ordering these. They might just fit the bill. Do you know if the lid fits a standard 4 oz or are these jars different from the 4 oz jelly? It’d be nice to be able to just buy lids and convert what we have.
The lids are a standard size, so they’ll fit any regular mouth jar.
I wish you many years of happiness. I have my spices in two different areas of the kitchen. One is closer to the stove. I seem to divide them between baking and cooking.
After years of buying herbs in bulk and keeping little baggies all over the place, I finally broke down and bought about empty 50 jars from Penzeys. But of course, I’ve since expanded my spices, and often make my own mixes. I also reuse old glass spice jars. I’m so envious of your spice rack. My spices are in four different places in the kitchen. Every day stuff next to the stove, used a lot stuff in a drawer, used less in another drawer, and hardly used in a pantry in the hall (stuff like file). Would love to have a set of these spice jars.
I mainly use the original containers the spices come in, but I store them in those clear shoe-box sized plastic containers, broken out alphabetically so I can find them more quickly. I have over 80 jars of spices, so I need that convenience!
What a great idea…I’m lazy with my herb storage and typically use the containers that they came in 🙂 but would love to utilize jars this way!
I bought a house built in the 40s, complete with bread and root veggie drawers. But since I don’t stock potatoes and onions regularly, the spices are in their original containers all jumbled in that drawer. With these little jars I’d feel compelled to display them!
We just started drying our own herbs from the garden last year. I had taken to using some of the other ball jars as my “bulk herb” containers. For day to day use, I had started to save the old glass spice jars and would refill them from my bulk containers.
I store my most used herbs and spices in little glass jars with white caps in a drawer next to my stove, the rest are in their containers in my cabinet.
This is a fantastic idea. I often keep herbs in mason jars as well (especially home-grown/dried ones) and this is a nice neat way to store and stack them!
recycled glass jars all the way, including old spice bottles. Thanks for the giveaway, these look terrific.
I buy store-bought herbs and keep them in my spice cabinet. If I won these, I might actually use my dehydrator to dry herbs and store them myself!
I store the bulk of my spices in 4 ounce canning jars or Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter jars. The Smucker’s jars are good for herbs with stems or larger quantities. They have straight, clear sides and continuous threaded lids which make a tight seal.
Sometimes it can be difficult to get the label glue off the jar. I use the cheapest fat I have (many jar labels use a glue that is more soluble in fat) and a green pad and it comes right off.
I use my old spice containers for storage and just relabel. These are cute!
I keep my fresh herbs now in the fridge in jars; dried in their original jars. These look awesome! I’ve started two herb gardens this year on my back deck…they are doing very well. Could use these lovely Ball jars.
My most recent apartment solved this for me: there is a small shelf just 6″ under the kitchen cabinets and both run all the way around my kitchen. This shelf is just the right size for two rows of spice shakers or tins, or the tins turned sideways. I’ve had all kinds of fun arranging them to look pretty and show off fancier or more exotic spices, and it is ridiculously convenient. I may not be able to go back to a drawer/cupboard system when I move out, but I will be moving again soon, so I suppose I’ll have to manage.
I store my spices all over my kitchen both in jars and bags. These look like they would help keep things much more organized.
It’s kind of a hodge podge at my place — jars that they came in, recycled jars, and a few little spice jars that I picked up at IKEA.
I use jars, too. But I also use old tins. I don’t like to crush my dried harvestings so I usually store whole leaf (and sometimes even whole stem) which means I need something that holds bulkier items – vintage German candy tins do the trick and they are pretty to boot. They don’t store neatly, however, – there’s always a trade off.
jars for the herbs I grow and dry myself and plastic containers the herbs arrive in (I buy most herbs from our local feed store!).
I typically get all my herbs from growers at various farmers’ markets I’ve been lucky enough to be able to now call my friends. I’ve been hanging mine from anything I can find in the kitchen, they then collect dust until I deem them unusable. I find it truly shameful when I finally end up throwing them out. These jars look fantastic!
I store a lot of my spices in little metal tins that perfectly fill one drawer of my kitchen in a pleasing grid… but I also keep some right by the stove because they are used every day – and this is where the shaker top would be perfect. The recycled spice jar that I have my herb salt in (the base is kosher salt, so it’s chunky) doesn’t always let the stuff through the holes. Oh, I wish they sold the lids separately, too!
not nearly as consistent as your system, my herbs and spices go in any and all used glass containers: tiny canning jars, old herb jars, baby food jars.
My shelf looks just like yours 😉 A mix of different sized masons with some store bought bottles. I’d love to have it all looking the same but buying spices in bulk or on sale doesn’t allow for prettiness!