Howdy darlin’! You might remember that in my last post I talked about my “Word For the Year” which is Simplify. One of my goals is to clear any and all clutter room by room in my home. Since I spend so much time in my kitchen it was first on my list. My cupboards, drawers and pantry had become so jammed with way too many bowls, utensils, plastic storage containers and just plain old stuff! I had so many lids for things that didn’t go with anything and yet I was keeping them. Why? I don’t even know! (Oh for goodness sake!). Sistah’s, let me tell you, my purging party had been long overdue! Before I got started with my get-rid-of-all-the-extra-stuff-that-I-don’t-need task, I perused Pinterest to get a little inspiration. I saw lots of neat and tidy cupboards and pantries. Every plate, cup, pot and pan had a “home”. Everything was neat and tidy. That’s what I wanted!!
Clicking on those wonderful images would often take me to their original source so I ended up jumping from one blog to another. That’s when my eyes were opened. I began reading articles about the benefits of using glass for food preparation and storage instead of plastic. I read how toxic chemicals can leach from plastic kitchenware into our foods and can cause some serious health concerns. Now, I already knew about staying away from plastic water bottles with BPA, but according to the experts, there is still a deep concern with all plastics in regards to food prep and storage. (You can read this or google it if you want more details on the potential hazards of plastic kitchenware).
The whole plastic thing got me thinking. I thought about how sometimes I could taste “plastic” from my favorite cup that I fill with ice-water and take with me everywhere. I would even fill it with water and put it by my bed at night. A few times I made the mistake of taking a sip in the morning only to taste plastic. Not good. So, here’s the question I asked myself, if I taste the plastic am I drinking plastic toxins? Hmmmm….just in case I now drink from this cup…
This is my new favorite to-go water cup. No plastic taste! It has a tall slender shape so it’s easy to hold…and it’s cute and vintage-y! We all LOVE our down-home mason jars don’t we? I call it my Farmgirl Sippy Cup! :D It’s a pint and a half size that you can find HERE (Amazon Affiliate). Now I realize my straw is still plastic. I tried the metal ones and almost broke my tooth, eeeeek! I still feel like I’m better off! I also have a couple insulated stainless steel tumblers that keep the ice frozen for a long time. I love them especially in the car!
So anyhoo, in my quest for living a more vintage lifestyle (preserving the best from the past) and also wanting to maintain a healthy home, as best I can, I decided the things that needed to go were the plastic things (I also decided to give up my non-stick coated pans too for the same health-related reasons. I’m sticking to my cast iron and stainless steel pans). The picture above are just a few things that I ended up donating. Now, let me just say that I’m not going Cray-Cray (CrAzY) over this whole “plastic” issue. I just decided since I needed to get rid of some extra stuff, I might as well start with my plastic kitchenware, and of course, if there’s a chance that toxins could be ingested from my kitchenware, then I’d rather not to take that chance. To be frank, I’m not sure it’s even possible for me to get rid of all plastic things in my kitchen, I mean a lot of food comes in plastic. But I do think that if I reduce as much as I can, it’ll be a good thing. We’ll see, I’m still trying to figure this all out.
I do know that I so enjoy the experience of cooking much more with my vintage-style stoneware and ceramic bowls, my cast iron pans and Pyrex glass cookware and bowls. I also decided that since I love mason jars so much that I would use them as my go-to storage containers in my pantry…more about that in a minute.
But first, here are my 7 reasons why I’m switching from plastic to glass (and Stoneware) in my kitchen:
1. I feel it’s a healthier choice for me and my family.
2. Glass and Stoneware fit better with my vintage life-style. My grandmother’s and mother used Pyrex so that sounds good to me!
3. Glass preserves the flavor and quality of food better than plastic.
4. Glass will not absorb stains and odors like plastic does.
5. Glass cleans better.( There always seems to be some kind of residue left behind on my plasticware.)
6. Glass is more economical because it will last longer than plastic. Plastic, melts, warps and stains.
7. Glass has more uses. You can bake, serve, re-heat, store and freeze with glass containers.
A few years ago I purchased these Anchor Hocking Canisters that I store my sugars and flour in. I LOVE them. You can find them HERE. They also come in brushed nickel and black lids, although I have to say I do love the red…’cuz it matches my lipstick! Heehee!
My canisters look cute sitting next to my favorite cookbooks too! This cookbook is just as gorgeous inside as it is on the front cover! Feel Good Food by Southern Living Magazine, you can find it HERE on this Amazon Affiliate link.
Come inside my pantry to see how I used Mason jars as storage containers…
I didn’t take a picture of what my pantry looked like before I cleaned it, but I did find this photo which shows how I had it organized. My cardboard boxes of pasta and rice were organized in the oblong white baskets on the middle shelf. I also had snacks in the other basket on the right.Well, when I removed the basket holding the pasta I found some dead bugs underneath it. Lord have mercy! They must have been chewing on some pasta that had fallen out of an opened box. There were a couple dead bugs nestled in the nooks and crannies of the basket too. Oh good gravy! That did it! No more baskets in the pantry where bugs can hide and no more pasta left in opened boxes! Mama don’t allow no buggies! Needless to say, I threw away the pasta and started fresh.
Now as you can see my pasta, rice, bread crumbs and snacks are sealed tight in my mason jars. I can easily see what I have inside and I can move them aside to give the shelves a good scrubbin’.
These extra large Ball canister jars with a push down lid are perfect for storing my spaghetti and lasagna noodles. I found mine at Target. The other jars are half -gallon size with a wide-mouth lid that you can find here. Besides being the perfect way to store food, they are inexpensive and will last for years to come.
When I got these jars I ran them through the sterilize cycle in my dishwasher and they came out sparkling clean. These jars will keep the air out and the food fresher. I like that!
Anchor Hocking sells these darling reproduction Barrel Jars with a wooden handle. I have one up in my pantry that is a vintage pickle jar from an old general store. They are available in a few sizes, you can find them HERE.
Here’s a close up of the Ball Jar Canister. The rim of the jar has a silicone band that when you push the lid down it forms a perfect seal to keep it air tight.
I took a Sharpie marker to record the expiration date on the back since I threw away the original packaging. Even though the Sharpie is a permanent marker, it will wash off by scrubbing it with a wet paper towel. You could use a dry erase marker but I thought it would come off too easily when handling the jar.
On ingredients such as the rice, I cut out the cooking instructions and taped it to the back.
On most of my jars I didn’t feel like they needed labels since you could clearly see what’s inside, but here I did put a label on the Pancake mix so it wouldn’t get confused with flour. I ‘ll be putting my oatmeal in glass jars soon…my pantry is a work in progress.
I also put my baking soda in a glass jar. Baking soda will absorb odors which could affect the taste of what you are using it for, so this will keep it fresher. I got my Martha Stewart labels at Staples.
Some of my favorite back-in-the-day treasures…no plastic!! :D (There’s my vintage pickle jar)
So there you have it…my pantry is now neat, clean and tidy…just the way Mama likes it.
It took a whole day to clean, and fill my new storage jars
but it was worth it!
It’s the little things that make your home feel homey.
Aunt Jane loved mason jars too! :D
A clean pantry and vintage, sun-washed, farmhouse aprons make joy-bells ring in my heart!
Well thank you Sugar Pie for stopping by!
It’s always a treat to have you here!
I would love to hear your thoughts on choosing glass over plastic!
God Bless your darlin’ heart!
Aunt Ruthie
P. S. If you would like to be notified when I have a new blog post up
and my upcoming give-aways come join the Sugar Pie Sisterhood!
Look toward the top of this page on the right hand side.
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Oh, I just love your kitchen! Vintage bowls…aprons…what could be better? And I love your pantry! I agree with you on getting rid of the plastic. I started doing that when my kids heated up leftovers in plastic and some of the plastic melted on the side of the bowl. YUK!
Thanks for another wonderful post!
Love this idea! The vintagey look is a bonus. Thanks for sharing, I will definitely be switching.
It look’s great. You have inspired me. Could you please leave a link to the lids ..I can’t seem to find them, I ordered the jar’s. Hopefully I can get started on my plastics this weekend. I did just eliminate all artificial sweetener from my diet. I’m all for getting back to the old days.
Great tips! Your sparkling fresh pantry changes are so pretty and will hopefully get lots of folks moving away from plastics. Like you said, it wouldn’t be possible to be totally free from having it around but I like your attitude of getting rid of as much as possible. The only places I still have plastic storage in my pantry is the rack on the door and that’s just because it is a weight issue. But with a small pantry that door is valuable real-estate so you see it is a tough choice.
One cool side benefit of those big mason jars for cereals…without the colourful boxes my family eats a whole lot less cereal. The beige really just blends in next to the oats and pastas. Sneaky mama!
Have a sweet day and thank you for the lovely post!
I love this!!! I think I could live in your pantry…would you mind? :)
Everything looks beautiful-as always. :)
I agree with you about the plastic. Slowly, I’ve been replacing all things plastic.
((Hugs))
Laura
I love your jar ideas. I have been using jars in my kitchen more to hold staples, but haven’t switched everything. I love the pickle jar and am putting that on my wish list. I like the idea of switching the drinking glass I use at bedtime to the size jar you recommended and adding a lid with a hole. Now, I just have to figure out how to keep some of the coolness in for summer (my husband likes very cold water). I saw someone who crocheted wraps for her drinking jars. Thanks so much. I got so many great ideas.
Oh, I forgot to ask. Where did you get your lovely apron that you have hanging on a hanger? Did you sew it? It’s so lovely.
Love your beautiful pantry, Aunt Ruthie. The glass jars filled with pasta look so home-y. Your creativity inspires :)
Hi Ann here is the link to the sippy cup lid and straws: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mason-Jar-Sipper-To-Go-Cup-lid-with-acrylic-straw-Make-your-own-sippers-/221335722326?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3388a31956
You have inspired me! Let the purging begin! ;-)
Hi Michelle, the apron hanging on the door is vintage, probably from the 1940’s. :D
Who says you can’t teach an old dog tricks. I’ll be switching here and there. I love your kitchen and your pantry. Grandma used to call it her fruit room.
These are all the same reasons why we are slowly making the switch to glass too. I found a great deal at Sam’s Club on glass Pyrex food storage so I’m slowly cycling out my plastic Tupperware. World Kitchen is another place to get great deals on glassware, especially if you want the larger sizes of the Pyrex glass food storage. I’m also slowly getting towards a real food diet, no more nasty chemicals for us. I’m finding that I’m starting to enjoy cooking from scratch, which is huge because I was never into cooking. :)
I have done the same thing as you…gotten rid of plastic and switched to glass! It sure cleans better and I don’t have dishes that are stained! Love it! In the pantry, have all clear glass…I can finally see what I have and know when to stock up again! Love your blog, love your ideas and love the pics!
Michelle, buy a glass pitcher and fill with water to keep it in the fridge. We live in the hot, hot desert (100+ in the summer!) and this is what we’ve found that works. We like our water super cold too :)
Everything looks great. I know you’ll be happier with glass. I’m moving that way, too, as I get more jars and lids.
Blessings,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
in Carthage
I’ve loved switching to glass from plastic for the same reasons you’ve listed. I’m probably crazy over it though! I have a non-stick pots/pans set that I want to replace next. A work in progress. Doesn’t it feel good to clean, straighten, and simplify???
I do love your pantry RuthAnn – you might say I have a wee bit of pantry envy! I switched to glass three years ago and I really think it has saved me money – especially in the leftovers department. They used to languish in tupperware graves until fridge clean out day, but now that everything is in glass and can be clearly seen, I never waste leftovers – they get gobbled up!
I loved this post of yours! It is so timely – I’m about to start a major kitchen purge as well, get rid of a lot of things I don’t use and organize the rest. I’ve been working toward eliminating plastic containers in my house as well! I was fortunate enough to receive many blue Ball mason jars with lids that belonged to my grandmothers and great-grandmothers, so I have been transferring things to them. I love how they look all stacked in my cabinets! Thank you for your wonderful post, they always cheer me up and give me fantastic ideas!
Thanks for the post with all of the great ideas! I too have way too much plastic in my kitchen and have really been feeling like I needed to move more toward glass lately! I love the idea of the mason jars! I’ll be on the hunt for cute vintage pyrex and glass bowls now. Oh…thanks for the link to the mason jar straw/lid…I ordered a couple. I’m like you….I’m walking around with my cup of water all day (and on my nightstand) and it is plastic. I’ve noticed a plastic taste before too…ick! Thanks again for the post…always love reading them!
Oh my goodness! How I just LOVE those aprons and the mason jars!!! I don’t think the plastic vs glass debate even crossed my mind! I see some changes in my kitchen soon!
Hi,
I just lbe your blog and I’m so happy you are posting more often! The bowls you showed – are those vintage? I love the beige one and the red it cute too,
Oh sweet eye candy!!!!!!!! I too re thought my dishes and glasses last year! I was sick of the plastic look and taste…so I found a huge glass set of Pyrex clear mixing bowls at a vintage store then hit the thrift stores on the hunt!!! Oh my word…I scored big…the vintage glass dishes are amazing and the glasses are beautiful! I have gotten the most darling punch bowls in the world…are you ready I have 27 punch bowls:) they are so amazing with character!!!!! I’m never going back…adore your post! Kitchen is amazing just wanna come hv a long chat and a piece of pie:) love you darlin miss you
Beautiful and inspirational post! The one plastic I am having a hard time eliminating is storage for leftovers. Usually my husband brings leftovers in to work to eat for his lunch. This is economical, more nutritious, and he gets a little “love from home” when he’s eating my home-made stew at lunchtime rather than cafeteria fare. But he doesn’t want to carry a glass container that is heavy or might break. Do you have any ideas?
I love your pantry! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful ideas. I have also been making the change to glass for all the same reasons. I adore mason jars of any kind! We drink from them daily and my go cup is also a jar with lid and straw! Water tastes so much better out of glass.
I love my iron skillets and crock pots for cooking and mixing ! It makes sense to me. Love visiting your home every month. (And the screen door)!
Thank you for links on where to purchase! (Love your aprons).
Love this post, I need to get rid of all plastics and move on to the glass vintage side :) I have been thinking about doing my spices, baking soda and baking powder in glass but never thought about all of the idea’s you have given me :) Out with the old Tupperware and on to the vintage glass. Love your mixing bowls can you leave a link on them for us on facebook please Aunt Ruthie……Hugs for the inspirational post.
Did your husband build your pantry? It’s so cute…I love it. Where can I purchase the apron you have hanging on the door. It’s adorable. Looks like an old 30’s dress with an apron over it! Love it. Kate
Howdy!!!!! I just wanted to let you know I love your blog & I loved your way bck before the new blog….I love stories and recipes and all the ideas….I love southern kitchen it reminds of my grandmas kitchen…..I wish you a blessed day……thanks for all sharing or blog is awesome!!!!
LOVE! Can’t wait to check out the places that you purchased some of your items!
Good morning! What a coincidence! My mother in law gave me a wonderful set of Pyrex bowls for Christmas. I loved them so much this past month that I went out and bought another set!
I too have moved many item to glass jars. For the health reasons, for sanitary reasons and for the most girly – they look wonderful!!
Your post has inspired me to do some more purging!!
God bless
I always enjoy your new posts! I hope you don’t mind a suggestion I have! I saw, in your beautiful pantry, a bottle of store bought pancake syrup. You can make your own very easily with sugar, water and Mapeline flavoring that is a lot healthier for you than High Fructose Corn Syrup in store bought syrups. I only like to share that because several years ago someone told ME about homemade syrup (and it makes syrup dirt cheap, too) and I tried it and we’ve never gone back to unhealthy HFCS syrup! I feel so much better about giving homemade syrup to my family. The recipe is on the Mapeline flavoring bottle at the grocery store in the extracts section.
I’ve been going through this process myself and you gave me some new ideas. I have lots of mason jars that I’m starting to store things in and I seal them using a Food Saver attachment for jars. I also got some lids with a flip cap for pouring that fits mason jars. They’re called reCap and I first saw them on the website foodinjars.com. I first got into the switch from plastic to glass because I started to collect vintage Pyrex and I wanted to use it, not just have something that was taking up cupboard space. I know I won’t totally kick the plastic habit but every little bit helps. I love your blog and look forward to your encouraging and uplifting words. Thank you for what you do.
I always look forward to your posts! You always inspire me. How I would love to spend time in person with you soaking up your energy and ideas. I would love to replace all the plastic toxic stuff too but it seems I have so much. I am going to go slow. Please keep on posting the best of the old ways, I love it. I always always drink from glass already, I hate that plastic taste.
Your kitchen is just fantastic. And, I love your glass water bottle. But, I would caution you about taking it in the car. In an accident , a flying glass object would not be good.
Love it, love it, love it – as usual!!! I’m an “apron gal” too. They are the first things I search out at “junk stores” and then I look for old, well-cared for pillow cases with stitchery. Keep up the wonderful blogs! God bless. :)
Your site is always so cute and inpiring. My concern is that glass breaks. I have five kids that like to do things by themselves. I see a lot of danger in changing to all glass in my season of life.
Love this so much! Wish I had a pantry, my cabinet are FULL, but that’s a blessing so I won’t complain. :) I have the anchor hocking barrel jar. I love it but it is difficult to get the handle on at first. Love your blog, it’s one of the few I get really excited about when I see it in my inbox!
I hate plastic as well. I miss milk in glass bottles the most. It always taste better and seemed colder in glass. It just doesn’t taste the same in a wax carton or plastic. I miss food that use to come in glass jars and you could use them for drinking glasses, canisters and storage. So many things about the old days should come back. I can’t imagine recycling plastic is easier then sterilizing glass bottles and jars.
Great post about switching to glass. I made the switch a few years ago when I bought a house with a big pantry. The glass jars are more visually appealing as well. We use the same jars you use for your “sippy cup” as our everyday drinking glasses. I also have the Anchor Montana canisters on my counter full of flour and sugar. Another thing you might do..I save all jars from foods that I buy (fruit, vegetables.. lots of things from Costco).. I just scrub off the label and store them in my “jar cabinet”. The range of shapes and sizes comes in handy for storing a little of this or a little of that. Plus, when you buy something that comes in a jar, you are paying for the jar.. why throw it out? We even have the big quart jars that artichoke hearts come in.. We use those in the summer to make sun tea!
What a beautiful pantry! But I got to thinking… what if you (God forbid!) had an earthquake? I do believe we have some very serious quakes coming up in our near future, and with all that glass it would make a horrible mess! Maybe you could put a fancy piece of narrow scrolled wood (1/2″ thick X 2″ wide) painted the same color as the pantry, across the lower front of each pantry shelf about 2″ up from the bottom. It would keep things from sliding out on to the floor. I’ve gone through my home and earthquake proofed everything, and I did that to my open pantry shelves. And yes, I do live in California and think about that more than you probably do. :) Be blessed!
I love it! I have tried to slowly weed out the plastic as well. My first switch was to buy those pretty old ribbed pressed glass refrigerator boxes, the ones with lids. They are perfect for leftovers because you can “reheat” in the micro at work and not worry about those chemicals leaching in. I need some of those tall drinking jars…what a great size for the cup holder in the car. Here in the Texas summers I gotta take my tea or ice water everywhere!
…..~*~..Hugs & Sugar..~*~…..
Linsey
your pantry is a dream — just like I would build super stunning and workable..Yes raising children you might go through a lot of glass cups but I did not care I was not using plastic – never did…Now an Empty Nester and I still don’t use plastic… Great ideas you have posted – thanks..
Hugs
Well Ruthie, once again you have won me over! Wasn’t too big of a stretch though because one of the things I grew up around was Tupperware. I can still remember my mom handing a plastic cup of Koolaid (or a homemade popsicle on a plastic Tupperware stick in the summer time) and tasting plastic. To this day I will always choose a drink in a glass rather than in a plastic cup due to that horrendous taste that has stuck in my head all these years. So, little by little, as I can afford it I’ll be converting over the contents of my pantry to glass jars too. Mostly cause I love the vintage look too!
Very impressive! It must have taken a lot of work to transfer things over. Cleaning a pantry is really time consuming. Yours looks fantastic with the glass jars. I agree that it is healthier than plastic and looks better too. Heating plastic in a microwave is a big NO NO and so is disposable plastic water bottles.
Hi Ruthie, I too have been considering changing over all my plastic storage for glass. I thought your pantry would look even better if you used the adhesive chalkboard labels and labeled them all like that. That would give it an even more vintage look, don’t you think?. I have been trying to get some but so far no one wants to sell and send them to the great land down under but I am determined that I will find them somewhere, then I will work on purchasing the best jars for what I store in my pantry. Ikea is doing a great range with lock down lids in several sizes so they might work well. Love reading your thoughts keep them coming.
I have been converting my pantry to mason jars also… Looks so nice instead of boxes and plastic containers. I found blackboard contact paper and have cut labels to affix to the jars… I use different colored chalk, on the labels …pure joy!
Hi Aunt Ruthie. I’m with you girl. I hardly use anything but glass, even in my motorhome. Besides all the reasons you listed, I just don’t like the feel of it. I love those Anchor Hocking glass cannisters. Would be perfect in my kitchen. If I go on line will I find them?..I’m also crazy about your baking center..Happy Friday..Judy
I love your idea to rid our cupboards of plastic and switch to glass. I can’t even imagine how many good glass jars went into the trash – never to be used again. I save glass jars and you can put leftovers in them in the fridge to reheat (remove the lid first). You have such a tidy, lovely home.
We are due for a fun trip to Branson soon. It was a simple trip from Okla. City to Branson, but not so much from Memphis (bad roads). Keep your good ideas coming to us. We need them.
I so agree with you… thou I have not totally removed plastic containers from my kitchen,,(yet), I am slowly changing over to glass,,, and I luv using large ‘canning jars’ for storage.
p.s. luv the apron!
>^..^<
Love this! I have been slowly plodding in that direction too. You gave me some great new ideas! Love the big pickle jar for bigger things!
Love your kitchen……great ideas, and I too have done some switching to glass..love it! Thanks for sharing your good ideas….love them!!!!!!!
I always enjoy seeing your lovely pantry, aunt Ruthie. I love the glass idea. Those mason jars make your pantry super cute and give a better vintage look to it. I feel like I could shop in there. What do you think of taking chalk-board paint and putting it either on the lid, or make a cute design on the jar, to write the exp. dates with your fun chalk style markers? Or would some sort of vinyl (or other material) be better, so to write with a marker?
Happy Valentine’s Day! <3 Love you lots <3
I’ve switched to glass for our kitchen too. So much prettier, healthier and economical. The pantry looks great! :)
Love this! Your pantry is AMAZING & I am dying to have a screen door like yours for my pantry. Can you tell me where you bought it? I am assuming you added the chalk boards later or just used chalk board paint?? I am in love with mason jars. Can’t wait to start weeding out all the plastics! Thanks!!
Oh Aunt Ruthie you inspire me every time I see a picture of your beautiful home. The straws that you have are acrylic and that is plastic, but did you know you can still get paper straws? I love the idea of using a canning jar for a glass. I have some of the pretty blue ones that we use for glasses at our house. My kids never cared for it they always wanted to know why we didn’t just use regular glasses but everyone who comes to visit thinks it is great! I love that you found glass jars that spaghetti will fit into. I use Tupperware which has the good numbers on it but is still plastic. Sometimes when the littles come to visit their Mimi and Poppa it is easier for them to help if they can carry the Tupperware containers. :) I do think it is so much better for us health wise if we use glass and get rid of our plastics. I have so many of my Mom’s Pyrex dishes now and I love using them. I love the vintage look of things and I love to use them. I don’t love that it costs a small fortune to buy vintage now and it is so hard to find them in places other than antique shops. I keep my eyes open at tag sales.
Thanks for this wonderful post I so enjoy your blog!
If you use sharpie markers to write on things and then want to get it off you can use lemon extract. It always get permanent marker off things! Also Ball has some great labels that literally dissolve in water! Great for keeping track of things in the fridge or pantry! Here’s a link if you want to take a peek! http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11940887&KPID=10977105&pla=pla_10977105
LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog and your house!
It is all about timing….my kitchen is my next room to “simplify”. So glad you posted this information about glass vs plastic. I love glass, but like most, thought I HAD to have plastic containers for leftovers. So, now I am on a mission to dump the plastic that I didn’t like anyway, and go all out glass. Now is the time to hit that kitchen project. Thanks for sharing…lots of wonderful ideas. Have loved your blog for a long time, first time to write though. God Bless you sweet lady!!!
Thank you, Aunt Ruthie, for all the wonderful tips and vintage ideas. Your blog each month is sooooo interesting and makes me feel like I have visited a warm, homey, farmhouse. I also like the thoughtfulness of supplying links to where we can purchase some of the items. Food definitely tastes better when stored in glass as opposed to plastic. I don’t cae to drink out of plastic, styrofoam or cans (as in a can of soda). The drinks just simply taste like the container. Ugh!!! I appreciate you and thanks for the visit to your home. :-)
What a great idea. I have thought about all that plastic from time to time, but now I have some inspiration to move forward. I got rid of my non-stick cookware a year ago and went to stainless steel. It is just as “non-stick” if you let the pan heat a little before putting in a little oil or oil-spray.
I also just love your home. My home is tiny in comparison, but it is the little details of your home that make it so wonderful and I have been inspired through your posts that it is the details that make it home.
Boy! I needed this post. I think the plastic in my cupboard has gotten so out of hand. When the dog sees me going for the place I keep the plastic, he runs in the other room. He knows it will all come tumbling out and he is staying clear of the avalanche. Your ideas make me want to get started on clearing out all the excess. Thank You! I always enjoy your blog.
I have used glass jars forever for storage. I purged all my Tupperware a few years back as I never used it. It would never clean up nice. I also have an old Aunt Jemima syrup bottle that I refill from the big bottles I buy from the big box store. I even have some old spice tins (yes, tins) that I refill from the glass jars. It just makes me feel close to my mama and grandma to use old things. I use glass jars in the laundry room for whiteners also, makes it easy to see when it is getting low.
I do buy plastic containers at Thanksgiving so I can send food home with company and not have to worry about getting back. Also like to have a few aluminum tins on hand to send casseroles to friends who need a meal. No one needs to try to figure out where a pan came from when they have illness or a new baby to deal with!
I just read your post on why you switched from plastic to glass. Everything about it inspires me to get back on focus with my goal to simplify. Our daughters and I prefer glass containers too and if they are vintage or repurposed, even better. Thank you for that. I also re-read your past post “my ol Missouri home”. I live in the north now but will be and Ozark girl forever. I esp appreciate the fact that you put Christ first. He is the foundation of our country life too.
When I initially commented I seem to have clicked on
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Kudos!
Hi Aunt Ruthie – what a beautiful way to organize your pantry. Everything looks so fresh and sparkling clean!!!! I need to do this to my …..well, I don’t have a pantry, just open shelving for my goods, but Lord, I need to do this! Thank you for all the links and fun ideas. Saftey of ourloved ones is the most important thing to me. If you want something to last, you have to take care of it, right?
Much love,
Diane from Baltimore
Hello Aunt Ruthie from my Idaho farm! I use a lot of the mason jars too! Love the vintage look! I sent you a email of a great video! Hope you got it ! As always ! Love your blog! Yeeehaw! Looking forward to spring to plant lots of flowers in old wash tubs ,planting our garden and apple orchard! oh my! Apple Pie! and start planting the trees! Talk to you soon! Your sista friend,Cindy
Loved your pantry makeover! I think glass over plastic is important. Or stainless steel possibly! Your kitchen is adorable! Love your vintage aprons! I have some in my kitchen too! :)
I have really been on the natural/healthy kick lately. I think glass is pretty than plastic anyway. When the sunlight hits the glass it sends of the sparkly goodness. :) I love my mason jars anyway but I did not know there was a 1.5 pint size. I simply love that!!! Now I want to make a set of drinking glasses with straws from the 1.5 size!! Fill ’em up with some lemonade and sit on the porch and watch the fireflies. Now I’m so inspired to start the spring cleaning!! Your kitchen area looks so lovely and organized. The jam sign just signals spring to come on in….we are waiting. :) Thank you for your post!!!
Oh the last red trimmed apron reminded me of my Grandma Pauline. She made me the best pancakes! Miss her
Love your pantry and wish I had one so large and bright! I started converting slowly from plastic to glass last year for the same reasons. First was in my pantry after an infestation of ants and a whole lot of good food ingredients had to be thrown away. I’ve accummulated a large supply of canning jars and put them to good use. My 90 yr old mother uses her instant coffee jars – from when they were still made of glass! I’ve learned a lot from her “recycling” before it was even called that!
I feel the same way about plastic in my kitchen. I converted to glass several months ago, sort of the same way you have done. Most of my panty items are contained in Mason Jars of various sizes and shapes, making storage neater and safer for my family.
A red china marker would work really well for marking the glass jars also. Much easier to wipe off than a sharpie.
Aunt Ruthie-thanks for the new post, always look forward to your inspiration. I have been converting all to glass for the last couple of years-love it. Did you know you can take a single paper punch and make a hole in your ball lids to place a straw. cheaper than purchasing the lids since I use the ones that I have used for canning too. Also did you know you can get half gallon size jars at Nixa Hardware? They usually have them in stock. Have a Blessed day. Backdoor Neighbor from Stone County
Hi Aunt Ruthie,
Love this post on healthier old fashioned goodness! Have you found a good alternative to non stick cookie sheets??? I am afraid to go to stainless steel or a baking stone in fear of sticking.
Good Morning! I just discovered your page on FB a few minutes ago. I love you! I promise to be a faithful reader, right after I go get rid of all of my plastic in my kitchen! Have a wonderful Thursday. Thanks for the inspiration :-)
Oh sweet Ruthann, you just get me so excited about things! I love to do anything vintage and leading back to the days of my mama and my grandmothers too! Just ordered the farmgirl zippy cup straws (6) and fixings from eBay and ready to hit Target for the glass! I also love Harbor Anchor glassware that comes with glass tops at Walmart! Thank you sooooo much for your continued inspiration Ruthann. You will always be my favorite! Love ya, Maryjane
Ok, I LOVE everything about your kitchen! Thanks for sharing the link for the canisters!
I think its a grand idea. I to can taste the plastic. It can not be good for us. I would love to replace everything with glass but it will cost us $$. So we can replace one thing at a time I suppose! Little by little! Thanks for sharing the post. Aunt Ruthie I would love to host a post by you on my blog sometime. I want to have a home tour… I would love to feature you! You could use a past post of your decorating! Let me know!
I’ve used glass jars for years. I found some bpa free plastic mason jar lids years ago and my friends laughed at me, but who’s laughing now!
I’m glad you’ve done this for your family. My husband is a N.D. and we follow these same principles. Can I add that you may consider changing pancake syrup? Mrs. Butterworth is nothing like pure maple syrup!
Ruthie,
You sure have me re-thinking plastic. Thanks so much for sharing.
Blessings,
Linda
well aunt ruthie last year i switched to glass in my pantry not because of toxic chemicals in plastics simply because i love vintage. i also had old cans with vintage writing on them i put stuff in. irreplaceable not made anymore vintage cans ya know the ones. i know you do you have some as well lol. well anyway i came home from work one day and my husband had rearranged my pantry and replaced all my glass with plastic containors and threw all my vintage cans away. You have no idea how much i cried. i couldnt even grab them back out of the trash because he made sure they were perminently gone. now I have ugly click clack containors holding all my baking equipment in my pantry and no idea how to make him understand I hate it. hes very set in his ways and to tell him he messed in something he had no business messing with would upset him greatly because he thought he was helping. anyway i love your post about this and just had to comment.
I have stored my supplies in mason jars since I was a bride, 30 years ago. My mother started me out with a great set of different sizes of vintage green glass mason jars and now I have all different styles of jars for storage. I use the small squat jelly type jars to bake custard in too, then I just put a lid on and they are ready for my husband to pop in his lunch bag for work. Glass is the ONLY way to go.
oh, I meant ot mention that I clip any cooking instructions and after wiping them clean I slip them inside the jar of malt o meal or rice or whatever and then I have the right directions. I also used chalkboard paint to make label areas on my bigger non vintage pickel jars to differentiate my white flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, bread flour and cake flour.
I went to using mason jars to store most of my dry goods this past year!
When we repainted the kitchen cabinets white, we took some doors off of a sort of stand-alone set of upper cabinets over what I use as my bread baking station. I use a mix of blue and white ball jars, tied tags with lace, and put my cookbooks in the cabinets that are on either side. It looks so charming now!
OH! If you like potato chips, put them in a glass jar! The taste changes overnight to something that tastes freshly made!
What a beautiful post! I’m so with ya on the “out with the new (plastic) in with the old (glass)!” I’ve done much the same but my pantry could use a freshening up already. Thank you for the lovely inspiration!
hugs,
Leslie
Love, love, love your kitchen and all your special Easter touches on your Mantel. Happy Spring!
I just found your blog today and I must tell you that I love….LOVE…your pantry. What a creative idea!!! I’d love to “steal” some of your ideas (though scaled down due to space limitations).We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and now would be the time to incorporate some of this sweetness. HOW in the world did you come up this fantastically creative idea….and is there a blog post that gives more info about the cabinets around the “apple pie cooling window”…..their height, the window cut-out size, anything in regards to everything!. ANY info…..in regards to the beginnings of this dream panty would be SO appreciated. Like you, I love anything old….makes my heart smile. The God references are like a breath of fresh air as well! ;)
Hi Aunt Ruthie….love youor post about plastic vs glass, and I too have been swapping out for the same reasons. I live near an “old fashioned” hardware store and they have all of the same jars you have. I also was able to purchase last years ltd edition blue Ball canning jars, and this years green ones for a few pops of color.
Wanted to tell you, I noticed you are using Martha Stewart labels on your jars….which I love! If you’re like me and change things out and wash jars often, you may be interested in the canning jar labels from Ball that actually dissolve when put in water. They are oval and you can use any pen or maker to identify them. They are wonderful!!!!
Since I do a lot of canning, I mark my jars with dates with these labels and put them on the seals since the seals are tossed when jars are open, that way I don’t have to put them on the jars and worry about them being stubborn to remove. These labels dissolve before your eyes and no worries about removal. I added a link if you’d like to take a peek at them. http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Dissolvable-Labels-Jarden-Brands/dp/B004NGVIIK
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I love your kitchen! I am getting ready to redo my kitchen and I am going to use some of your ideas:)
I love everything in your kitchen and pantry redo. Thank you for so much for sharing the farmgirl sippie jar idea and the link I ordered them. We are fixing to renevate so everything has to be packed up in the kitchen and whole house this year. Its a big chore but worth it.
Merry Blessed Christmas and New Year!
LOVE everything about this kitchen! ♥️
Do you use glass for items you want to freeze as well? Or did you stick with plastic? When I want to thaw food that has been frozen in a plastic container, I run some hot water over the container. This loosens the frozen chunk of food; then I put it in my pot to heat up or into a glass bowl to defrost in the microwave.
Wonderful! I recently read the most marvelous book, “The Life-changing Magic Of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. It is truly magic and has changed my life. While going through this magical process I was able to get rid of ALL my tupperware/chinese-take-out containers and replace them with glass. The book showed me how! Goodbye toxic plastic, hello beautiful STRONG glass! (And the rest of my house is clutter free and peaceful.)
Fantastic! I use only glass containers. I put all vegetables in glass containers before I put them in the fridge.There is no room for plastic bags in my fridge! Best regards!
I just wanted to say that I drool every time I see your pantry. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. If it weren’t the size of my kitchen I’d try to duplicate it. Absolutely beautiful!!
Hi there,
we are looking for aprons for our church nursery staff, and we just love the floral apron you have on your pantry door! Did you make it yourself?Is there any way we can purchase 4 of them? Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I’m reading through your blog from the beginning. This is how far I’ve come. I have a sippy cup just like yours. Just wish it didn’t sweat so badly.
Be blessed,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Carthage, Missouri
Love the timely information on plastics vs. glassware & ceramics for kitchen use. I have actually read a little about the plastic hazards, and have been concerned about my own many plastic storage containers. I now feel motivated to replace some plastics with healthier containers. I also really like the retro look of the glass & ceramic bowls and the mason jars. Healthier + more attractive= win/win! Thank you!!
love the anchor hocking canisters i got some and they look so nice on my counters. red is my fav color
Yay!! I just received 4 huge boxes of mason jars from my neighbor!!! I am applying your ideas!!! Love U Ruthie! U are a “vitamin” for the soul and spirit and even the body! Spring cleaning gets us moving!!!!
Just came across you blog. Thank you. I am also going from plastic to glass. I never though about the jar with a straw. Love it. My hardest change is to avoid using baggies. Any suggestions for getting rid of all those in my pantry…. and using what is its place?
Oh my goodness, I LOVE your kitchen!!! And your pantry is perfect