FARM LIFE: SIPPIN’ FROM A MASON JAR (FEATURING MASON-RE) June 28 2016, 0 Comments

Afternoon drink break on the farm with Mason-re koozies (Photo © Brooke – Native Gypsies)

"Them city folk was drinking from mason jars!" -Neal McCoy

My ode to Ball, Kerr and Atlas continues from last week’s post on mason jar lids.

My favorite place in my hometown is on our family farm. Lately, we’ve been clearing sheds for a farm party. My husband (the “city slicker” to my dad) uncovered mason jars of all shapes covered in decades of dirt. No one wanted them and I feared they were about to be discarded, but Matt (the hubby and typically the thrower between the two of us) surprised me and spared them.

Our mason jar treasure find on the farm

To return the jars to their former glory, I soaked them in hot water and eucalyptus Dr. Bronner castile soap* (for eucalyptus’ anti-bacterial effect). After a little scrub, they were good as new.

Matt set an assortment of eight and 16 ounce jars in our cupboards for drinking glasses, and we also store homemade foods (ie. nut butter) and leftovers in them.

Our perty new jars were ready to make their re-debut on the farm, where they’d previously been hiding in the shadows for far too long.

We have a mid-afternoon break ritual on the farm, formerly a beer break turned greens juice break the last couple years! My dad would likely claim our break time has mutated into choking down lagoon drinks, much to his dismay (though we know he secretly likes it).

Sippin’ out of a mason jar on the tailgate of a truck on a hot summer day sounds picturesque, right?! The only flaw in the picture I’m painting is that glass breaks!

Mason jar accessories: Recap lid & Mason-re koozie (Photos © Brooke – Native Gypsies)

I’ve certainly shattered my share of glass water bottles getting in and out of the car over the years. Oopsies! Clumsy hands. A plastic protein shaker cup is a logical answer for hauling protein and greens drinks on the road or outside, but plastics can leach chemicals into drinks, especially when they’re exposed to heat. I thought it was time to fabricate a silicone zippered sleeve for our mason jars (to protect them from shattering).

The hubby once again saves the day, with the environmentally-friendly koozies he spotted from Mason-re. Hats off to my city slicker;)

Mason-Re protective koozie

The Orgeon-based company sells BPA-free silicone koozies for eight ounce (regular-mouth) and 16 ounce (wide-mouth) mason jars in a variety of shades. Color me happy!

Mason-re koozies

Mason-re does custom laser-etching too. Time for some Native Gypsies branded koozies! I contacted the company, and they were happy to provide us with a sample to review for the site. TY!

Keep your jars safe while being eco-friendly at home, in the car, camping or anywhere you go (a farm maybe?!)

On a trip to Fargo (see my blog covering downtown Fargo), I sipped on hard cider from a Kerr jar at Union Pizza in Fergus Falls. What a hot spot; experience it for yourself!

There may not be hard cider or beer in our afternoon drinks on the farm, but the new tradition is (slowly) growing on everyone. Well, mom might not be sold yet, but she wasn’t one for the beer breaks either.

Like the shaker lid? Check them out and see where to purchase in my mason jar protein shaker post.

Cheers! Time for a break.

ReCap lid and Mason-re silicone sleeve koozie (Photo © Brooke – Native Gypsies)

Mason jars go beyond the kitchen (and for drinks on the farm). See my blog post on making your own DIY hand soap in a mason jar.

Since I quoted Neal McCoy’s “The City Put the Country back in Me” at the beginning of the post, I had to share this gem from the photo album.

Meeting a mullet-less Neal McCoy (as 19 y.o. Brooke)