Getting Creative: Pour Spout for Mason Jar

It was a rule in my family:  tea should never be sweetened unless you are feeling poorly. 

There's a weather front moving through, the moon is waning, a meteor shower is due, a bunch of wildflowers are in bloom, the election news is disheartening, my washer is broken, the AC is on the fritz, and I'll just stop there.....anyway, all of that is what I'm blaming for the headache that has been sitting right between my eyes for more than two days.  And that's why I dumped sugar in my morning mug of tea.

Even though I don't sugar my tea as a general rule, I've got it sitting there in the tea/coffee cabinet.  It's in an old Mason jar that I've had for decades.  Probably nearly everyone has forgotten the special line of jars from the 1970's that had wildflowers embossed on them but I kept this one; it has a black-eyed susan, and it makes me smile.

It's the lid of the jar that is interesting, though.  (I have a feeling that I've written about this before but, honestly, this morning I can't be 'bovvered' to check.  If so, apologies for the repetition.....but, moving on.....)  I've replaced the center of the cap and given the jar a pour spout, and I've done this for other jars as well.

It's pretty rare for me to buy cartons of juice or half-and-half (it's a holiday thing, really) but when I do, I don't just throw them out--those nifty spouts can be useful.

I cut the top third of the cartons off and wash them.  Then I slice upwards at the corners and unfold the angled sides of the carton top.  I trim away any excess cardboard carefully as I go--there will be some very heavy areas that can be difficult to trim.  The goal here is to maintain the integrity of the area around the cap while making a flat surface that can be fitted into a jar ring. 

Once there is a flat square remaining, I use the jar lid center to trace a circle on the underside of the carton top.  It's important to remember to leave enough room around the spout so that it fits within the jar ring.   Cut out the marked circle, and check that it fits inside the jar ring.

I use these spouts only with dry product (sugar, potato flakes, bread crumbs, and the like) because the resulting spout lid probably isn't liquid-safe.  The improvised spout will hold in place nicely between the jar and the ring.  I suppose you could glue it down but I have no idea what sort of glue might be food-safe.

 Yes, you can buy lids that are somewhat similar to these, but why spend money when you've got stuff for free right at home!

Life is good.
And when you don't often sweeten your tea, it really does help ease a headache.

.....oh and just one more thought:  if you save the bottom 2/3s of that carton, you can poke holes in the bottom for drainage, fill it with potting soil, and start some seeds for your garden.  All good.