Salad in a Jar | Canning Jar Uses
I have been seeing these jars all over Pinterest and thought they were adorable and so practical.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am on a mission to get back to bathing suit shape and am trying to eat more salads. I actually LOVE homemade salads but they can be a little time consuming to put together. I have tried to clean and chop all the ingredients at the beginning of the week to make my salads but found some of the ingredients got slimy and unappetizing.
It took me about an hour to get all the ingredients cleaned and chopped but you do not have to have as many ingredients. I happen to like lots of yummies in my salad.
Look at what I got from the Farmer’s Market:
So here is how I make my Salad in a Jar.
1. Wash and thoroughly dry mason jars. I like the wide mouth jars.
2. While jars are drying get your ingredients cleaned, chopped, etc. for assembly.
3. Start assembling your salad in a jar.
The assembly “line”:
I like to put them in this order:
1. 2-3 TB salad dressing at the bottom of the jar. I like to use a Meyer Lemon Dijon Salad Dressing.
2. Then I add pickled, canned or jar items like olives, cornichons, capers, marinated artichoke hears, beans, etc.
3. Then I add cooked foods like leftover meat, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, roasted beets etc.
4. Then I like to add the fresh vegetable and I put carrots last as a buffer for the lettuce to keep it from getting soggy. tip: if using fresh tomatoes, I prefer cherry tomatoes because they are not as watery. If using large tomatoes, cut and let them drain a bit before adding to your jar.
5. Then I put the lettuce, greens.
5. I top with nuts or croutons.
Suggestions for things to put in your salad:
- beans (be sure to rinse and drain them well. They have a slime on them which you do not want in your salad)
- hard-boiled eggs
- leftover dinner meat (chicken, ham, steak, fish)
- tofu (firm, baked)
- fruit and berries
- nuts (pinenuts, almonds, pecans)
- sunflower seeds
- roasted beets
- capers
Have you ever seen a book called “The Everlasting Meal?” by Tamat something or other…. You remind me a little bit of her. She is a GREAT cook, very intuitive, and does this sort of thing. Looks delicious. Yum…xoxo
Hi Kak,
I will definitely check out the book…so great to see you today!
her name is Tamar, not Tamat. whoops…
What a great idea…. and you’ve made it so beautiful. Love your recipes and your photos are so professional. I’m so glad Kat told me about you.
Hi Rebecca, Thanks for checking out the blog. Kat has told me to look for you on the blog!
Awesome idea!!!
How long does the salad last in the jar once the lid is on? Trying to decide how many I can make ahead of time.
I think that depends on what you put in the salad. Like if you put some soft cheeses that are really perishable or eggs I would not keep longer than 5-6 days. If you are just doing veggies (lettuce, carrots) you can probably keep for 7 days.
What a great idea! I sent this to a number of my friends and they all think you are a genius now! I also need to thank you for that great no-kneed bread recipe–it has become a family favorite and we make it all the time with various things added in like walnuts or rosemary.
I love the no need bread. Please share what else you like to put in it!
Ok…then do you just serve the salads right in the jars? Is it easy enough to mix it all up? Thanks.
I shake it around to mix up and either eat out of the jars or serve 2 people as a side salad at dinner.
Do you remove the air from the jars or just screw on and put in the frig?
I just screw on and put in the fridge.