Once upon a time, long, long ago, a new-ish blogger with more mason jars than readers heard about an amazing thing called a Kickstarter. A Kickstarter, the blogger learned, was a way for individual people to directly support entrepreneurs with really awesome ideas.
The very first Kickstarter the blogger ever heard about was for a brand new lid that turned any mason jar into a leak-free pouring device. The lid was called a reCAP, and it was designed by a lady named Karen who just wanted to make, shake, pour and store her salad dressing in one convenient jar.
“Shut up and take my money!” yelled the blogger, hurling her financial support at the reCAP Kickstarter as fast as the credit card company would allow.
Months later, an big bag of reCAP Mason Jar caps arrived in the blogger’s mailbox – a thank you from Karen for the blogger’s Kickstarter pledge. The blogger fell in love with the caps and soon found them indispensable. She discovered the versatile reCAP pour caps could be used with everything from dish soap to coffee, fermenting vegetables to olive oil.
The blogger told everyone she could that the pour caps were awesome!
After several years of hard work, both the blogger and the little mason jar lid company had grown much bigger. The blogger had way more readers and Karen had hired extra people to keep up with the growth of reCAP, and to bring more functional mason jar accessories to market.
But the blogger always remembered how great it felt to help an entrepreneur with a great idea succeed, and Karen always remembered how much support the blogger had given her in those early days. And they both still really loved mason jars.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is the story of how reCAP came to be a sponsor of this blog, and why and I am so happy to bring this mason jar accessory giveaway to you today.
It’s always easy to endorse something you’re already using the hell out of. Here’s a snapshot of how the original reCAP Pour Caps get used in my life. I just walked around my kitchen, rounded up these jars, and took a few pictures. I really do use these caps all the time, every single day.
My son will now demonstrate how I use a Pour Cap to turn half-pints of applesauce or pearsauce from the pantry into leak-free to-go snacks for my kids.
I was inspired by those fruit squeeze packs that are so popular now. They let kids drink their fruit purees. I loved the drinkable fruit concept, but hated the waste and crazy expense associated with the disposable packs. The Pour Cap makes a DIY equivelent easy.
Long-time readers already know that I press a reCAP and an airlock into service as a fermentation lid for lacto-ferments.
My go-to water bottle and hot drink holder these days is a mason jar with a Pour Cap. After our latest round of metal thermal mugs sprung leaks, I opted not to replace them. Now, when I want to keep my coffee or tea hot, I use a Pour Cap, a pint-mason jar and a koozie I slide over the bottom of the jar. That keeps my coffee warm very effectively.
Pretty much what I’m saying is, without reCAP it’s entirely possible I would die of dehydration and/or caffeine withdrawal.
Introducing Flip Caps
Karen and the reCAP team recently launched a new product line, the Flip Cap. The basic Flip Cap is a secure lid for regular-mouth mason jars. The top flips open to give you wide-access to whatever is in your jar. There are also accessory screens that snap into the Flip Cap and turn it into a shaker cap, and a counter ring so you can keep track of the age of your mason jar contents.
Maybe I’m biased as a parent, but the Flip Lid has got “snack time” written all over it. Fill a jar with some nuts, dried fruits, and maybe some chocolate chips for a DIY trail mix, then top the jar with a Flip Cap for super easy snacking.
The shaker screens add extra functionality for spices, grated cheese, coarse salts, cleaning powders and more. The screens just clip in, so you can add or remove them from the Flip Caps as you need.
Once the shaker insert is popped into the Flip Cap it’s very secure and can’t be shaken out of the lid.
I make my own scouring powder by mixing equal parts baking soda, borax, and kosher salt with citrus essential oils. The reCAP Flip Lid with the shaker screen is perfect for storing and using this cleaner.
Fitted with the smaller shaker screen, the Flip Lid is perfect for homemade spice blends, like my Citrus and Spice Seasoning Salt.
Just the right amount of yummy flavor escapes.
My verdict on the new reCAP Flip Cap? Well designed, functional, flexible, and like all reCAP products, BPA-free and made in the USA. The snap-in shaker screens are fantastic. The only part of the Flip Cap package I received that won’t be pushed into constant use in my home is probably the counter ring. Most of the things I will use my Flip Caps for will be dry-goods with long shelf lives. I am, frankly, just not organized enough to keep track of the best-by date for stuff like that.
ReCAP Mason Jar Accessory Giveaway
My friends over at reCAP want you to be able to try their range of cool mason jar accessories. So, they are giving away a reCAP variety pack worth over $50. One lucky winner will receive one each of the following:
- Regular Mouth Pour Cap in Sky Blue
- Wide Mouth Pour Cap in Sunshine
- Flip Cap in Sky Blue
- Flip Cap in Sunshine
- Flip Cap Accessory Kit
- Adapta Sprayer
- Adapta Pump
- Set of Multi-Purpose Americana Tags
To enter to win this complete kit of reCAP accessories, just leave a comment below telling me how you will use the new reCAP Flip Caps – with or without shaker insert – if you win. That’s it!
The Fine Print
- This contest is open to US residents only.
- Contest closes 8 pm Pacific time, Monday July 27th 2015.
- Winner will be notified by email and shall have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize.
- I am proud to have reCAP Mason Jars as a seasonal sponsor of this blog.
Good luck!
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I WILL USE THEM FOR ALL THE THINGS. But especially my 17 year old daughter who is endlessly making things to eat and drink and put on her body in my jars can use them!
I think I need the recap and straw not just my three year old 🙂
Oh, the possibilities… I would probably use it to dispense sunflower seeds for my salad (then they might not all end up in the same spot) or for cinnamon & sugar.
For the herbed salts I make and shake on certain foods just before serving.
Oh, the endless possibilities! I would probably use the shaker cap for seasoning blends. They are the coolest!
This is so awesome! I would use them for fermenting with my mason jars to using the shakers for our red pepper flakes! I store all our organic dried goods in jars. It’d be wonderful to try a new retrieving method.
Oh! And for my homemade liquid soaps and sprays too! These products are so awesome! Thanks for making them! 🙂
I’m finding more and more uses in the comments. But primarily, cleaning supplies, to go cups for drinks/smoothies, snacks, salad dressings, and a spice blend shaker would be the bomb!
I have been looking for a product exactly like the flip cap with the shaker inserts! I bought something kinda like it that was made by Ball for their mason jars, but the holes were HUGE so it’s not really good for more powdery spice blends, but the caps for this look like they’d be much better!
I see myself capping my chopped up walnuts that I shake over my oatmeal in the morning! They are already in a mason jar, they just need this lid! I also have an inkling to try the lid out in the garden…
I have soooooo many mason jars! Extra uses are appreciated to justify my addiction. The fermentation airlock is exactly what I need for my sauerkraut.
If only I could get them in gem size…
How won’t I be using these babies!!! My mom got some and I used the shaker one to create a mason jar salad dressing for her. I definitely need these things in my house now too!!
Wow! What couldn’t I use them for? I’d love the pour caps for homemade vinegars – both making them and storing them. And the flip caps for our homemade spice mixes. I didn’t even know about the pump cap or spray cap until now but I’ve got cleaners that both of them would be fabulous for. Thank you for chances at such fabulous giveaways!
Wow. I could blend somefruit and yogurt ona jar and put the pour spout on for the kid-o. Flip top would find use in the kitchen for raisins, or other dried goodies that are snacked on through the day.
So cool.
For baking soda, which I use as deodorant!
So many things this would be useful for. I make a lot of my own seasonings and cleaners and these would be perfect for them!
The shaker tops will be great for my seasoning/salt blends. I store lots of grains, couscous, rice and such so the other tops will also be handy. Haven’t tried making soft soap or bath oil yet, but it’s on my to do list.
Oh boy, I would use this for just about everything. I already use mason jars and standard lids for most of my drinks and lunches that I take to work. Having a lid that flips up? Fantastic! I can go through and replace the lids on all my spice jars!
This is kind of an inspiring post. I’d love to try all the uses. The biggies for me would be pouring salad dressing and transitioning to homemade cleaners.
Oh my gosh, so many ways! The first thing that comes to mind is making sun tea and then sticking the jar in the fridge. Also, for drinking coffee and tea! 🙂
What a great giveaway! I somehow have none of these caps yet, even though we have a million mason jars, so I’m especially excited. Using that pump for homemade dish soap sounds like the best idea (and it would let me throw out the 3-year-old disposable bottle I’ve been refilling with homemade for…three years now). Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Oh. My. I love the new shaker lids- they’d be perfect for holding a bit of bread flour or cornmeal on the counter, for bread and pizza making. Mmm, pizza.
Though I really should try to use the recap for fermenting- I’ve definitely screwed up more than one batch of sauerkraut (usually because I forget about it and then when I remember they’re way beyond sour). Maybe the sweet bubbling of an airlock on the counter would prevent this mishap?
I would use this kit to organize my cleaning supplies – which is desperately needed. I have a broken box of Borax that could be emptied in a jar, vinegar that could be use with the squirt attachment and soap that could be used with the pump attachment. Thanks!
My daughter loves those applesauce squeezers and I don’t buy them either because of the waste. I have some travel mugs on the way out. And well, after three years of fermenting being the next thing, maybe this is the year.
I would use these lids on all the canned and refrigerator items I make that are used in small dibs and dabs, ketchup, steak sauce, etc.
Well, my credo is when I see something that is awesome I pass on to friends. This idea resonates with so many of my buddies – those that sprout, those that have little kids with multiples of sippy cups around and the bunch of us who are cooks with full pantries.
I can think of hundreds of ways to use them. The shaker cap could even bring my fish into the mason jar world, put fish food in jar, flip lid and shake to feed. Food stays dry and fresh until next time.
Fermenting hot sauce
Parm! For my cheese, this would be fantastic:)
I will make my own disposable wipes and pull them from Recap covered Mason jar.
Thanks to you Erika, I was able to join the ReCap fermentation kit Kickstarter. I instantly thought of using it as a snack dispenser for new flip cap lids as well. The shaker tops would make it even more useful for powdered sugar and parmesan. These will be much easier to clean than metal shakers and easy to interchange. Thank you for the giveaway!
I would make my own disposable wipes and pull them from the Recap covered Mason jar.
I would definitely use a Flip Cap for homemade spice blends.
Just about everythign in my fridge could use a better lid. I like the idea of smoothies to go!
I would love to try these out! I’ve been wanting to use one of my blue pint Mason jars as a soap dispenser in my bathroom, and the shaker/pour lids would be great for spice mixes in my kitchen, and fir replacing the salt box top I cut out and am holding onto a jar with the metal screw band (that way my salt can be poured into shakers or the lid unscrewed and scooped with measuring spoons)
Ooh! So many ideas swirling around, but the most helpful use would be to-go drinks & snacks. I’ve dumped too many lidless mason jar drinks in my poor car during morning dash!
love the idea of these caps for to go snacks for kids
I too love my reCap mason jar tops. I’ve been using the pour top for about six months and find it VERY USEFUL. And the flip-top would be perfect when I make trail mix (that only seems to come in 5 gallon batches. And the shaker top would be perfect when I harvest my oranges and make dried orange peel aka dried orange zest. So many practical uses!
I have cleared my house of all plastic storage and use only mason jars of all sizes and shapes so any and all recaps will be used. The new one, I’m thinking kids snacks, hubby snacks,all kinds of things.
OOOH my goondess, I would love to have a set of these lids!i have a morning smoothie almost every day, so having a cap to make it ‘to go’ with me would be amazing. It might also be the nudge I need to get into fermenting. This is a great give away! Thanks Erica!
I think I’d use them for homemade cleanser — I’ve wanted to make some for a while now, but haven’t found the right container for dispensing . This would work beautifully. As a side note, I want to try the airlock method with my ferments and this looks awesome.
Nice! I’d use them for salad dressings and mixing drinks, of course.
Oh I love the ReCap lids! I would use the shaker for the spices I keep in the freezer!
These look awesome and would save me so much time and mess with those regular old metal rings.
I use baking soda for cleaning (sink and toilet scrub, countertop stain remover, etc). ONe of these would be very handy to use daily around the house
OOOOOOOOO! These are awesome! I would love to them for my morning coffee which I tote to work in a mason jar every day.
Eeeee this is so exciting! Like you, I use my jars for EVERYTHING. The Flip Caps will just make this all the more convenient. I think number one on the list would be using a jar as a cocktail shaker and a shaker insert as the strainer. I’ve been big on summer cocktails the last couple months 🙂
I’ve been using the one and a half pint jars (the tall narrow wide mouth jars) with a plastic lid as my drink jar for the car. Easy to put ice and lemon in the wide opening. The ReCap lid will make drinking from the jar much easier. Have a great day.
For my olive oil, soap dispenser, water bottle, spices and lots of other things!
So the crazy idea that came to mind at the moment was premade pancake batter for camping trips with the fam. Pre-made batter could be tossed into the cooler and poured out onto the camp griddle for super easy breakfasts. 🙂
I have been waiting for these flip caps. I plan on using them for my homemade mayo and yogurts. They may even inspire me to make more of my own condiments.