Sort of Like Ring-toss, for Canning Jar Bands

We're running low on our home canned foods.  Tis the season.  As a result we've got a lot of jars and bands not in action at the moment.  We've always just kept any canning jar bands not currently in use in a box in the store room.  I was never fully satisfied with this solution though as the boxes--one box for narrow mouthed bands and another for wide mouth bands--took up an entire shelf of our storage area.  In addition to the fact that they looked jumbled and untidy, I also felt that this couldn't be the most space efficient means of storage.

So I mulled it over.

We'd once tried to store them on a loop of flexible metal wire, but found it a hassle to have to untwist the wire ends to retrieve or replace the bands.  Hence there was always a pile of bands beneath the loop of wire needing put away.

It was close to what I wanted, but not quite.   It made use of vertical space and eliminated the use of shelf space, but, I didn't want to have to deal with a closure of any sort in order to access the bands.  I know myself (and Matt) too well for that.  Even that simple obstacle would--and did--result in a breakdown of the system.  We needed instant put-away-ability.

And then I had, just possibly, a moment of minor brilliance while sorting through jars looking for the right styles for our wedding centerpieces.

Matt made my vision a reality in just under ten minutes with only dowels from the craft room (usually used in the making of ojos de dios) and the electric drill.  He bored a few holes the diameter of the dowels into a beam in the storeroom adjacent to the canned good.  Insert the dowels into the holes and--voila!--long pegs to slip the bands around.  Think Ring-Toss.  Its just like that.

It works well!  We put the bands away immediately after they are done being used.  We can quickly grab a band when we're snagging a jar of pickles or jelly or whathaveyou to move up to the kitchen (we store our preserves without the bands).

Ah, I love a good, simple solution like this--no plastic, no chemicals, no supplies needing purchased, and it seriously took under ten minutes.   It makes me happy.  Just like when Matt mounted the little shelves for the jars!   Another no plastic, no chemicals, no supplies needing purchased, quick and easy job.  Yup, it makes me happy.