How to decorate the garden with blue bottles!
The new blue beer bottles, ideas for how to use them, removing labels and recipes for beer if you don’t dink beer!
The new availability of light beer sold in the very desirable blue bottles adored by Flea Market Gardening’s junk loving gardeners is causing some commotion! Sun glass wearing, non beer drinkers are now slinking into the grocery store to purchase the bottles and then are faced with the dilemma of whether to dump or not dump the beer. A flurry of recipes including beer as an ingredient has ensued.
Nancy K. Meyer from Iowa says, “I know blue bottles are not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those of us who love them~~~look what I found at the grocery store this morning—beer in blue bottles, can and tin. (Honey, can I bring you a beer ???)
George Weaver, another reader muses, ” I wonder if the Anheuser Busch research team had the Flea Market Gardeners in mind when they thought up their marketing strategy on this one. I think this is all the proof needed to show that Facebook is selling our posts to market researchers.”
Nancy Carter tells us, “I have found a great source for blue bottles about the same size as wine bottles. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell Blu’ Italy Sparkling Water for $1.29 a bottle. The water is great and the price is fantastic especially when I find empty wine bottles priced at $2 to $3.00 dollars at flea markets!
How to remove bottle labels easily, Nancy’s tips:
“Wondering about how to remove the labels from the bottles? This was a nightmare for me and I tried a dozen different suggestions until I finally found a solution that works perfectly.
Paper labels
For all of you who have trouble getting the label and glue off the blue bottles, here is what works perfectly for me. Fill the bottle with VERY hot water and then set the full bottle into a larger container (I use a flower vase) and fill it with VERY hot water. Let the bottle sit for about ten minutes or so and then take it out of the vase and using a sharp knife start a corner of the label peeling and pull slowly. It will peel right off leaving only the gooey glue on the bottles. Refill the bottle with hot water and use a cotton ball saturated in 90% rubbing alcohol to rub the glue area briskly and the glue will come right off. You can purchase the 90% rubbing alcohol anywhere that you can buy the regular 70% alcohol.
Painted labels
IF you have bottles (green mostly) that have painted on labels, fill the bottle with hot water and set it in a vase that has enough Sno-Bol toilet bowl cleaner or The Works tub and shower cleaner to cover the painted label area. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or so and then remove the bottle from the vase of cleaner and rub lightly with a metal pot scrubber. The painted label will be mostly, if not completely dissolved, and will wipe right off.
Also the great thing about the Trader Joe bottles is I just fill the sink with hot sudsy water and let them soak about ten minutes and usually the label is already off when I go back to finish them. Same with the Blue Bud bottles. Soaking them lets me pull the label right off.”
As for using the blue bottles in the garden, Kirk Willis, says, “Yes…the labels do come off. A bit tricky. Soak them in hot water, and then start peeling. I used an SOS pad to gently take off the glue…used WD40 on some instead of the SOS pad. They look so cool with just the blue, minus labels.”
Especially for Non-drinkers! Luscious Beer Bread
Now Tractor Man, my hubby, doesn’t drink beer,…he’d be stunned if I offered him one…I do make beer bread though,…the yeast in the beer makes it rise and you can add cheese or herbs.
Cheddar-Herb Beer Bread
While looking for herb recipes, I found this one from Alton Brown, a great cook. This bread turned out nice and soft, was fast to make, tasted great warm and was a nice savory bread that cut easily for sandwiches. I’m impressed!
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces cold beer, (your blue bottle beer, of course)
1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, optional
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick spray and set aside.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and herbs in a large mixing bowl. Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine. Spread the batter, which will form into a ball, evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, if using. (I moistened the top with beaten egg and we didn’t have sunflower seeds, I used chopped walnuts)
Bake on the middle rack of the oven about 45 to 55 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm with dinner.
Additional things to add:
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, or
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh
thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives,
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Other combinations
-Rosemary-Feta
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
-Italian
1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
***
Like George Weaver says, “If these blue bottles are this much of a success with people that don’t drink, Just think what the beer drinkers will think of them.”
24 Comments
Love beer bread AND beer also makes awesome slug and pill bug bait. Just put a little in a shallow container, buried so that rim is level with the ground. I cover keep rain and pets out.
Took the 6 pack to a friend ~~ for them to enjoy with the promise they return the empty bottles to me.
That’s a good idea!
Recipe sounds good, will have to try it soon.
And I forgot to mention, must get beer in blue bottles! The Whipped Cream vodka bottle is a lovely pale blue and a curvy cute shape too.
Can I be your friend, Nancy? =0]
LOVE Cobalt Blue bottles and the beer bread recipe looks yummy!
I’m stockpiling blue bottles as we speak (*¿*)
You can also use Bromo Seltzer bottles for that too and keep the Bromo Seltzer in a zip lock bag and actually use it when you need it.
I have 6 for a starter. I have a few small votive metal candle holers that I amd going to add into the garden or have another bottle tree ! Thanks for sharing,Sue ! Your bread sounds delicous !
Did you make your own bottle tree? did you post it on Pinterest?
We’ve restarted the beer bread craze from the 70s!
Great and the recipe looks yummy! Now how do I make the tree?
Definitely trying your beer bread, Sue!
Using my beer in my handmade soaps!
I’m not a big beer drinker but I’ll drink a few in order to get the blue bottles. I plan to have a couple of blue bottle projects by spring. BTW, the bread sound fabulous, and I’ll be trying my hand at making some.
I bought 100 blue beer bottles for $50, removed every label and now have two blue bottle trees. I LOVE them!!
Wonderful, Delores,…would you post a pic on our Facebook page? Love to see it!
I have tons of those blue beer bottles. In the past year, my husband has went through a drinking stage, drinking a 6 pack every weekend. Although I would rather he didn’t drink, it is nice I get something out of it… the beautiful, blue beer bottles. I have a bottle tree in my front yard with 15 of them on it now and I am saving all the others for projects. The first few I am considering are some kind of hanging pendant lights and a “fence” / sunshield with bottles that have holes drilled in the bottom threaded onto piping and then put in the ground and secured at the top, by building a wooden frame across the top and bottom or securing them to the end of the porch to block out the hot, afternoon sun and show a beautiful glow of blue glass.
That’s a great idea, Rhonda,…would love to see what you do with them…
I found the blue, Bud beer bottles last spring/summer and have quite a few stored safely in boxes in my garage. The labels were super easy just placing in the sink covered with hot, soapy water. Came right off for me. I made a bottle tree and have enough for the coming spring to do whatever I want.
I love beer bread and have had a recipe of my own for quite a few yrs. I will definitely try yours that you have shared with all of us. Thanks.
And Happy Gardening, everyone. (at some point in the “near” future)
Thanks for the tips, Chris… Yes, hurry Spring!
I bought 4 cases at Sam’s and dumped the beer. I peeled the labels off then soaked them for a while in hot water. It was easy to scrape any remaining glue off with a razor blade. I now have 72 bottles waiting to decide what to do with them. They are so beautiful with so many possibilities. I too will make a bottle wall, but will also use green, amber and clear bottles. I have been trying to track down a few of the ruby red Schlitz bottles, but they do not come cheap.
Somewhere, Pat, a young man is weeping over that spilled out beer, but no matter,…you got what you wanted. I hope you post a photo of them on our Facebook page.