A trip to WinCo this evening shows that, at least at this location, the supply of canning jar lids and related materials has returned to normal. (Or, I suppose, normal-ish.)
Much like how the Great Primer Scare of the ’90s turned many of us into primer hoarders, this recent experience in being unable to locate canning lids has made me quite certain that my future plans include keeping several hundred lids on hand at all times. You know….just in case.
I don’t enjoy canning. I have better things to do with my time than stand around and babysit what is basically a potential boiler explosion for 70 minutes. I dont dislike canning, but, dang it, I’ve got better things to do.
However..I do enjoy eating. And I’m a huge fan of saving money and not starving to death. So….canning.
And that canning requires one critical component: jar lids.
So, I havent inventoried them but I should be sitting somewhere near a thousand or so lids at the moment. At one pint of canned meat or other food per day, that would be about three years of canned food. Of course, keeping a thousand pint jars on hand is unlikely but I do have a hundred or so, which should, I think, see me though most tough times.
But the lids…..like primers they are the one critical and expendable component that bottlenecks the whole process if you can’t find them.
Glad to see theyre back in stock. For now.
How are the prices? In my area I’ve seen them a good bit this summer and fall but the prices are significantly higher than 3 years ago.
I enjoy canning. My wife does all the prep work and packing. I’m the BT (navy for boiler tech) I set it all up in the garage with the door open, on a large two burner range. I turn on the radio to rock and roll oldies and go to work. Water bath and pressure it makes no difference. I also make sure I have a box of extra rubber gaskets, gages, release valves etc. every part each model of pressure canner would need.
They can also be used twice (not recommended, but I have generally not had failures to seal with one reuse when I’ve tested it). Something to keep in mind.
I’ve had bad luck with Tattlers, the reusable alternative: about 20% failure to seal, and the failure usually happens after the initial seal. So months later you go to grab a pint of chicken and it’s bad.
I also reused lids when they were not available. All of them sealed, no failures. I would not use them a 3rd time, but the old lids can be used for non-canning storage, or refrigerating leftovers.
I also had failure with Tattler lids so I don’t use them, kept them as a backup.
Why not try Tattler or similar reusable canning lids?
I keep a stock of both standard canning lids and reusable lids, like Tattler or Harvest guard. I’ve also experimented with reusing the standard lids, and have yet to have a failure. Even if there were an occasional failure, it’s very simple to either reprocess the jar or use the contents.
Canning not hot water processing is 45 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
Reusable Tattler lids/flats are the way to go if keeping the jars. But if gifting any away use the metal flats. And both are great barter items for me anyway during the recent shortage and TRANSITORY inflation.
The rule as always (but more importantly in these days of a roller coaster supply chain) is to get at the gettin’ place while the gettin’ is good. My Mother’s rule was to always buy “next season’s” lids along with any new jars and new lids for all jars prior to canning time. Gives you a whole year to find new ones. I make canning time less wasted by attending to mundane tasks generally related to preparedness while in that mindset. If my pressure canner goes ka-phlooey it’ll just make a mess in the garage as I have a utilitarian “garage stove” – a very handy situation.
YMMV, but I’d planned on not merely subsisting on one jar of food/day, so to me 1000 lids looks closer to 1 year’s reserve stock, not 3.
Either way, it beats “none”.
I dunno….to me a pint is about 8 oz. or so of meat. Thats enough for a big meal (big enough for leftovers for lunch) with rice, tomatoes, and spices,
Presto electric canner…only 5 quarts…but it is a set it and forget it.