With the national shortage of canning supplies, it's become extremely difficult to find jars, lids, and even pressure canners. So what do we do if we can't find what we need to preserve the harvest?
Or maybe we're OK for this year, but the shortage will likely continue into the next canning season. Don't be without the canning supplies you need for next year! Do this NOW!
If you're in a pinch and really need to preserve your harvest, be sure to check out these other methods of food preservation:
Where Can I Find Canning Supplies?
This year, with major supply chains on backorder, in order to find canning supplies you may have to look for them in non-obvious places:
- Hardware stores
- Smaller grocery stores
- Country mercantile or antique stores
- Garage sales
- Grandma's attic
Get on a Waiting List
If the places above don't have any canning supplies in stock, and they have no idea when they're expecting more, get on a waiting list to be notified as soon as they're back in stock.
Some places may even allow you to pre-order to ensure your spot on the waiting list.
Try Social Media
Hop on Facebook and put out an ISO for canning supplies. If people need money and are willing to sell their canning supplies, you might be able to benefit!
But know what to look for before blindly buying used canning supplies:
- Make sure all reusable lids are not more than two years old.
- Make sure jars are free from nicks and scratches.
- Check the sealing compound on all two piece canning lids to make sure they're in good usable condition.
Online Sources
Keep watching online store supplies. For instance, at the time of this recording, Lehmans has certain sizes of the All American pressure canners in stock! (We love buying products that are American-made.)
But know your online sources! If you're going to order something from Amazon, you'll want to know where the products are coming from.
You can actually find canning lids online right now, but if they're coming from China, the metal will be weaker and there are reports of the lids actually shrinking or crimping during the canning process.
You also need to know that the sealing compound on the lids are not as robust, meaning many people are reporting losing their seals much easier.
I also couldn't ensure any of the sources are BPA-free or food-grade plastic.
In short, always check the reviews! But be attentive, I actually saw reviews for a DIFFERENT product under the product review I was reading.
There were a few products with positive reviews that I would take a chance on. But be smart with what you're canning with these questionable products. Avoid canning higher-priced items like canned beef (or venison, etc.).
Because the metric system is used, it's important to note that a regular mouth jar or lid is 70m and a wide mouth jar or lid is 85m.
Can I Reuse Canning Lids?
Reusing Lids is generally a no-no, but if you can't find canning lids and are risking your harvest going bad, what do you do?
Ball tells you NOT to reuse lids, however, Ball also stands to profit every time you need to can.
A master-canner friend and I put our heads together to discuss the practicality of reusing lids. What are the dangers, what are the benefits, and what is the true concern?
The real danger of reusing lids is that they won't reseal. But if your jar doesn't seal you'll know it right away! So the only real worry is that you'll need to use up a few jars of food if they don't seal.
Be sure to read our posts on how to reuse canning lids for the best success, and our top canning mistakes to avoid so you know how to properly and safely store your food.
One-Part Canning Lids
In some parts of the world, one-part canning lids are the only lid options available.
We've been told in the US, by the USDA that they're not safe.
"As long as the proper jar type, size and shape is used with properly researched canning procedures, the lid choice itself, for example, two-piece metal, plastic, or one-piece metal lids, does not affect the microbiological safety of the canning process. The issues become ease of use, success in sealing, and maintenance of vacuum and food-quality during storage."
So Easy to Preserve
The bottom line is they just don't have the funding to go back and test a whole new kind of lid for safety.
The exciting thing about one-piece lids is that they're readily available right now, but they're not sold as one time use lids, they're acutally sold as reusable lids.
One thing you have to be careful of with the one-piece lids is to NOT overtighten them. If you overtighten them, you risk ruining your lids or breaking your jars. The two-piece lids do have much more forgiveness.
What Jars are Good for Canning?
We're often told not to use jars that aren't approved canning jars. The reason we're told this is that jars, such as spaghetti jars from the grocery, may not be able to handle the pressure of the canner.
If this is true, however, the worst thing that will happen if you try using a different kind of jar, as long as the lid actually fits, is that the jar is going to break in your canner.
If that's it, then you might lose a jar or two of food! But, if it works, then you're just fine!
Do be sure you're watching for any nicks or chips, as with all canning jars.
Also, be sure the size of the jar correlates with the canning times. If you're using a jar that's in between sizes, you'll always want to can to the larger jar size.
Pressure Canners & Water Bath Canners
Right now water bath canners are still relatively easy to get. But if you don't have one, or can't find one, it's important to note that you don't actually need a water bath canner in order to water bath can.
You can use a large stockpot with lid. The important thing is that the jars don't touch the bottom of the pot. Simply fold a kitchen towel and put it on the bottom of a stockpot and water bath can that way.
DO NOT try to pressure can in your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. These are not safe.
Don't ever use a pressure canner that doesn't have a weight or a pressure gauge that's been tested within the current canning year.
Where can I find pressure canners?
- Pleasant Hill Grains is taking pre-orders for All American canners, and some sizes are expected to be in stock by November 2020.
- Lehman's is getting some sizes of pressure canners in stock.
- Multiple sizes and models of pressure canners are still available through Amazon.
- You can even check your local Walmart or big-box store.
Will there still be a canning supply shortage in 2021?
If you don't have all the canning supplies you need for next year's canning season, I'd recommend sourcing everything now. Get on the pre-order list or waiting list, or, better yet, just have your supplies waiting!
Having canning supplies is as good as money in the bank! Especially if we see price increases in the future.
More Canning Recipes & Tutorials:
- How to Can Food (Canning 101)
- How to Water Bath Can
- Step By Step Tutorial For Canning Meat (Raw Pack Method)
- How to Can Beef Stew for Easy Convenience Meals
- Canning Bone Broth or Stock (Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable)
- Easy White Bean Chicken Chili – Pressure Canning Recipe
More Related Posts on Preserving:
- Five Common Canning Mistakes to Avoid
- How Full Should My Canner Be When I’m Canning?
- Canning Mistakes to Avoid When Water Bath & Pressure Canning
- Food Preservation Calendar (A Year-at-a-Glance)
- Can you Pressure Can in an Instant Pot?
- How Long is Canned Food Good For?
- Can I Reuse Canning Lids?
- Prepping Your Pantry for Preserving Season
- Preserving Day Tips for Less Overwhelm
- Building Up a Well-Stocked Pantry
- How to Get Ready for Preservation Season
