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Jar Lids

Yesterday when I shared a photo of what I had canned, someone asked me about where to find jar lids and it reminded me about a blog post I had done a couple of years ago so I went back and looked it up. It was posted November 19, 2019 and entitled “The Canning Weak Link“.

I think this was before I’d heard about the coronavirus and certainly before we had encountered shortages.

I will always keep the Tattler lids around, just in case there’s a shortage of the metal lids. I have no reason to believe that will happen but I’d hate to have food to can, jars to put the food in, and a canner to use . . and no lids!

As you all know, I don’t do everything right so I’m not saying “Look what a great job I did”. Keeping extras of everything we use seems to be something I’ve done for years and years. Of course, there has to be room to store things and keep up with them and be able to find them. I don’t know if I have always done this because of my dislike for shopping or if it’s something I learned just watching my grandma who lived through a time when everything was in short supply or if it was just because they lived so far from town and she kept everything she might need at home.

I’m not saying we never run out of things. We do, but there’s almost always a substitute that will work.

These days, I’m trying to plan menus that require only ingredients we have on hand. As I use the basic things I always keep on hand . . canned tomatoes, pasta, dry beans, etc., I try to replace it. From what I’ve heard, different areas of the country have different items that are harder to find. I haven’t seen a whole lot here than we can’t get, though from time to time, some things are out of stock but the next time I place a grocery order, those things are in stock and something else is out of stock.

When there’s no Dr. Pepper in stock anywhere . . that’s when I’ll be in trouble.

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Comments

  1. I stop in Walmart in our small town on Mondays and Fridays and each time I have stopped in the last 2 weeks they have had new stock of some things. One day it was large lids, the next quart jars, the next pint jars. Today I found quarter pint jars and regular sized lids. It is not the most convenient thing to check twice a week but I am town for something else, so I might as well stop. I suspect no retailer is going to get full shelves like we used to see, but if you can stock up with bits and pieces, its ok. I feel like I am set for next year now. I did buy the Tattlers when you told us about a sale a bit back, but I use the familiar disposable ones because I give so much of my canning away.

    • I also saw several sizes of jars at our local Walmart last week. I didn’t see lids but I wasn’t looking so they may have had the. I think you’re right . . buy what you need (or might need) when you see it becuase you never know when it will be back in stock.

      I almost always use a few disposable lids in whatever I’m canning so I can share those but most of the people I give things to will return the jars, lids (disposable) and rings. But .. when they don’t, I’d rather it be the disposable lids.

  2. Went to Kroger Monday for groceries and was going to stock up on large elbow macaroni. Not one bag in the entire store! What a weird item to run out !

    • There seems to be no rhyme or reason to what’s in stock and what’s out of stock.

  3. Speaking of shortages, I read an article predicting what was going to be affected. Some of the things (e.g. McCormick Gourmet spices) won’t be available because they can’t get that particular jar! What a nuisance. I also heard a commenter talking about supply chain, and how manufcturers could have supplies of 99% of a product, but if they can’t get that last 1%, the chain is broken.

    • Yes. What you’ve heard sounds reasonable. Some of what I hear doesn’t sound reasonable. The bottom line is . . if the stuff we need isn’t available, we’re outta luck! And the prices! There are things I just will not buy because of the cost, and then I wonder if next week . . will they cost even more and I’ll wish I had bought them this week? It’s crazy.

    • My son is a distiller and he normally gets his glass bottles from Italy and Mexico, He can’t get anything from either sources. Since he doesn’t have established accounts anywhere else, he can’t get bottles as priority. It is awful.

  4. A lot of the short supply is due to people still hoarding things. They have not stopped!

    • I think we’re past that being the problem. Electronic chips, lumber, tires, oil filters . . those aren’t the kinds of things most people buy in bulk. I couldn’t find celery seeds or mustard seeds at any store in town this week. Who would hoard those things?

      The electricians are having a hard time getting the boxes used for electric outlets. Who hoards those?

      I can see hoarding Haagen Dazs Pineapple Coconut ice cream but most of what I’ve seen in short supply . . no.

      Our stores have had plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, soap, laundry detergent, bleach . . the things that were in short supply before.

    • That’s scary! I had been very happy with the Aldi knock off DP but haven’t been able to find that since probably May or June. So far, the DP has been easy to get at Walmart.

  6. In June of 2020 I ordered the bulk packages of regular & large mouth jar lids. I found out they were backordered, but let the order stand. This June, almost a year to the day, I got the wide mouth lids. Then earlier this month I received the regular size ones. I was totally amazed that I got any of them at all after all that time.

    • Even though they were delayed, that was a smart move on your part to order them in bulk. Glad you have them!

  7. Our local grocery store was totally out of 1/2 gal of vegetable oils, every brand.

    • That’s why I say there’s no rhyme or reason to all this. Next time you go, they may be fully stocked on cooking oil and completely out of some other random item.

      We want to fry a turkey at Thanksgiving so we’ve already bought the peanut oil. I was afraid if we waited, we wouldn’t be able to get that.

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