Canning Season has begun – and with it comes the complete clear out of canning supplies at shops and retailers. Yes, you might be at your local grocer and notice they are completely out of rings, jars, and course salt.
- Essential Canning Supplies
- What I Learnt in A Day of Canning (or More)
- First Attempt at Rhubarb Juice & the Jelly
I imagine that COVID impacts the demand on canning products, but last year I also struggled to find canning lids in August.
4 Tips to Prepare for Canning Season
- Purchase canning lids, and other perishable supplies during off season. I find adding a box of lids every month to my grocery helps reduce the summertime cost, and lets me build up a stash for summer canning season. Also, watch out for sales in the off season. My mother has found lids for amazing clearance prices by wandering down the aisle from time to time.
- Beg for jars all year round – or watch the free/buy and sell pages. Always be open to getting more jars. You can never have enough jars. You think you might, but the more canning you do the more jars you need. Let friends and family know, watch the free pages, and more. I prefer to find them for free or a low cost. Remember that when you buy them new they come with lids so if people are trying to sell you 12 jars for $20 walk the other way. Be savvy.
- Keep track of how much canned food you go through. Don’t can food you won’t eat. If you want to do green beans or tomatoes, keep a running tally of how many store-bought cans you used. This will help you gage how much you might want to do to supplement your use.
- If you never buy or use relish – maybe don’t make an abundance of relish.
- Find some friends or family member willing to help you and split the workload. Canning is a ton of work. So if you have a grandma who can help you cut beans, a friend who can help entertain children, and a parent with a better kitchen, it can be a lot of help to make it a little less you.
- It’s also helpful to see if you can beg or borrow another pressure canner from a friend. This will let you do larger batches quicker.
- It’s also helpful to see if you can beg or borrow another pressure canner from a friend. This will let you do larger batches quicker.
- Learn when produce is available, competitively priced (or available wholesale), and plan your summer appropriately. What do I mean? I mean it’s important to know that if you want to can beans, that they are ready mid-July. You want fresh crops for the best results. Reach out to the suppliers to get on their list, or know how their crop is doing, so that you don’t miss out.
- I’m waiting to do green beans. One crop isn’t ready. A few farms told me their crop is over. I’m not really sure what is going on, and the wholesale price this year is up to $2.50 per pound from a retailer.
- Be price savvy – find out how much you have to buy to get a wholesale discount or bulk pricing, and shop around. Sometimes the grocery store brings in cases of produce for an incredible price, and sometimes it’s best to find a farmer direct and order in what you need.
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