Members Preps/area reports on available goods

[Abigayle]

Leman's is taking back orders (or they were last week).  A friend of mine ordered three weeks ago, it was back ordered, both sizes.  She still has not been notified of shipping.  I am o.k. for the next six months, if I just do my normal canning.   I have the friend who brought over a five gallon bucket of beans, as she was sick to death of canning. With my timing being right, she might be eager to part with hers!  She was going to give me her yeast, but I told her there was a shortage and she should freeze what she has.  I will be honest about the lids as well...  I am down to about sixteen dozen.

[Starlady]

I am going out on a limb here to tell you that you CAN use lids more than once.  It is not recommended and manufacturers specifically say not to but I've been doing it for over 6 years.   In the past few years, I've heard many comments about the newer lids because the sealant isn't as thick, but I've not had a problem with them, either.  I'm usually a by-the-book canner, but a seal is a seal and if the contents don't change in a few months, it's a good one.  And saving 20-25% on new lids is good thing.

If you are very careful when you open the lid by going lightly around it instead of popping it from one side you don't bend the outer lip.  If you bend it, it won't seal again.   Wash well, dry and reuse*.  Your can opener will leave little  1/2 moons around it and you know it's been used once.  The next time you open a lid that already has moons, trash it.
*Also, carefully inspect the rubber sealant - if there's any gaps or difference in thickness, trash it.

Don't do a whole canner load with reused lids - if one fails, you can refrigerate and eat the contents of that jar within a few days - no waste.   I'll usually do 2 used in a batch of 7 quarts, etc.  And I put THOSE
in the pantry to be used within the year, again after careful inspection (which you should be doing anyway).   

In 6 years, I've had 2 fail to seal (both had the bent lip) and one that failed 18 months later.   I've had 2 brand new lids fail within 12-18 months, too.   I started doing it as a test because if bad things happen, we'll NEVER get new lids!  Since it has worked well for me, I continue to do it and keep my stash from going down so quickly.

BE CAUTIOUS!   If it makes you nervous don't do it.  I just wanted to let you know it can be done. 

You ARE inspecting your home canned goods every few months, right?  And rotating them?

[RWS]

We reuse rings until they get rusty.  We inspect and reuse flats also.  We keep plenty of new rings & flats to guard against the day when they are no longer available in the store.  Last year when Freds was closing stores, we bought lots at special closeout pricing.

[Starlady]

Lids available online here, I checked and they are in stock.  Some have # limits or shipping minimums.

https://goodsstores.com/collections/canning-supplies

https://www.berlinpackaging.com/ball-silver-mason-jar-disc-lids

https://www.ruralking.com/canning-jars-supplies/canning-jars-bands-lids

[Abigayle]

Bob's Red Mill has baking yeast, limit of 2 per order.  They also have their muffin mix, gluten free, very good, limit of 2...  Lentils are available there right now, and a few other things.  Not cheap, but good quality, I have used their products for years...organic, mostly...
Thanks Star Lady!  for the lid alert...Tractor Supply laughed at me when I asked if they had any.  Biggest canning year ever, according to one manager...  I am glad I have what I have but will continue to put more back for this winter.

[Abigayle]

Berlin is now out until at least Sept, according to my on line chat with the company.  Goods had both sizes and quickest availability, not that it mattered to me.  Rural King is out of Regular.  Amazon is in their usual rip off mode and charging crazy prices, when people need things the most....bless their liberal little hearts....

[Starlady]

You need to go complain to Amazon - THEY don't set prices, the SELLER does and they have closed hundreds of seller accounts since April due to price gouging.

[Starlady]

Soooooo………..freezers and canning jars are the new toilet paper.

[Abigayle]

Up, took us four months to get our freezer.  I have not tried jars yet and just decided as I mentioned, to get rid of anything that isn't wonderful.  I didn't find much that I don't like, but I made a little headway.  I have to go through the meals in a jar faster.  They are so much work that I hate to eat them (not all are labor intensive, but some are).
Has anyone else noticed food and supply prices going up?  Some of the meat I asked for in my drive up were not available and I did not know it until I got there and it was not in my order.  Even hand soap in a pump....any kind at all.  They were .99 cents at Walmart last year, now some are 2 for seven dollars.  We will use our bars if we run out.  And, forget about anything with the word "wipe" in it.  I used every inch of the ones I used today.  I know I can make them, but so far, they just are not the same.  Anyone have any luck with making some that do not streak on the countertop?  I finally got all the veggies off of mine today, two had gone bad, and were starting to smell.  Anyone else ready for fall?  Oh, and the rice in the packets that take 90 seconds.... The red rice and bean is about two thirds what there were.  I made one today for the pork and could not believe it.  Things are more than a little strange....in the food department.

[LFCF]

Local Ace *had* canning lids.  Right up until we up and bought them all.  . Saw that Lowes had cases of small mouth quart jars.  Wife doesn't like those, but we picked up a case anyway.

Ace and Wal-Mart both had boxes of rings/lids.  Wal-Mart had some of the fancy jars and 11/12th of a case of half pints.  Yes, someone took one jar out.

Wal-Mart had yeast (in the packets).  Some bread flour, a lot of all-purpose.

[Abigayle]

Most canners have rings coming out of their ears, since you remove them after they are good and sealed.  I like small mouth for liquids, like juice as they are easy to pour, but agree with your wife and a million other canners that wide mouths are where it's at.  Walmart's one line prices for jars this week were from "outside" sources, don't know if that has changed.  I did get my lids on line in just a few days, so now I have more backup. 
A friend of mine that bought yeast in packets recently said it expires in five months, so watch the dates folks....Where have they been keeping it all this time???

[Starlady]

I'll have more in this week's update, but I spent 5 hrs driving around and calling yesterday, there's nothing at any WM, Lowe's, HD, Ace or Family Dollar within 40 miles of me.

[Abigayle]

You must really want them....badly..... How about an add on Craigs List?  Just meet them at the police station parking lot... Or, in whatever little shopper you have.  Wanted, CLEAN canning jars, wide mouth, quart (or whatever ).  Let us know if you have any luck.  Amazon had some last week, but the prices were laughable.  I didn't want to use my limited energy or whistle blowing, but I bet someone did!

[Starlady]

I think I probably have enough - I just wanted to get 'extra' and I wanted to check on the freezers, treat myself to lunch that someone else made and I REALLY just needed some time off the farm with other human contact - even if it was just talkative salespeople, LOL!

Yeah, all the Big A vendors are running 3-4x higher than WM was a few weeks ago....you know, when they actually HAD them.  Supply and demand, I guess.  I found a case of pint & a half (which I LOVE) jars I put on a chair while canning last month, then shoved the chair under the table and forgot about them!  Nice surprise.

[Ravenwood1950]

Abigayle, save your pump bottles and buy the large refill bottles at Walmart of the store brand. That's what I do and I have 4-6 refill bottles for back up.
Ravenwood