tip: workaround for if you're short just a coupla canning lids

[patandchickens]

This morning I discovered a bushel of frozen roma tomatoes in the downstairs freezer, from last summer , and decided it was high time to do something with them. So I spent all afternoon thawing/skinning/cooking them, FINALLY got the dern water bath boiling with 7 quart jars in it, and then as the last step in the process, got out lids from the 'widemouth lids' box on my canning supplies shelf and put them in hot water.

I did not discover until I had ladled sauce into the first quart jar that, hey, the box may have SAID widemouth but they were in fact the next size down, the 78 mm ones. AARGH! (I assume I was consolidating at some point in the past and mis-filed them?)

Panicked rummaging turned up 5 widemouth lids, but that still left me two short. I was about to send DH to the grocery store when it hit me -- I *had* more lids, albeit used and thus a tad more chancey, but that's ok.



So I now have two quarts of last year's apple pie filling sitting in the fridge with plastic wrap over the open tops, and all *7* quarts of tomato sauce cooling on the deck

Admittedly reusing lids gives you a little higher chance of seal failure, but, I thought I'd pass this along in case someone else finds themselves in a similar situation.


Pat, gonna make a big apple dessert tomorrow

 

[TanksHill]

In my early canning days I always reused my seals. I was only making jams and to make matter worse. I used the inversion method instead of a water bath. I just did not know any better. My stuff always sealed just fine.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

This is good to know since I always save and re-use my canning lids anyway . . . I just don't use them to can again, but I sometimes store things like pesto in the fridge in a canning jar with a used canning lid.