Where are all the lids???

[baymule]

I don’t reuse lids. For me, it’s just not worth it. Not knocking anybody else, if it works for you, it works.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Bay, when I consider that I can buy a dozen WM lids for $1.47, the cost per lid is pretty small. So, I can understand why you would choose not to re-use lids. But, for me, it's a matter of principle. I'm not gonna spend money on anything that I don't have to! And, when the day comes that lids are not available... well... I'll still have a good supply of lids on hand.

 

[Britesea]

I've never reused lids for canning, though I have used them for dry storage. I just may try it on high acid foods at least. I don't feel comfortable reusing lids for pressure canning, although I don't have any science to back that feeling up.

 

[bambi]

I'm not gonna spend money on anything that I don't have to! And, when the day comes that lids are not available... well... I'll still have a good supply of lids on hand.

I understand where you are coming from, I have to force myself to toss out a container when it looks to be in good condition, and to think I threw away good lids.

 

[Hinotori]

I picked up all the lids I'd be likely to need this year (and extra) back when everyone else was freaking out about water and TP. I had a bad feeling about it if I waited.

Stores here have the normal amount on the shelves. Which is low but that's because it's tuna season as well as produce.

One of the older books I have talks about reusing canning lids if they are in perfect condition and recommends only for water bathing. It was mentioning items like jams and pickles.

Now if you go old school, you can pour paraffin wax on full sugar jams to seal them. Sometimes there still gets a bit of mold growing. Mom said that everyone would just spoon off from under the moldy bit and then use the rest. Great grandma used wax, so did grandma on dad's side. Don't need canning jars for wax. Cut the tops off bottles and sand the edges then use them. The wax is washed off and saved for reuse.

 

[Britesea]

Those practices do come with some risk, but in hard times....

 

[Hinotori]

Mom did open kettle canning of jams and jellies up until about a decade ago. I got her a water bath canner and explained it to her. She's been very happy with it as she hasn't had a lid failure since.

She uses the unit on her gas grill to can so the house doesn't get hot either.

 

[TexasLisa]

O goodness, you brought back memories of canning jelly with wax. I remember helping my mom and grandmother with that. My Home Ec project in High School was making Grape Jam with the paraffin top. (Made A+)

 

[farmerjan]

I learned the wax sealing as a kid helping my mom. Yeah, the little bit of mold that sometimes was found, you scooped it off with a little of the "good jelly" below it and ate the rest. Not a big deal. We only did the full sugar jelly making then. Us kids would go and scrounge and find the wild grape vines and get the grapes and bring them home for mom to make the jelly. Got apples from the tree, cut out the wormy stuff, made apple sauce and apple jelly. Mint that grew along the creek or wetter spots... Blackberries and raspberries that grew wild. We did the collecting, mom did the making and we had jelly all winter for pbj sandwiches.
I have hundreds of the old bail top glass jars . Only had to buy the rubber rings. You can still buy them and I intend to start using them again next year, if I run out of the regular jars and lids. Once the seal is done and the jar is cool to store, you flip the bail off. Any problems, or spoiling of the contents, the glass lid is loose. You toss the contents.
I do like them for storing stuff on the shelves though, they look nice.
Yeah, I know there are going to be many that will tell me that I am crazy. I do not use the zinc lids with the jar rubber. I don't like not being able to see that the rubber is truly in the right place although have done a few with my grandmother like that when she was showing me how it was done "in the olden days" LOL.

I should have enough to not need the bail lid jars though. Having inherited from so many, plus keeping any jars that will use a standard size jar ring and lid, and even reusing smaller store bought type jelly jars and their own lids, I have enough to last forever. If you sell any, then they have to be new jars and lids. That's only safe and smart.

 

[flowerbug]

I understand where you are coming from, I have to force myself to toss out a container when it looks to be in good condition, and to think I threw away good lids.

all winter we'd be buying cottage cheese containers and Mom kept wanting to throw them away, i wanted to keep them because they are thicker and sturdy.

sure enough, this summer with all the cucumbers we're turning into cucumber salad and giving away we're already out of containers...