Sometimes I follow my own advice.
I laid in a supply of canning-lids yesterday and will probably add more today. Note that I label my boxes of lids with the year I purchase them and practice FIFO inventory.
Canning-lids are an item that would likely be in short supply when things get spicy. The baseline demand is low and steady. There is very limited production capacity in the United States. They use specialty sheet-steel and they use rubber, both of which were in scarce during WWII.
Properly canned foods are both safe and shelf-stable for multiple years. Being able to can is a multiplier because it makes perishable, seasonal foods available year-round. Even in well managed orchards, there will always be fruit that is too ripe to sell or that fell to the ground and is consequently not salable. As long as you have a way to lower the pH (which can be as simple as combining it with less-ripe fruit) it can be safely canned.
The jars and screw tops can be reused for dozens of times but the lids are generally considered a one-time-use item. Yes, some people open them carefully and reuse them, but it is not a common practice.
Tattler lids
There is a brand of canning lids that IS reusable. The only downside is the original cost of the lids.
A package of 12 regular-sized Ball brand canning lids costs $3 at Walmart. The price of 12 Tattler lids is $20.
Hard cider
One of the reasons our ancestors fermented products was to be able to store them as food under primitive conditions. The yeast (sludge) is rich in riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12.
Screw-top, PET pop-bottles are fine for storing hard cider and are strong enough to hold natural carbonation. I expect that screw-top PET pop-bottles to be available even during spicy times.
I have occasionally re-used lids on jams. If i lose a jar, it’s not a big loss, like a quart of tomato sauce, or pints of meat. None ever failed, so I do keep a supply of used lids. I remember several years ago, there were no lids to be found for months.
ReplyDeleteI have tried Tattler lids, and always had at least 2 or 3 would not seal, and needed to reprocess. I gave up after a few efforts.
Southern NH
If it gets to the place where I am reusing lids, I will can with more head-space and before I get to that point, I will use larger jars to stretch out my supply of new lids.
DeleteI think warming up the lids and the air underneath them reduces the vacuum and makes it easier to pop them off. That results in less warping of the steel lid. Heating up a damp wash-cloth in the microwave and draping it over the top of the lid for a minute would probably do the trick.
ERJ, I bought some Tattler lids years ago for the very reason of their reusability.
ReplyDelete