Someone I know was recently doing a bunch of canning and needed some supplies. No problem, sez I, I’m running some errands today. Let’s go hit the stores.
So, we did. And noticed some interesting things. First, the local hardware store had a whole aisle of canning jars. There we’re Anchor Hocking, Ball, Kerr, and some made-in-China brand. The Ball were gone, the Kerr was getting picked over hard, and virtually no one touched the Chinese jars. Interesting.
Second thing: no lids. None. So we hit another venue. Again, jar’s hit hard but still on the shelf. No lids. Now I’m curious. Later in the day I hit a few other venues. Same story. No lids.
The natives, it seems, are restless. Or it’s that nebulous ‘logistics issue’ that seems to be the catch-all for when we see an empty shelf these days.
The local restaurant supply store, I thought, carried some canning supplies and when I went there I noticed the rice aisle was hit fairly hard too.
I guess the big question is are these empty shelves the result of panic buying or the result of simple resupply issues? :::shrug::: May not matter since the result is the same either way.
Cynic I am, I’m going with “harbinger”.
I’ve been waiting for this. Harbinger? Absolutely.
Control the food.
Control the people.
Agenda 21, Georgia Guidestones.
Read,,
From what I’ve heard, some of each – LOTS of demand and less supply than usual…
It also seems seasonal and to vary with locality
Canning supplies have been in short supply since summer. I’ve been slowly adding to my stock over the past 12 months as they trickle in. The shortage happened during the lockdown, almost like somebody didnt want us preserving our own…
I noticed the same thing in my neck of the woods. From May of last year through now canning lids are sparser than Jimmy Hoffa. Everytime I see it available I buy whatever the store has in stock.
*since LAST summer.
It edited out my word.
I’ve been watching for lids for nearly a year now. Occasionally seeing boxes of rings and lids, and I’ve snagged them when I see them, but we don’t need more rings. Stock of jars comes and goes, often jars with new rings and lids. But the little boxes of lids by themselves? None to be seen. We’re not in any dire need of them, but we like to be stocked well ahead, and they store forever.
We’re all trying to guess where the supply chains break down first in regard to those supplies we can stock months or years ahead. Every time I use something from stock, I make a point to buy two or more next time out shopping.
Small point: I was putting away a case of canned soup my wife bought, rotating it to the back (FIFO principle) and noted that four of the cans were dented. Oh-oh. I had one for dinner last night, and it was fine, but the other three dents are in front to use first. I won’t trust them in long term storage.
Lids have been in short supply for a while. Right after the TP panic. Jars are reusable, lids not so much. Had to ask for them locally as when they had them they were behind the counter and limited to a few per person.
We have some of the “tattler” reusable but they are more expensive.
You’re a busy man, CZ. Canning is a pretty awesome skill set, but with three minor kids, I don’t have time for it. Someday.
Many generations canned with all ages and possibly/likely more children in the house.
Excuses.
Those kids are all the reason you need to be canning.
Or more excuses later when your all starving.
Most of places who sell canning supplies sell boxes of 12 lids. If you have an Amish bulk food store in your area try them you ,can get lids and rings by the gross. They also have bulk bags of sugar. Up to fifty pounds. I live about thirty miles from a large Amish community in northern Indiana. It’s amazing. The money you can save in those places.
No tax on food in Indiana
No. But then Michigan doesn’t tax food either. That was stopped here in the mud to late 60s.
I was under the impression no state had sales tax on food or medicine. Here there isn’t even a tax on OTC medications.
I highly recommend this fellow for your supply chain reporting. Quite informed and not alarmist.
https://fortisanalysis.substack.com/p/coal-for-christmas
Jars, rings, and lids were on the shelf at my ‘small’ neighborhood HEB grocery in Houston…
And speaking of cans… had one pop and stink up my storage so I spent some time cleaning. I found a bunch of others that were bad too. My storage conditions suck, shaded but outdoors or in the garage in Houston… so I expect to have losses.
What popped was a “danish ham” in one of those egg shaped cans. The seam split. They were at least best by 2013…
As I went thru the rest, I found some spam with bb 2014 and 2016 that had swollen cans. Some brazillian meatballs that were just starting to swell, some canned hot dogs from Holland that were not under vacuum anymore. bb in the 2016-2018 range.
The worst was 4 cans of Keystone meat, all slightly swelling. Dents in the side near an end on 3, but one was clean looking. BB of 2025 on those so that was an expensive and unexpected failure.
They don’t last like they used to, especially under less than ideal conditions.
nick
i’ve lived in Houston and tho people will tell you that its because its so near the ocean, the real reason there are no rocks there is that they sit outside in that heat/humidity. i’m surprised anything you have lasted 1 summer!
go underground for storage.
Am I to understand you were storing your food in a non-climate controlled environment in Houston? Even military MRE would only be rated for 3 to 6 months in the Houston climate.
I store it where I can store it. I know I’ll have losses, I’m actually amazed by how well most stuff keeps. Please note that all the failed cans, other than the keystone meat, were a minimum of 3 years past their best by date.
I routinely eat food we stored during and after the ebola scare in 2014. 99% of it is still fine, tasty and nutritious. There are some though that have failed pretty spectacularly.
Pineapple juice. Tomato paste of course. Fruit snacks in those little plastic cups.
What surprised me was how subtle these dozen failures were. (besides the ham)
Most of the stuff is cooler up against my leaky windows under that patio roof than it was in the garage. I have added exhaust fans to the garage and it stays cooler now than it used to be. And for a while, most of my ebola specific preps were in a climate controlled storage area, so a lot of the food hasn’t been sitting out for the whole 7 years.
It’s rough, but it’s what I have available, and it works better than I have a right to expect.
n
You’re doing what you can, with the space you have. No fault there.
In your situation perhaps you could get some of those dispensing can racks, the kind where you put the newest one in the top and the older ones come out the bottom. That way you’re rotating the canned food almost seamlessly.
Learned where “harbinger” came from, they proceeded the King while traveling and bought any supplies(at below market rates) in the area. After,they sold what was left to the starving at above market rates. Please check for story about another possible pig cull in UK due to .gov market interference.
my conspiracy theory mind is thinking if they want to control ammo, choke off the primer supply. If they want to control canning, choke off the lid supply. It’s looking bad.
Hey there @Tim, there ain’t no “someday” anymore. Now. Or never.
Yep, canning lids are in very very short supply and have been all year long…And people I trust tell me that the Chinese canning lids are junk – lots of failures. So, I didn’t buy any this year (hoping next year is better) and didn’t do much canning.
I have had a standing order for a case each of wide mouth and standard lids since May 2020 at my local hardware store. None yet. the year before , order on Monday arrive on Thursday.
I just checked on Walmart.com and you can buy jars,lids, and rings by the case cheaper than you can buy lids alone.
People, I’ not here to brag, but I bought a 100 dozen lids a few years ago for less than 1/4 what they cost now. 10,000 rds of 22 for a little over 3 cents each. Primers for 9.99 a thousand. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHEN IT GETS TO WHERE YOU KNOW YOU NEED TI SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE|||| YOU WILL NOT FIND IT. If the SHTF the only things you will be able to buy are things no one wants. Forget lids and ammo, for the moment, you are to late. look for the stuff no one wants now: .Seeds , otc medicine, good socks, under ware. Trust me, if it gets bad the demand for Tums and aspirin will go way up and you will need them.
Having looked for literally years, lids are always in short supply.
I think lately it’s just that more people are noticing.