Trouble in store as Covid canning craze leads to empty shelves and price gouging

[Tommy Tainant]

Trouble in store as Covid canning craze leads to empty shelves and price gouging

Americans turning to gardening during Covid crisis find themselves in a pickle when it comes to finding the right jars, seals and lids

www.theguardian.com

That must be hugely frustrating. Round here we give away most of the surplus so we dont do so much preserving. I will make mint jelly though. My own tastes better than bought in.

Growing your own is addictive and this must count as an unexpected bonus from an awful year.

 

[Grumblenuts]

I recently discovered that a 16 oz Ragu Homestyle sauce jar works very well for storing a volatile solvent that I use quite often.

It's square glass. The lid is thin metal that screws on solidly with a short twist but doesn't seem nearly as prone to get stuck like mason jar lids so often do. The lid center is designed to indicate when its holding vacuum by being raised so that it appears "popped" when there's none. But its flexible nature also works for my current purposes, indicating some expansion or pressure buildup.

In any case, the advanced sealing technology is also a major feature. A thin band of rubberized plastic similar to RTV but much tougher. This is all I plan to use whenever I get around to canning stuff again..

 

[badger2]

Looks good. Late summer herbs (a la Euell Gibbons) can be dried and placed in these oven-heated Ragus, which when sealed will cause the depression in the lid.