One question I get a lot, particularly from beginning canners, is where to buy jars. And it’s true, it can be challenging to find them, particularly during the off-season. If you live in an urban area, it can be even harder. However, I’ve found that finding canning jars is never impossible. Here are some places to look.
Grocery stores
Unfortunately, not all grocery stores carry canning jars and their stock often varies depending on the neighborhood in which the store is located. For instance, there is always a small canning section in the South Philadelphia ShopRite (during the harvest season, they expand their stock), but other locations of the chain don’t always have canning stuff in stock. I’ve been told that this is because that area has a historically high Italian population and thus, a tradition of canning tomato products.
Another local spot (for those of you in the greater Philadelphia region) is Wegmans. Their canning section is always stocked, although its placement in the store can vary depending on the location you’re in. We don’t have any Weis Markets in Philadelphia proper, but they start appearing as soon as you get out of the city. I’ve often found jars (as well as copies of the Ball Blue Book) there.
Out west, I’ve found that WinCo can always be relied on for canning jars, lids and other useful products (in the summer, they put the jars on special and they’re super affordable).
If you can’t find the canning section in your local grocery store, make sure to search out the odd corners, like that seldom-used hardware aisle and at the end of the pet food section (truly, I’ve found jars in both places). The Acme markets around here only stocks jars during the summer months, but they keep them on the baking aisle. It’s also good to look near the plastic wraps and boxes of tin foil. And don’t be afraid to ask grocery store staff where their canning section is. If they say that they don’t have one, suggest that they start carrying canning stuff. Customer demand is a terrific way to increase the availability of canning supplies.
Hardware stores
While canning supplies tend to be a seasonal item for hardware stores, a number of them will stock jars during the height of the canning season. I’ve found that Ace and TrueValue stores can be some of the most reliable jar destinations out of the traditional hardware store genre. You can also order jars from their websites, but make sure to select the “ship to store” option, to save yourself the shipping costs. You’ll have to pick up the jars when they arrive, but I always prefer a quick errand over $20-30 in shipping fees.
Side note: There used to be a wonderful little independently owned hardware store across the street from my apartment building and they carried jars (I bought some of my very first canning jars from them about six years ago) and so many other useful items (like the tube light bulbs that fit the fixture over my kitchen sink). However, they didn’t survive the slumping economy. Lesson learned: support your local hardware stores.
While in Lancaster County, PA last weekend, I found myself in the most amazing home goods stores I’ve ever encountered (that’s where the picture above was taken). Called Good’s Store, their canning aisle was truly a thing of beauty. They had all sizes of jars (even my beloved half pint, wide-mouth Kerr jars), canning pots, pressure canners, pectin, cookbooks and more. Truly, seeing such preserving abundance in one place was enough to make me a little giddy.
Jar and Closure Distributors
There are a number of jar distributors located around the country. Their primary business is to supply jars to commercial food producers, but they’re also happy to sell to the general public. You can either order online from a jar distributor, or, if you have one in your region, you can often place an order and pick it up at the warehouse. Fillmore Container is my closest jar distributor and whenever I need a large number of jars, I’ll place an order online or over the phone, and arrange to pick up in person. It’s the very cheapest way I know of to get brand new jars.
Used jars
There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying used jars, as long as you give them a good once-over before you plonk your money down. Check the rims for any chips or cracks and make sure that they’re fairly free from major staining and scratching. Haunt your local thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets for good jars. My personal rule is that I don’t spend more than $4-5 a dozen when it comes to used pint jars (I’ll go a bit higher for quarts), because much more than that and they start to get as expensive as a box of new ones (depending on their size).
For more of my tips on buying used jars, check out the post I wrote on the subject last year.
Online
The one problem with buying jars online is that the shipping costs quickly get prohibitive. Glass is heavy and so the shipping can sometimes double your costs. However, for us urban dwellers, it can often be the only way to get your jar fix, particularly if you’re looking for a special size/shape (again, I call out those wide mouth, half-pints I love so much).
On Amazon, I like the seller Brand Variety for jars because their shipping structure is one of the more reasonable I’ve found. For all other canning stuff, I turn to Lehman’s. I love the stainless steel canning funnel they sell.
Craigslist can also be a good place to find used jars, depending on the level of jar competition in your area (I’ve found that it’s a heck of a lot harder to get used jars off CL in Oregon than it is here in Philly. The canning revival got there first, I guess).
Now, to make this post even more useful, please share where you find jars! Let’s here from the other regions of the country, which grocery and hardware stores are most reliable in your area?
I’m more than a little late at finding this post and replying.. but, the more ya know. 🙂
I recently picked up a large number of various jars for free off of Kijiji. Not all were mason jars – but most were. I think I ended up with around 60 useable jars when all was said and done from that trip – not a bad haul!
Within said ‘haul’, I came across two odd looking jars – Gem jars! Didn’t think much of em – nor did I notice that they actually require a 78mm lid! – until the next Kijiji bounty I found, a large stash of jars for $3/dozen, which increased my gem jar collection to nearly 40 jars [and gave me about another 80 other assorted jars!].
Some of these ones had their original glass lid and zinc ring still. The 78mm two piece lids are still available for purchase in Canada, I think I read that they are not available in the USA, if you ever come across some of these jars. The jars aren’t made anymore, but at least the lids still are!
Also, value village seems to be a good place to find jars – though they are not always priced appropriately for used ones [I’ve seen 29 cents to $2 for a single 250ml jar!].
In Delaware County you can check out Malz Hardware in Sharon Hill Pennsylvania
We just got our landscaping done and it includes a lot of space for gardening! I’m excited to get started on canning our fruits and vegetables. Thanks for the advice on where to get them!
Thanks so much for this article! I searched for hours for wide mouth half pint jars and found nothing without spending a fortune on shipping. True Value has them for cheap, and free shipping to the store!
I just found your site today. What fun I have been reading and reading. 🙂 I love Goods store! It’s so nice to be near the Amish as they still do so much traditionally and it makes it easy for us to find things. I find many jars at the good will and have left my name at some and they call me when they come in. Some good will’s say thay can’t sell the jars and they take up space on their shelves.
Here’s a link to my latest canning success, I did corn for the first time. I just didn’t have enough room to freeze 200 ears.
http://littleredhen4.blogspot.com/2010/08/corn.html
If you live near a Fleet Farm Store (Upper Midwest)..they had jars on sale this week 15% off. Pints at 8.99 per case and quarts at 9.99 per case. I think half pints were at 8.99.
I just found 500ml Parfait jars (hinged lid with orange seal) at local dollar store for 1.25 each. I am still debating buying them because I like having interchangeable parts, like with my ball collection. I don’t want to have to look for replacement rings… but the jars are OH SO pretty! What I really need is to find one gallon jars for Kombucha and fermenting kraut. I have seed sprouting lids that fit the wide mouth jars, so I use those instead of cheesecloth. Like I said, I need them to be multi-use!
Several things:
If you haven’t already, check out http://www.reusablecanninglids.com I haven’t ordered from them, yet, but I will be!
Wal-Mart always has a good selection of canning stuff.
Ace Hardware and True Value Hardware are usually the go-to places for such things as pressure canner gaskets. Ace has a good site-to-store online setup, which even includes pickling crocks!
If you are eve in Ogden, UT (not far north of Salt Lake City), there is a place called Smith & Edwards, that has a selection of canning and preserving goodies that may even eclipse Lehman’s! It’s right next to the freeway & you won’ miss it, It’s also a sporting goods store, an Ace Hardware, and has about 5 acres of Army surplus!!
for Center City (Philadelphia) shoppers: the South Square Market (22nd and South) has canning supplies including lids
I live just south of you in Wilmington, DE. My favorite place to buy canning jars is Centerville Bulk in Intercourse, PA. You should make a trip sometime. It’s where the REAL amish folks shop. Love.The.Place. They sell 1/2 gallon jars which are just PERFECT for storing flour, sugar, oatmeal, etc.
Happy Canning!
Fish’s Eddy in NYC has them. Not sure about anywhere else.
@Era – I was at Monarch (45th and Walnut in Philly) today and they told me they carry them year round.
Sweet!!!! You were over here in good ol’ Lancaster?! Goods Store is awesome lol. So much…Mennonite-y stuff there 🙂 Did you go to the one in Quarryville? I grew up nearby! I kinda forgot about Goods Store, have to stop down there when I mosey out of the Lancaster (city) to visit the parents 🙂
Lancaster has so many good garage sales too – my old boss has been finding me a goldmine worth of all kinds of Mason jars, quart, pint, half pint, and nifty old jelly jars like CRAZY! My long dining room table is literally completely covered, and I have probably 7 or 8 dozen more in boxes stacked on the floor, and I’ve paid about 20 bucks, and that included the vintage canning pot and rack she found for me, and a ton of canning rings.
You should come back to Lanc and hit up some Saturday garage sales (come up for First Friday downtown some month!), hit the garage sales, and check out any auctions that may be happening. My boss found a whole box of jars for me for ONE DOLLAR at one auction.
I have found a few good places in Queens. One has been mentioned- ordering jars through Ace Hardware online- free shipping if you pick up at the store. The Ace in Yorkville has a good selection of canning supplies.
I have also found jars at odds&ends type stores in New York- the weird discount places that sell random stuff like furniture and cards…they are sort of like the TJ Maxx of weird stuff. Anyway, I have been pretty successful finding jars there, and if you are buying a lot, they are usually open to haggling- if they price them by the jar, so when you buy a flat of 12, they will knock the price per jar down…it can’t hurt to try!
And if you have a car, there is a wild spot off of the LIE called Homebrew too (14649 Horace Harding Expy, Flushing, NY 11367,(718) 762-8880). They have an eccletic mix of canning supplies, home brewing & wine making, organic gardening supplies and hydroponic supplies. It takes me a while to look through everything- very interesting…
Have you seen this yet? http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/detail/TCL+1440010790 I saw it at my local Wal-Mart and I was very intrigued. The rack with the lifter looks very cool and the price is resonable. I had been using round cake cooling racks, but they both rusted out last year. I think this might be a good option.
I usually buy my jars from Wal-mart or the local grocery store. I haven’t found a place to order Weck jars, other than on-line, though. 🙁
Many stores will let you order on line and ship to the local store, if that chain stocks an item ever. Problem with doing that is that you don’t usually get a sale kind of price. But, it is a dependable source for harder to find items like 1/2 gal jars.
The best price I’ve found for narrow mouthed jars is Big Lots. Around here you have to get them quick, so find out when delivery day is. Other stores, like Target and WalMart, carry a better selection in season only (as THEY define it, of course!), but when WalMart puts their stuff on clearance you cannot beat the price on everything canning that they have left in stock.
In West Philly I can order them easily through the independently-owned Monarch Hardware.
In Southern California, I found a wonderful canning section at True Value Hardware….and the woman that worked there said they carried them year round. They even carry the plastic lids which are so useful for making salad dressings and storing things in my jars.
I too love the wide-mouth half-pints, and was thrilled to find them recently at my local Target store in Florence, South Carolina. They weren’t exactly cheap in sets of 4, and I don’t see them on their website, but they did have these other half-pints (if link doesn’t work, just put ‘canning jars’ in their search box:
http://www.target.com/s/179-4414296-5179632?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&keywords=canning%20jars&ref=sr_bx_1_1&searchNodeID=1038576|1287991011&searchPage=1
Just wanted to say that the Hunt Valley Wegmans (for those of us in the Baltimore area) has a huge canning display with several different kits, pots and lots of tongs, jar lifters etc. I am finally going to take the canning plunge this year!
Here’s my question: where’s the best place to buy sugar? I’m on my third 10 lbs bag for the year. It’s expensive!
Emily,
Sams is a wonderful place to get sugar. I get a 25 pounds of sugar for 12.00. It is a fine grain too, so it seems to work out better. Good Luck!
fascinating post! I don’t have any tips to add, except to say that I adore poking around in housewares sections of any store. I always find something my kitchen needs.
I’m in Michigan and local Busch’s stores carry jars all year round. The Meijer near me is hit or miss.
I found a fairly large selection of jars in Ralphs in Los Angeles on a very small shelf near a door to the backroom (in the refrigerated beer section actually). It was very random that I even noticed it. There were actually several different sizes to pick from. Previously I had found them in the same store in the produce section on the shelves beneath the produce.
I am in rural Illinois not far from st. Louis. Estate sales are great for jars. I talked to one auctioneer who said they throw hundreds of jars away each year (gulp!)
I was going to recommend Amazon Prime as well. Obviously the $79 annual fee is a chunk of change, but if you order enough from Amazon, it pays for itself quickly. I already order enough from them that the Prime membership is worth it, but since having the membership, I’ve been much more willing to order heavy items since the shipping is covered. I’ve ordered Lodge cast iron, canning jars, and even small appliances … with $0 shipping costs. It’s awesome.
In Los Angeles I’ve found them at Smart & Final — they don’t have too many sizes (usually quarts and pints, and once I found half pints), but they’ve got small and large lids/bands and pectin as well. Their prices are very reasonable. 🙂 Thanks for the online shopping tips, too — I’ve bookmarked those sellers!
In Seattle, a good source for Ball jars and even Weck jars is a shop called Goods for the Planet. They have a ton of canning equipment, plus cast iron for those who can’t get enough. http://www.goodsfortheplanet.com/
I will say that the ACME in S. Philly (corners of passyunk/reed/10th sts) always has lids. It seems I need lids faster than anything.. and while They only carry jars in the summer, the lids I might need in the dead of winter.
I see someone mentioned Fante’s. They are a big help as well.
And I have seen (not bought b’c the price is high) Ball/Mason jars ar Micheals and AC Moore. But if a friend can’t find them in the usual spots it is a last place to go look.
Estate sales. When pps downsize or there is another reason to leave the home, canning equipment is always left behind.
WalMart- but they pull in the winter here in Denver.
Kroger/KingSoopers: Year round. I always thank manager for that. Lots of us can year round and we need our stuff!
Kim W & Amanda : brilliant idea re FB shoutout
I forgot to add that now so many people know I can, they keep an eye out for canning jars and bring me boxes full that might otherwise get tossed out.
The local Ace Hardware store has been a great resource for canning supplies. And they’ll special-order things for me too.
A couple years ago I bought a few dozen jars off Craigslist, but didn’t realize until too late that several of them were not canning jars, but were mayo type jars. It taught me to look more closely before I buy.
Here in Southern California, I’ve had great luck with Smart & Final. The local Orchard Supply Hardware in Hollywood doesn’t carry canning jars anymore, but Smart & Final has them year-round with decent prices on pectin.
Where my mom lives in the suburbs of Philly, K-Mart is a super source. Not sure if they dwindle their supply seasonally, but right now they’ve got the best prices on liquid pectin I’ve ever seen.
Unfortunately, I’ve been completely unable to find any supplier that stocks 4 oz jars. I had luck one time at a flea market, but past that I’m out-of-luck, if I don’t want to pay for shipping. Maybe I’ll check out Goods on my honeymoon (we’ll be right by the one in Ephrata. Hurrah for ultra-domestic honeymoon adventures!)
I’m also in Southern California and Orchard Supply Hardware has a great selection of canning supplies no matter what time of year.
That is so neat that you found Goods store! When I saw the photo my first thought was, “that looks like Goods store!” I guess I’m blessed to have grown up with them. They are great aren’t they?!
I live in Houston and my local HEB grocery store (which is one of the smaller, but newer ones) consistently has the main sizes of jars year around as does Bering’s hardware (this is a local, but “upscale” hardware store). Bering’s probably has a slightly better selection, but neither has ALL sizes, so I have ordered some online. Target and Wal-Mart seem to be more seasonal.
If you’re in the Inland Northwest…Walmart has ALL the canning stuff you could possibly want. I know, I know…Walmart…but it is stocked really well.
I’m in New Orleans and the local grocery store chain (Rouses) carries some in the ‘Seasonal Goods’ aisle. Delightfully convenient!
If you have a Phillip’s hardware nearby, you can get jars shipped free to the store from doitbest.com if the store doesn’t reliably keep them in stock.
In summer time, I am scouring the auctions, garage sales and flea markets. I can usually find them for as little as $3 for a huge box. There may be a few I have to toss..but it sure beats buying new. Also seems like there are more stocked in stores in the summer time. Check out Amish/Mennonite communities in your area as well, the stores they frequent usually have them year round.
I live in central Alabama, and I seem to find jars, lids & supplies everywhere these days. The local Bruno’s/Food World chain (what’s left of them) have them, I’ve seen them in 3 different Publix grocery stores, and the closest Walmart and Target both have them. Mama Urchin was right about the clearance, too – and it’s often on clearance sooner than I expect. Around here, in late August/early September you have at least a month of harvest left – I often get fresh tomatoes until Thanksgiving (although, granted, not a whole lot of them) and walmart will put the canning supplies on clearance in mid-August.
“I put the call out for jars to my FB friends.”
*blinks*
Mother of God why didn’t I think of that?
Yesterday’s coupon circular in the Sunday paper had a coupon for $1.50 off Ball/Kerr jars. I’m in Eugene, Oregon, but I’d imagine it was nationwide distribution.
I forgot to add…there was a $1.50 off Ball/Kerr case jars in the sunday paper this past weekend. So it might be harder to find these jars in the next couple of weeks since people will have just gotten the coupons.
I haven’t started canning yet, but my little eye has spotted canning sections at Stanley’s Hardware in Roxborough (5555 Ridge Avenue) and Weaver’s Way Co-op in Mt. Airy (559 Carpenter Lane). Weaver’s Way also has pressure cookers, wire racks, jar grabbers etc.
I have seen a large inventory at Tractor Supply Company (in 40 states) they had everything from the pressure canners to the lids and freezer jars, wax and pectin. Dollar General sometimes has them. I was in the Mountains of NC and they had them at DG but my local one near Charlotte didn’t have anything. I have also been told Big Lots and Sav A Lot have them too.
I got 144 Qt jars plus 40+ other size jars, and a whole canning set up on Craigs List for $150 3 weeks ago. Most of it was from the 80’s along with the cook book he gave me. But it all still works (needed a new gasket for pressure canner $9.99 on ebay). He tried for weeks to sell it but people only wanted the canner. People are so lazy. For the price I spent I got well over $300 worth of stuff if I were to sell it in batches. The HUGE canner alone was worth atleast $75.
I put the call out for jars to my FB friends. Got 19 quart jars from someone’s basement. It was like finding a pot of gold:)
In the Midwest, canning jars are always available at Hy-Vee and Fareway, two local grocery chains. Look in the baking aisle.
Ball makes a plastic jar for freezer use (and it’s actually Ball, not Kerr using their name–the plant is down the street from me), if you aren’t squeamish about plastic. But I have never had any trouble freezing in glass jars.
Ace and True Value carry not only canning jars year round, but also water bath canners, pressure canners and other supplies. At least around here. They go on sale around July and at Christmas time.
As for jars with nicks in the neck, I use those in the frig for temporary storage, or in the freezer for nuts or grains.
I get mine from Shop n Save and when they have there coupon Thursdays they are a good buy. For the hard to find 1/2 pint wide mouth I go to Schnucks. I live in the St. Louis, MO area.
Word to the wise for people in the New York City area – Fairway’s, the small local chain (three locations in New York City, 1 in New Jersey, and 1 opening upstate I believe) doesn’t have jars, but they DO have lids.
On the Virginia side of the DC Metro area, Cherrydale Hardware reliably has canning supplies, as do Ace Hardware and the Shoppers grocery store chain. Target occasionally has the squat, square-ish pint jars, but only in 4 packs and priced higher per jar than the taller pint jars.
In Ann Arbor (MI), where I live now, I’ve reliably found supplies at Downtown Home & Garden, Kmart, and Meijer. All have had jars in a variety of sizes, large pots for open water bath canning, assorted canning accessories, the hard plastic lids for storing your canned goods ones the jars have been opened, and the Ball line of plastic freezing containers.
I’ve seen a limited selection at Target in my area (central Ohio) and at Big Lots, a discount store. The prices at Big Lots are great if they have what you want. My local co-op carries pectin, one size of lid and one size of jars too.
I have gathered many of my jars from my grandmother and mother. They don’t can now as much as they used to and were happy to share their stash in exchange for a few jars here and there.
For those who live in the midwest, Meijer stores carry canning supplies year round in the housewares section. I think I paid $8.99 for a dozen quart jars so I could use some in my yogurt maker in March.
My local Jewel, the Midwestern equivalent of Giant or Safeway, has a canning section with jars, lids, and pectin. It’s expensive but convenient and I’ve been able to get good deals on pectin. My local Ace hardware also has a great selection of jars and lids all year long. I bought several dozen used jars and rings off a local list serve for moms; I paid $25 for the lot. I bought my canning tools (pot with rack, jar lifter, funnel) at my local Wal-Mart, which is not a very nice store so go figure!
Here’s my question: where’s the best place to buy sugar? I’m on my third 10 lbs bag for the year. It’s expensive!
if your local ace doesn’t stock any jars you can also order on line and get them shipped to the store for FREE!! I I’m having a hard time finding jars in my Brooklyn neighborhood- I know though as soon as Tomato season is in full swing the hardware stores and grocery stores will be full of them because of the older Italian canners…
And surprisingly a small restaurant supply store in my area has quite a few sizes to choose from (including gallons!) and has been really nice about restocking as soon as I deplete their inventory of anything!
I’ve previously bought my canning jars at a little family-operated store called Poster’s Hardware, but that’s unlikely to do anyone else much good since there’s only one location.
However, I do have a question: Where on EARTH might I find reasonably priced canning jars that have glass lids? I simply adore the European-style jars like Weck, but to order those directly from the manufacturer (the best option price-wise) it would set me back $83 for 2 dozen jars. A bit more than I’d like to pay. Is there any way around this, or do I just need to suck it up? (My family thinks I’m nuts to even consider paying that much for a handful of glass!)
For the Baltimore area, I second your grocery store and hardware store recommendations. In the Shoppers Food Warehouse in Federal Hill, they always have quart and pint jars year round in that hardware aisle, but the one out in Catonsville is lacking. The Whole Foods in Fells Point is a total canning BUST (sad).
My mom and dad always get their canning stuff at their local hardware store (Clinton Hardware, for any of you in the Southern Maryland region) and I can find jars, etc., at the Ace in Federal Hill (more available seasonally).
One of the best sources for me has been people who are cleaning out their/their parent’s garage or basement! I try to let the people I see regularly – at work, church, etc., – know that I’m a preserver, and at least once a year I’ll get someone who says “would you be interested in this random selection of…?” Say no more 😉
Last summer, an astute friend at church overheard someone trying to figure out what to do with her mother’s collection of canning jars, and quickly took the whole batch which she then divided among several of us.
Farmers/flea Markets (the more permanent ones) all over Maryland and Virginia are apt to carry canning supplies, too. As in Lancaster County, Maryland and Virginia both have rural areas with Amish and Mennonite populations, so the farmers/flea markets near those areas are some of the best possible locations to find some of the harder-to-find jars and supplies. And often great advice from others in the aisles there!
I’m not fan of Wal-Mart but they do carry canning supplies in season as well. Often they put all of it on clearance in the Fall and you can get some good buys.
We were pleasantly surprised when our inner city Kroger grocery store (in Nashville) started carrying canning jars last year. It’s generally a bad grocery store – huge soda & junk food sections, anemic fresh food sections. But they got a new manager last year and the canning jars were a good sign. We bought a bunch of jars just to say thanks.
So I’m in Portland, and the cheapest place to buy new jars in town is at Bi-Mart, a local chain. they charge you a one time $5 membership fee, but considering the jars are usually $3 cheaper per dozen than Fred Meyer, it’s totally worth the expenditure if you buy 2dozen jars.. They also sell canning pots, pressure cookers, ball books, ball mixes, etc. Only thing they don’t sell is Pomona’s, which I buy at New Seasons (a local gourmet/natural foods market chain). Bi-Mart stocks up on TONS of jars during summer canning. They put everything on sale at the end of the season, so if you have the storage space, you could buy some VERY cheap jars at the end of the season and hang onto them until next year.
I’ve also had good luck at estate sales, and Goodwill. Can’t beat their 29 cents/jar. Plus goodwill often gets the oddball/old shapes. My favorite is the globe shaped half pint with pressed fruit pattern. I’ve tried buying jars at salvation army, but they want 99 cents each, which is more than they cost new, so I pass on those unless they are a rare shape.
In Miami, the Ace Hardware stores carry canning supplies, but their selection is a little iffy. On one trip you might find pint wide-mouth jars, but a week later, only half-pint regular mouth ones. You never know what you’ll find, but if there’s something in particular you want, they’ll get it for you.
Publix Supermarkets also carries jars in various sizes (again, selection isn’t consistent) and pectin. In the Dadeland Publix, they keep the canning supplies on top of one of the frozen meat cases in the meat department. LOL!
I also like Lehman’s catalogue for a lot of things – the hubs bought me that stainless steel funnel and a lid holder that has slots to hold about a dozen lids, and a long handle so you can put them in the hot water and remove them neatly and all at once.
Being from Columbus, Ohio, I can go to Lemans for a nice day trip. Oh it is heaven for canners. I won’t go into how much our trips usually are (around 300.00) for when we were getting the huge pot, huge bowls, and pickling crocks made in Ohio. I haven’t had luck at the thrift shops around here. Giant Eagle carries them in the baking section most of the time. I have had them out in the aisles before in the corners. Ace hardware is a good place to go. They have replacement parts for the pressure canners. The one in Pataskla, Ohio is a good one around Lynds orchard. Myers on 665, Grove City, has a huge section of jars, but no wide mouth 1/2 pints. Thanks for the website. This website is also good. http://www.canningpantry.com I got it off of the upick website. They get a portion to keep the website running. http://www.pickyourown.org Thanks for the great post.
I’ve bought several hundred jars on CL: so many that I now need to offload some! I realized the other day that many of my jars are antique or vintage, which is very cool. While inventorying my jars the other day I started to feel like a hoarder!
For new jars, Fred Meyer always has a reliable stock of supplies. If I need new jars, that’s where I go.
I bought a bajillion lids on ebay last year and got a great deal.
Be creative in seeking out sources. Goodwill & St. Vincent de Paul are as expensive as (or more than!) new jars, so I don’t bother looking there anymore.
Bi-Mart in the Oregon/Washington Region always has canning supplies on hand. They are employee owned, like Win-co, and have a lot of hard to find items. They have good prices if there is one in your area.
Inland Northwest: Lots of competition for used jars. And I don’t have time/energy to run to the thrift stores and garage sales. But Fred Meyer has them on sale right now and I’m trying to determine how many more I might need an stock up. An investment in the years I expect to be canning.
BiMart in the Northwest region. BiMart is stocked for canning and often offers great sale prices.
I’m out in Southern California, and although I hate going there, I ALWAYS find jars at WalMart. You can look in the pots/pans aisle, and there is various sizes and brands along with pectin, pressure canners and other tools. Far better price than the super markets also.
In the Pacific Northwest I have found my local QFC always has jars, sometimes on sale. Even my precious wide-mouth half pints. I always grab a box when they are on sale, a girl can never have to many.
My local Ace has a small selection of jars, but they are happy order whatever I need. They also carry water bath canners and food mills!
Oddly enough the local co-op only has jars during the summer, and only one or two kinds to chose from 🙁
Shallotry, I can’t believe I forgot to mention Fante’s!
Amy, I didn’t realize that you could get jars from Amazon Prime! I’ve looked in the past, but could never find a seller who had them and included them in the Prime shipping.
If you are an amazon prime member (for $79/yr you get free 2 day shipping on stuff prime eligible), there are some cases of jars available on there that is prime eligible so it wouldn’t cost you a thing in shipping to have it on your doorstep in 48 hours 🙂
I am looking forward to trying my hand at canning this year (probably will be in one of your classes soon). Getting some canning supplies from a friend whose mom doesn’t can anymore. I will def look thru all your info on what to look for on used goods.
You can get a 30 day trial of Amazon Prime if you want to get a great shipping deal on a large order you need right away. Just don’t forget to cancel!
Locally, SuperFresh has jars and lids (oh, now I can’t remember if it was 10th and South or 5th and Spruce!) but they were kept in the front of the store, past the cash registers. And Fante’s, of course — they’re upstairs with the rest of the glassware.
In my area there is a local camping/fishing/workwear store that has a specialty kitchen area. They have TONS of stock and even have the equipment. Pamona’s pectin, pressure canners, funels, steamers, dehydrators, juicers, and a few other goodies.
I’ve scored lots of canning jars from garage and especially estate sales. Old people who lived through the Depression know how to can and have lots of jars when they pass on. Check ’em out.