@jackie
Oh, Bend is so beautiful!
Do you have Bi-Mart over there? Or Winco? If so they have good prices, lots of stock up options, and I've even seen them carry buckets that are pre-filled with dried foods for prepper types. (At Winco that is)
We are making applesauce with our gravensteins right now. 16 qt. jars and bunch of pints so far but rancoutvof jar lids (flats not ribgs) only have used lids from freezer jam last year and don't trust those in canning only for freezing.
No new lids available from any of our sources in town. Amazon ones were $6 for a box of 10 but you had to buy a huge amount to get that 4x normal price!
Arrghhh. Can't even buy new jars even though we don't need any more just to get 12 lids with them.
We also make cider but need the applesauce for grandkids who inhale the stuff!. So much for own home grown produce to have for later. Ha.
Do have lots of seal a meal bags but it would pretty silly for applesauce freezing especially instead of canning since freezers are full of berries/ rhubarb/ stocking up sale things and no room for applesauce in a bag ?
@kateinpdx Yes, we have a Bi-Mart--great store. A Winco is going in as we speak, and I'm looking forward to that. We also have several choices for CSA (community-supported agriculture).
Gardening is a challenge here with the short growing season, so we have covered raised beds and have had good success with a variety of vegetables. The deer population is plentiful and can decimate a garden quickly, so the covered raised beds are helpful in that regard as well.
@michele-b Oh Michele.. that sucks!!! Can you order online from Tractor Supply and have shipped to you? Do y'all even have Tractor Supply stores? LOL Ours here still had a few and my friend in Louisiana said their Tractor Supply has some. Check them out and see?
Maybe use a few bags to freeze anyway? You could give a jar or two family and tell them to store in fridge and eat soon.
Can't even buy new jars even though we don't need any more just to get 12 lids with them.
We just ordered 15 pint jars and lids from Amazon yesterday with no problem. They're supposed to be here tomorrow.
When I made my loquat jam this spring, I never used the proper jars. What I do is sterilize (dishwasher) lids and jars from things like mayo and pickles. I then tell anyone I give it to to keep it refrigerated because it's not a real preserving jar. I have also made pickles this way lately. oWorks very well.
In fact, here is a depression-era tip I learned as a kid: when you finish a jar of (store bought) pickles, do not throw the liquid out. Throw it in a little saucepan, add a splash of water, and slice in some fresh cucumbers. Simmer for 20 minutes, cool and put back in the jar (which you have washed with hot water). Pop it back in the fridge.
Pepperoni is getting harder to find and it is a lot more expensive to buy.
Need a used vehicle? They are in short supply and their prices are actually going up.
No new lids available from any of our sources in town. Amazon ones were $6 for a box of 10 but you had to buy a huge amount to get that 4x normal price!
Arrghhh. Can't even buy new jars even though we don't need any more just to get 12 lids with them.
Michelle, when I was growing up, my grandma who came of age during the depression would make beach plum jam every year as well as other items and she would pour it into any saved jar or even old juice glasses and seal them with wax. We would pry the wax out when ready to open. I realize it is not something they recommend today. However I do not remember any problems -- of course we ate it up pretty fast- it was usually gone by March. She kept them in a cool pantry (small room/closet off the kitchen that was not insulated-- she lived on Long Island).