Comments on: What to Look for At Garage Sales if You’re Planning to Preserve Food!

By: Lyndsay

Lyndsay — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:09:32 +0000

I know this is an old post, but I thought of it this morning when I found a garage sale on craigslist that has canning supplies, including jars. You would have thought they were advertising free gold! I was that excited! My husband just shook his head and smiled, I think he will smile even more this winter when he can eat all the yummy stuff from our garden!

By: Megan

Megan — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:00:07 +0000

I would love to do some canning, in addition to freezing a few things. I may just hit up a few yard sales. I have often seen them during a Saturday morning run.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:37:40 +0000

I’m assuming you’re talking about quart jars, which you can buy new at the store for about 65 cents each. So, your 35 jars for $12 is about half that…I’d say go for it. In general, you should be able to find them even cheaper at yard sales…but yes, the deal you found sounds pretty great!

By: FunMomma

FunMomma — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:39:40 +0000

Hi, thanks for all the information!! I’m hot on the trail of canning this summer. I just found 35 jars someone is selling for $12 but am not sure if that’s a good deal. What would you say is a good price for jars? a cheap price?

Thanks again!

By: Lindsey in AL

Lindsey in AL — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:26:45 +0000

I do have multiple canning funnels and I use them all the time, not just during canning. I keep one with my bulk grains for filling jars with the grains I use less of, rather than the 1 gallon pails I keep more common grains in. I would love to have stainless steel but the two plastic ones from Walmart work just fine.

Definitely, everyone who even thinks about canning needs a jar lifter! I tried without for one batch of salsa and that was the last time. Whew! It was awful.

I have a cherry pitter but I seldom use it. My husband and I picked a lot of pie cherries at my FIL’s house last week and we actually left the seeds on the tree. Just squeeze the cherry as you pull it away from the seed; it helps to hold onto the stem as you pull. The fruit should come away without the seed. Another way, less messy, is to pull the cherry WITH its stem from the tree and use the same method to remove the stem and seed together from the cherry, in the house. That eliminates cherry juice running down your arms while you pick :D

I wish I could find more canning jars at yard sales but I just haven’t. The thrift stores in my area want 50 cents EACH for quart jars and they’re nearly always small mouth. When I pay 67 cents each at the most for new jars, that is just not a bargain to me. Someone must think it is though because they always move fast. Weird.

Oh, a current Ball Blue book is very important too. Every 3-5 years I think you should get a new one. Mine is way overdue since it was a Christmas present in 2000. Yikes. Thankfully I haven’t used it in the last year or two, preferring a few tried and true recipes and some new ones from the Pomona pectin box.

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:52:23 +0000

I will try to share about making cider…if I’m able to get some made this fall. I have a post about making applesauce here:

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-and-can-applesauce

or you can find more information about it in my Gardening and Preserving Ebook:

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=54

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:50:33 +0000

I’m a huge fan of the whole buying canning supplies at garage sales idea. People often just want to get rid of their jars, and sell them for super-cheap, or even put them in the ‘free’ pile.

One thing I did buy at a store is a steam-canner…works the same as boiling the jars in a big heavy pot of boiling water, but there’s only a few inches of boiling water to create the steam. It did cost a fair bit (I think $50 on sale?), but I’m a klutz and was forever scalding myself by sloshing boiling water everywhere. Plus it cuts the canning time in half as I don’t have to wait for gallons of water to come to a boil. It’s been a life-saver for me.

By: The Working Home Keeper

The Working Home Keeper — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:57:09 +0000

My husband was out on one of his morning runs recently and found three boxes of canning jars someone had put out by the street as free to a good home!

By: FishMama@LifeasMOM

FishMama@LifeasMOM — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:19:48 +0000

I second the jar lifter. Finding one second hand would be great for a newby.

By: Kika

Kika — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:22:35 +0000

Will you be sharing more about the process of canning applesauce and making cider? I really want to learn what to do with the apples from my backyard trees. I’m allergic to them raw but can eat them cooked/heated.