Toilet paper and hand sanitizer weren’t the only things in short supply in 2020. Canning supplies were hard to find, too. Freer schedules last year invited new hobbies, and many home cooks mastered jarring their own pickles, sauces, jellies and preserves. 
“At one point, it was almost impossible to find canning supplies,” says Ashley Andermann, founder of GrinningJupiter Jammery in Baton Rouge. “People had more time at home to do things they were curious about, like starting a garden and preserving all that produce. I definitely noticed a lack of jars, and especially lids.”
Canners often reuse jars, but they change out lids for food safety. The same jar and lid shortage Andermann saw locally was unfolding nationwide, with shelves of supermarkets, hardware stores and big box stores chronically low on canning supplies. Andermann bought as much as she could find in Baton Rouge and online in order to maintain her company’s production.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplies are plentiful now, giving canners the materials to put up summer tomatoes and pickles, or try fruit preserves and pepper jellies. New adapters can look into one of Andermann’s canning classes, which take place twice a month at Red Stick Spice Co. Recently, she’s added a session on making low-sugar jams and preserves.
For more information on classes, visit redstickspice.com, and for information on GrinningJupiter products, visit the company’s Facebook page.
This article was originally published in the June 2021 issue of 225 magazine.