Once a jar of homemade jelly or jam is opened, reusing the same metal lid and ring that was used to can it can be difficult and messy.  When my neighbor first starting teaching me to can a couple of summers ago, she asked if I had any storage caps or lids, and when I told her “no” she mentioned where I could buy the reusable lids at the best price locally, along with some of the other canning stuff I may need on a regular basis.  Ball and Kerr each make their own brands of reusable storage lids for mason jars, which range in price from $4 to $6 for a box of 8.

Shortly after that conversation, I noticed that the peanut butter I buy every other week, from Trader Joe’s, has a plastic lid that fits perfectly on a Ball or Kerr regular mouth jar.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the other small jars of peanut butter on the market also fit, but I have yet to buy any to see.

Now, every time we use up a jar of peanut butter (and with kids in the house, that is pretty often) I save another a storage jar lid.  I like that we recycle something that would have been otherwise discarded, use it over and over, and save money at the same time.  These plastic lids can’t be used for the actual canning process, like the tattle lids can, but they are easy to throw in the dishwasher and reuse.  The lids also work well for covering empty glass mason jars during the off season when they are in storage waiting for canning season to start back up.  Keeping a lid on an empty jar keeps them from accidentally getting chipped and makes it a little easier to stack.

Do you happen to know of any other brands of products that the lids can be recycled for storage of homemade jam or jelly?

*This post was shared at:

• Sunny Simple Life blog
• Backyard Farming Connection