Where can I find canning jars in King County?

September 20, 2020 5:01 PM

There is a dearth of canning jars in Seattle and I need help finding them!

I was unexpectedly gifted ten pounds of concord grapes! Yay! However, since I had thought my canning season was over, I am out of 8 oz canning jars and they are nowhere to be found in the stores that I have checked. If anyone has seen them (actually laid eyes on them recently) in the Seattle area, please let me know. Thanks!

posted by mollywas to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

I had the same problem here -- it's okay to freeze them, order the jars off Amazon, and do the canning when they arrive.

It has been a really weird year for canning supplies.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:11 PM on September 20, 2020 [3 favorites]

I'm having the same problem - filled all of mine with blueberry jam, then other things ripened. I checked everywhere in SW Seattle to no avail and finally, reluctantly, Amazoned them. Until they come, my freezer is full of crabapples and Roma tomatoes.
posted by centrifugal at 5:16 PM on September 20, 2020

Yep the shortage is bad. I found a couple dozen pints by scanning the local classified ads for estate sales.
posted by bq at 5:43 PM on September 20, 2020

I have extra. Memail me.
posted by oxisos at 6:23 PM on September 20, 2020 [3 favorites]

Try Goodwill, it’s where we always buy ours (at about 25 cents each).
If there’s a Winco near you, try them as well - I understand they are better about restocking canning supplies than other retailers.
posted by dbmcd at 6:50 PM on September 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

I am sure I've seen tons at the Maple Leaf Ace Hardware.
posted by brookeb at 6:51 PM on September 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

Check Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Call hardware stores, grocery coops, organic and health-food stores. Put up a want ad on Craigslist if no luck otherwise.
posted by Slinga at 7:16 PM on September 20, 2020

OK, this may be totally unhelpful because I'm in NYC, but 1) it's remarkably hard to find canning jars here under normal circumstances and 2) was basically impossible to find them during quarantine ... until I discovered that my HARDWARE STORE carries them! Worth a shot if you haven't tried there.

(Uh ... just realized brookeb has the same answer, but more relevant/specific. So seconding that I guess.)
posted by sparkling at 8:21 PM on September 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm still finding them at grocery and hardware stores (especially smaller ones) in Los Angeles, but another place to check that might be underappreciated would be craft stores - JoAnn, Michael's, etc.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:21 PM on September 20, 2020

"Farm & Ranch" type stores almost always have them... you may have to go to a suburb.
posted by cyndigo at 8:30 PM on September 20, 2020

Met Market usually have Weck canning jars in their kitchen section.

These use a reusable rubber O-ring and metal clips to seal the jar and glass lid, as opposed to the disposable wax lids of Ball jars, and so the Wecks cost slightly more money per jar.

An 8 oz Ball jar would be roughly equivalent to a Weck 1/4L (example | example).

If one is close to you, maybe give MM a call first, to ask what jars they have in stock (if anything).
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:08 AM on September 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have also seen Ball jars hidden away in odd corners at the QFC and Fred Meyers local to me. But I haven't looked recently. I prefer the look and reusability of the Weck, so I go for those when I am looking for new jars.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:10 AM on September 21, 2020

On the opposite coast, some are available at lowes and at some farm stores. Individual lids are nowhere....
posted by mightshould at 4:06 AM on September 21, 2020

North Mountain Supply carries them, and actually have stock.
posted by Jobst at 7:49 AM on September 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yakima Fruit Market in Kenmore/Bothell had them recently - worth a call. I ordered some earlier this year from this place since I couldn't find the size I needed anywhere. I'd be inclined to check some farm/garden places a bit further north, but even in smaller places they've been hard to come by lately.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 10:12 AM on September 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I was gifted half pint jars by a generous neighbor after posting a cry for help on our community Facebook page, and thankfully already had lots of lids and rings at home. I did go off to search for pint jars, and found them hidden in the corner of the bulk section of the brand new PCC in Bellevue.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!
posted by mollywas at 1:48 PM on September 21, 2020