Looking for YYY in 2024?  Scroll down this page and  follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions. There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above.  If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

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Top Tips to Save Money with Home Canning

Make jams, jelly, applesauce, pickles, salsa, and canned fruit and veggies for less

 

Perhaps it is not intuitive, but you don't always save money by going to a pick your own farm and canning the produce you get. Like everything else these days, you have to be smart about it and know the inside tips and tricks.

Here they are:

1.  Jars - one of the biggest costs of come canning (after having the basic equipment like the canner) is the canning jars. Look at the cost breakdown near the bottom of the applesauce making page and you will see that jars can be 1/3 to 1/2 of the total cost. They have almost doubled in price since 2020. 12 jars (of any size used to sell for about $7 or $8. So, look for used jars at garage sales, ebay, Facebook local marketplace and craig's list. But by far the simplest way to save on quart sized jars is buy Classico brand spaghetti sauce.  It comes in almost quart-sized jars the fit the standard Ball type ring and lids perfectly.  And they are made of very thick walled glass. I've never had one break, in decades! Do NOT use mayonnaise jars. The glass in these jars is You can get Classico brand spaghetti sauce everywhere: both Costco and Sam's Club sell it, as does every grocery store.
2.  Get your jars back - I put a label on every jar I give away to friends and family that (of course) tells what's in it) but also asks them to return the jar to me so I can use it again!
3. Go to no frills PYO farms - Avoid the ones with jumping pillow, trains, etc. They're selling an amusement park like experience.  Find farms that have nothing but fields or orchards and maybe a porta-potty.They almost always charge less.
4. Ask if they have "seconds" for canning - Every farmer will understand what this means. And for them it is a way to move produce they might otherwise have to throw out.
5. Large Farmer Markets and Roadside Stands - Skip the Saturday boutique farmer's markets - they are always the highest price, Instead, look for large distribution farm markets and produce stands, places where restaurants go to get their produce. An example of this is the Atlanta State Farmer's Market in Forest Park, GA.
6. Get supplies in bulk - Pectin for jam, sugar, the fruit or veg itself, all are typicallly lower priced when you buy a larger quantity. ALways ask!