I use a bungee cord sometimes. Sometimes I'm lazy and don't use it and it does get blown off because it's very windy here, too. Always blew off the old brand composter I had too. Sometimes I have to search the neighborhood for it. Karen

What silly said. I'm just north of you in NH, and I have very few sprouts. I won't start doing the on/off thing for several weeks when the days get to be about 55-60 or so (since the jug will heat up inside, and it's just better to let the sprouts breathe at that point.) Right now I have only a few jugs with sprouts, but the temps aren't high enough to even be concerned about seedlings frying. If we have a rogue heat-wave, I would probably just move my sprouted jugs to shade for the day. I tend to do the on/off thing for about a week while I start planting out stuff. And tops off permanently when the night temps are ~43 consistently if they aren't in the ground yet. That's just me. I know Bakemom avoids the whole on/off thing by simply moving her containers to dappled shade while they finish germinating. The bottom line is: If your jugs (with sprouts) are going to heat up, they either need to be moved, or opened. If you don't want to do the on/off thing, put them in the shade while they finish germinating. Then tops off.

I would take the lid off. A little bit of snow won't hurt it. Spinach is quite hardy. Marg

I remove the bands for several reasons. One is that they tend to rust and stick on and I can't get them off later. The real reason, though, is that if you leave the rings on but lose a seal, that ring could hold the lid on and you wouldn't recognize an unsealed jar. My notes say I took this from a "Ball Canning" website, I think it was on the FAQ section: Q: [What about storing rings on the jars after you are done processing] A: We recommend storing your jars with the bands off. (1) If there is moisture in your band, they can start to rust and it becomes very difficult to get those off. (2) Another reason is that you have food that maybe has gotten under that band, around the neck, you get get some mould, grossness growing on it, and maybe you happened to underprocess your recipe, maybe you got busy with something else and distracted in the kitchen and you think you are done processing and you take it out and let it cool and then a few weeks later it starts to spoil, then you won’t really know that right away if you have your band on your jar. If you store your jars without the band and you happen to have spoilage, the bacteria and the microorganisms that are eating all that smorgasboard of deliciousness in your jar, they are going to create a lot of gasses and they are going to cause that lid to actually come unsealed. You’re going to smell that, especially with the bands off, you’re gonna know that something is not quite right which will obviously get you into your pantry or root cellar to figure out which jar it is and dispose of it properly. Another great thing about not storing with the band is again if there’s moisture you don’t need to worry about it being rusted and being that much more difficult to get off, and the third reason, which is one of my favourites, is that you have your band available for your next canning adventure … so it’s really a matter of personal preference, we just recommend without. [4] Advice given in their HarvestPro Sauce Maker book (2016) would seem to indicate that some people at Ball at least are moving more firmly to the canning rings being removed. “Jars should be stored without the bands.” [5] Happy Canning! Annie