At the Spring Fling yesterday, we were discussing sources of canning jars and lids, and I said I'd find the name of the online source mentioned earlier this year on the Harvest Forum, so here it is. It is Fillmore Containers and I've linked it below. As with anything else, you'll have to compare their prices (plus shipping) with the prices in your local store to see if they're a better deal for you.

A couple of points....they have jars in sizes seldom seen in stores....like the little woozy jars you can use for hot pepper sauce or syrups. I like their variety.

Some of their jars, like the quilted jelly jars, aren't much cheaper than those I find in local stores here and, with shipping, would cost more than I'd spend locally. Others, though, like the economy jelly jars are about half the price online as in local stores, so even with shipping likely would be a good deal although not as good for us here in Oklahoma as for someone closer who could pick up cases of jars in person or have them shipped only a short distance. (I haven't sat down and figured out yet if I'd save anything by ordering online, but might do that on the next rainy day.)

If you have a Big Lots store in your area, they often have the best local price on canning jars, but the best deals will be found in spring while demand is low. Also, once the real canning season starts, they often sell out. So, if you know you're going to be canning this year and you need jars, stock up now while they're available.

I noticed that the canning supplies have just recently arrived at our local TSC stores, although they are available, to a certain extent, year-round at our local Wal-Mart. (Not all Wal-Mart stores have canning supplies year-round though.)

Hope this helps. Just finding the website and linking it made me think I should be making strawberry jam or something....

In case you're wondering whether one brand of jars that you see in local stores is better than another, I'd say there's not much difference. Pretty much all the canning jars commonly found in stores in the USA are produced by companies owed by Jarden Home Brands and they all work the same for me.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Fillmore Container website