If you are a gardener or enjoy preserving your produce hauls from Trade Day or the farmer’s market, you probably already know that finding canning lids this year has been difficult.

Over the past few days, it seems that the supply of canning lids is a little better than it was earlier in the summer, but what exactly caused the shortage?

Home food preservation and University Extension experts say that the supply chain never recuperated fully from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  Last year, there was a huge increase in the number of people canning fruits and vegetables, which led to a shortage.

Some people have tried buying “off-brand” lids off the internet, but experts say you need to be careful because some of those lids may not fit the standard jar sizes in the United States.

Industry experts say that the supply is getting better and expect more canning lids to be available by September.

It’s not the first time that canning lids have been in short supply.  Back in 1975 a deep economic recession resulted in many Americans planting gardens and preserving food at home.  The canning lid shortage was so serious that Congress launched an investigation into the issue.

GPB / CBS News / Compiled Sources