Do Reusable Canning Lids Live Up to the Hype?! (one year later...) 

Have been using my reuseable lids for 14 years now. Still pleased with them. You will need to replace the rubber rings after about 12 years, but other than that, they're still going strong for me. I do not use them for jams/jellies as I give jars away for gifts and I don't want to lose the lids, and I do not use them for pie filling because the lids need to vent and it can cause your filling to leak out. Messy jars to clean up after that! I do use them to can dried beans and have never had a problem there. Happy canning everyone!

I also have been using these tops. I put my rubber ring on differently from you. I place the rubber ring on the plastic top and then place on my jars.

A few years ago Harvest Guard told me it's best to store the rubber rings in the dark. Light degrades rubber. So does oxygen and heat (hand wash them in warm water!). A mylar bag that is vaccum sealed and stored in your panty would be a great storage method.

Please wait 5 minutes after taking the canner lid off before removing jars. My mother-in-law had a jar of beans explode as she was setting it down and burned herself, my two children and her niece. Thankfully no one was burned over a large area but it could have been worse. There were glass shards in the ceiling from the jar. I always remember to wait now and still hold my breath as I remove the jars.

I have both Harvest Guard and Tattler. Both are fine with no issues using these same directions. Did have some that failed but hint on another channel is to sand off any burrs on the end of the plastic lid as these will catch when you tighten or remove the ring causing pressure on the seal. A session with emery cloth and all better.

I've been using Tattler lids for almost 20 years, I used to have so much trouble with them not sealing or seeming sealed only to find them unsealed on my pantry shelf that I only used them when I was out of metal ones. I bought a LOT of new tattler lids when the metal ones became impossible to get, I started putting my old tattler lids on the same way the new ones are supposed to be done and now I rarely have failures. I use them to can vegetables, fruit, jams, pie fillings, meats, beans and lots and lots of soups and stews. We butcher 100 meat birds every summer for our family of 8, I canned half of all the legs from the butcher this summer using Tattler lids and had zero failures - so happy with them now that I've finally got the hang of them! This October I'll be canning any beef/pork we have left in our freezers to make room for November butcher and I'll be using only Tattler lids.

I've been using the Tattler lids for the third canning season now. Once I learned the proper technique, I have less failures than with disposable lids. Headspace is also important with the Tattler. With Tattler, put your band on with the jar on bare countertop. Twist with one hand until jar spins. All one handed.

***Tina here*** I bought the Tattler brand of lids from Lehman's last year and tried them out on pressure canning some chicken broth. 6 of 7 sealed just fine, the last one had the gasket slightly wrinkled so it couldn't seal. Certainly not a bad result, and all I do for those ones that fail in the beginning is put them in the oven at 225F or so and let them heat up completely, then take them out and tighten as necessary and it usually works to seal them up.

Not tighten them down is the same way Tattler works. I have Tattler that I bough maybe 12 years ago. They still work today.

Do not buy Harvest Guard lids in bulk without trying them first. After following all their instructions I got about 60% failure rate and emailed the company. With every emailed suggestion, I followed the directions very carefully and could not get better than 50%, which I only got once. Unfortunately I had ordered in bulk after watching all the wonderful RU-vid videos raving about the reusable lids. By the time my canning season came around I had passed their return/refund deadline. Buyer Beware!

What a cute happy looking dog ! Great video. I like your cast iron pot hanger / holder.

I am going to start my jams with reuseable lids. I even rebel can with reg lids reusing . They are way more reliable than ball lids are now

Thank you for encouraging me to not give up on my plastic lids. I bought these several years back and have hated how much food they have caused me to compost. I quit putting meats in them last year, but quite often I find jars that have come unsealed with corn, beans, salsa, potatoes, broth etc that has to be thrown out. I might havebeen tightening my lids too quickly after taking taking out of the canner.

Initially I loved these but after having jar after jar fail after months of being sealed tight, I'm starting to lose patience. What I'm finding is that I'm losing the seals on pressure canned foods with the regular mouth lids. I haven't lost any with wide-mouth and I haven't had ANY failures with water bath canning but it's frustrating to lose the seal months after I've canned them. I'm wondering if the smaller lid can't flex as well as the wide-mouth and is, therefore, more prone to popping. I think I'm ready to return to metal lids for all my pressure canning.

Wow! You are the only one I've seen who turns the paper towel when you are wiping rims! I do it too!

For years I have successfully reused the ball counting lids counting lids because I'm very careful when I remove them should not Dent them or alter them and they work successfully work successfully for reuse multiple times and they are not nearest expensive

Thank you! Found this video when searching for reviews. Since I love your insights, bought the lids. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.

Great follow up! I use a stainless steel chopstick to lift my gaskets out of the hot water and place on the lid, especially for sweet foods or when canning meat to make sure that whatever syrup or fat from my fingers doesn't come in contact with the gaskets.

Thanks for the updated video i just ordered a whole bunch of these things from harvest guard about 30 minutes ago 👍👍

Love your kitchen, Jill! You made a beautiful space there.

Harvest Guard is a rip off of Tattler Lids. All of the research and development costs was borne by Tattler. Brad Stieg does not have the permission of tattler or its founder Loren Stieg, a tool and die maker, invented Tattler Reusable Canning lids in 1976

Just echoing the comments below on Tatler headspace - they definitely work better with the extra headspace the directions call for.

*sigh* I'm an experienced canner and I wanted these to work so badly and I bought a whole bunch of them last time you posted this. I know I must be doing something wrong, but for the life of me I can't figure it out. I've watched all the tutorials and am super careful. I even reached out to Harvest Guard and they gave me the same tips I already knew (not over tightening, not over filling, tightening after they come out, watching for concave/convex, etc. etc.). I've used these 4 times now with both water bath and pressure canning (jam, fruit, soup) and have about 80%+ failure rate. Canning (especially pressure canning) takes so much time that I'm scared to mess with these things anymore. :( Maybe I should master canning water with them first.

We've been using Tattler lids for 4 seasons now and absolutely love them! I use them with my high acid foods, this way the lids don't begin to break down due to the acid in the foods. I also use them in canning meats. I try to purchase several boxes of the wide mouth and reg. mouth as well as a few extra boxes of the rings for each, every year. They do take some getting used to but it's certainly not difficult

Apart from being a great guide i just want to say that i like your kitchen and dining room

Just drove by your farm! Super jealous of that greenhouse! Lol

I can't help but notice the plastic funnel. I always use a stainless steel funnel to prevent leaching from the plastic. I don't even trusts silicone.

I bought Harvest Guard last year during lid shortage. Took awhile to get them. I have mixed reviews.....

Tatler and Harvest Guard were originally the same company owned by family. They split off to form 2 the other company. That’s what I heard through the grapevine.

I love my Tattler reusable lids! After if figured out how to use them, I haven’t had a single failure. I do also leave a little bit more headspace, like a GENEROUS 1/2 inch or whatever. Before I got an actual headspace measure tool, I found I was actually overfilling my jars when going by the threads on the jars. Now that I actually have the correct headspace, I haven’t had any failures at all. I went with Tattler over HG because of the recommend tossing the gaskets after few uses. Tattler says their gaskets are good up to 10 -12 years of usage. I’ve used the same rings well over 6 times with no failures. Just inspect them before using. Another thing I found that caused me sealing issues was using bad metal rings - rings that weren’t round and didn’t screw on easily and cleanly, and rings that had rust on them. So now I always use rings in perfect condition.

We will buy some and give it a try.

Good afternoon Jill. Excellent video. Got my sweet taters and beets in the bucket. My favorite method of maintaining a sustainable pantry and stockpiling items long term for the whole family is what I consider to be the most practical, utilizing every type of food storage methods and technology available, both old and new. . Except for the fruits and vegetables that get canned, I keep perishable items like meat, poultry, fish, fruit, vegetables and dairy products in the refrigerator on a short term basis until I'm ready to use them for a big family meal - and for even longer term sustainable storage, a large separate freezer, which can store a half side of beef with plenty of room left over for homemade ice cream etc. .I'm considering upgrading to a walk-in freezer at some point.in the near future, if my plans to open a bed and breakfast come to fruition. Sometimes, however a nice round of cheese can do well for quite awhile on a pantry shelf at room temperature - and doesn't mind even if it has to stand there alone. Store bought canned goods get shelves.in the large pantry closet - several for canned meat like corned beef hash, spam and sandwich spread and another for canned vegetables Bread, rolls, grains, homemade pasta, cereals and the like are stored in special humidity controlled bins I order from Amazon Prime - which usually get delivered to my doorstep about an hour after I order them. . Stuff from the family garden and orchard, like onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, cucumber, pumpkins, carrots, corn celery,, potatoes and yams, cherries, blueberries and strawberries get canned in Mason Jars and stored in the cool, root cellar of this wonderful rambling former farmhouse (circa 1867) I share with my extended blended family and several rambunctious dogs raised on table scraps from the some of the finest food from a plethora of sources both commercial and home based. . There's even a special separate "summer kitchen" which I converted to store butter and ice cream churns, pots, pans, utensils, extra storage containers, foil, bags, cutlery, and other meal related accoutrement. Out back in the woods, just beyond the big pile of wood I maintain all year, (for use in an antique woodstove I keep on hand, in case the power goes out) there's even an old rusting vintage still where my great grandfather made some of the finest corn whiskey for miles. Next to it is the rusting hulk of the Ford Model A he used to transport that powerful hootch by the light of the moon on soft summer nights to his eager customers in a tri-county area. Further into this verdant forest of mostly sycamore, oak, pine and scrub, runs a cool stream into which I occasionally cast a rod or net to catch some Brook Trout, Bluntnose Shiners, or whatever takes the bait (just earthworms for the most part). And yes, hunting season means wild turkey, deer, and even an occasional wild boar. Next week, I'm planning on filing for a permit to 3-D print a smokehouse in order to be able to create gourmet artisan handcrafted, beef, bacon, turkey, and beef stick jerky, which interested local merchants can private label for other people to share with their families and their family dogs. Unfortunately, I had to break the bad news to my free range hens today that due to expected egg shortages regretfully numbered are their days of laying a couple of eggs and then basically taking the rest of the day off with ranging privileges' within the parameters of a few very nice rural acres - parts of which are rich with fat grubworms. There's even a short dirt road between the main barn and the farmhouse which they're free to cross to get to the other side as often as they'd like. My rooster Ben overheard me and he ain't too happy either, knowing full well that due to oncoming egg shortages, he'll be "workin' overtime to make sure there's plenty of eggs for the family and I.

I ordered the reusable lids after watching your video. It took about 9 months to get them. I still haven't tried them yet.

I was thinking that I was just an idiot or something because I was getting at least one lid not sealing per canning session which would be about 10% - 15% failure rate. Then I watched the Harvest Guard RU-vid videos and saw exactly what you mentioned - I was tightening too much. I'm still getting a minor failure rate usually on fatty items like meat, even though I wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar. Instead of stressing over the failures, I've decided that those not sealing I will use immediately or freeze to use soon. I don't like to reprocess. Just ordered more lids - thanks for the promo code!!

I use the stainless steel lids and they are much easier to use because they work like typical metal lids. They are more reliable than the Ball lids because they always spring back if vacuum is lost, unlike Ball lids. The stainless steel lids can be used many, many times and do not rust. To make a lid last longer (including those rubber seals for the plastic lids), spray some silicone spray on a clean rag and wipe the seal before storing it away. When you want to use it again, wash it in a sink with dish soap before use.

I have found after reusing the rubber gaskets 2 or 3 times they start to stretch out and become to large in diameter to fit and seal the lid. Maybe I'm doing something wrong , but that has been my experience.

I had put the rubber rings onto the lids, rather than the jar. I'll try your way.

Heard the goose and thought mine was out! Had to run and look....now I just feel silly.....lol

I finally did them correctly yesterday and they all sealed.

How do you label your jars? I’m so used to writing on the metal with sharpie.

Not a happy camper. Meticulously followed the directions but only 5 out out 15 jars sealed. Wasted money. Unfortunately past the return date.

I was curious when using honey as a sweetener as opposed to white sugar what proportions of Honey compared to Sugar would you use I made several charges of jelly and used white sugar but I would have preferred not to

I was taught to wipe any liquid (including water) off the jar rims before adding lid. So, by putting rubber rings in warm water then adding to the rim doesn't that add water to the rim? I was told that even water would prevent the sealing of the jar.

You didn't explain, can you reuse the red, rubber ring?

Hi from UK. I bought Tattler lids early 2021 from the US through Amazon Prime - no import duty. Sadly, the package that arrived was obviously a return (happens). Box bashed up, dirty… etc. I still used them after a good wash and heat scorch instructions. Result? ABSOLUTELY fantastic! Never a failed seal. Reused multiple times. Use mostly for chicken/beef broth and tomatoes because that’s what I need most in recipes. I’ve actually rarely seen SM canning videos where content makers do the finger/tip tight. Most use their wrists. They have zero conception about the ergonomic power of the rings. Which is why they don’t feel comfortable using (the overall thicker)Tattler lids that need even less tightening down than the thinner metal alternatives. If the produce isn’t being adequately vented during approved length of processing time, it means SFA how well the metal lids eventually seal. Tbh, I wouldn’t eat most YT canners’ food. And I certainly wouldn’t allow my child to eat their produce. Especially waterbath canned. Their wrist tightening actions are potentially lethal. Tattler lids are my go to because after the initial expense, I reuse multiple times. I’ve also enjoyed experimenting with Ball and ForJars lids doing the fingertip tight and one reverse. Always seals perfectly. The only time ForJars lid didn’t work was when I was canning (dense) pizza sauce and I filled the jar too full but using finger tip tight not wrist tight. The ForJar lid blew out. Made me smile. Don’t think ForJars will ever offer me a free year’s supply even if I had a million subscribers! 😂

I haven’t used them this year. I like them, but I don’t love them. Too much of an art to getting them right. I’ve done too loose and lost my food. I’ve done too tight and domed a lid. They are a lot more fussy with siphoning if you get your pot too hot. And I dislike handling the hot jars. I tend to can late night and just leave jars in the canner after they finish until morning. With Tattler I have to stay up to wait for the pressure to drop and take them out. I’m glad to have the security of having them and knowing how to use them, but I don’t want to fart with them if the Ball or Golden Harvest lids are available to me. I should add I have never experienced any failure with reusable lids *knock on wood*. My failure rate with Tattlers is

I miss the pop!

My lids are still coming off even after all this time. Lost two green beans last week guessing I have lost about half of the canning I do with these lids.

Do the lids stain when you can tomatoes?

I was just wondering, could you show me the proper way to remove the lids so not to damage them please. Stay safe and God bless you my friend 🌱🐓🐇🐄🐐🐖🌱 Lisa

There is video the company created that helps too in how to put the metal band on and then tighten after. Your video helped encourage me to get them and so far I've only had one fail to seal and that was crushed tomatoes.

Never, never tighten a domed lid. Just leave it, and after it has cooled put in the fridge.

I did two water. one worked one didn't. the one is still sealed.

I get significantly more failures, and a lot of siphoning ... but still worth it.

This was the best explanation of finger tight I've seen!

I'm new to canning and have a few questions on the physics?

These look great, but if you have to keep purchasing gaskets then what makes them different from having to replace the normal lids? If you're looking at it from a standpoint of supply chain failures, the fact that the website sold out for months is telling. Which makes it no different than a supply chain failure for the normal lids. From a cost perspective, it seems less expensive to use the normal lids versus the reusable lids over all. Admittedly, I haven't crunched the numbers on that. I think these are a nice novelty, but I don't really see the benefit being largely better over the normal lids.

Can code for Harvest Gard be used more than once?

Can you can on a glass top stove???? I’ve been doing water bath The house came with this stove 🙄

Ironically, videos are the only things that actually "go viral," as viruses are not pathogens. When the world finally awakes to this reality and stops fearing others as walking biohazards we will need new language to describe videos that blow up in popularity. On second thought, maybe I just used such language.