There is definitely a canning supply shortage for several reasons. While people have been staying at home, they have been using jars to make candles and do other crafts. And many people are planting gardens and, maybe for the first time, trying to can their harvest. Fortunately, we have many canning tools and supplies, but this year we planted a larger garden and when we tried to find more supplies, we had difficulty. The stores here in NH were out of jars and lids, and when we went online, we found the same shortage. And those who are selling supplies are breaking up a dozen jars and charging an unreasonable amount of money for them. I was able to find pectin last week, so that was exciting. Mustard seed has been another item that I have had trouble finding. Vinegar has also been in low supply in stores this month. And yes, lids--at least the two piece Ball type, have been hard to find. I ordered 4 dozen several weeks ago, and I'm still waiting for them to get here. I ordered a dozen 8 ounce jelly jars. They took awhile to get here, and when they did, they had one piece lids. According to what I read, the one piece lids that many are selling are not recommended for safety reasons. There seems to be a bait and switch thing going on too. The jelly jars I ordered were listed as Ball jars, but when they got here, they were an off-brand. My husband ordered 6 dozen quart size canning jars for me, and when they arrived we were disappointed. They looked like mayonnaise jars and they had one piece lids.
The potential for the water to run out while pressure canning is scary. The processing time for canning certain foods seems so long that you just know that the food is going to turn to mush. I personally use a water bath method when canning tomatoes. A couple of weeks ago I used my pressure canner to can tomatoes and peppers, but that is only because peppers are low-acid and the rule of thumb is to consider the lowest-acid food when canning mixed vegetables, and use that method and time for processing.