How to Organize and Store Canning Rings or Bands
Looking for a great way to store canning rings? Here's a simple method that will help you keep things organized and in easy reach, even if you have limited space!
It's no secret that I love preserving food. It doesn't matter if it's from our gardens, the farmyard or grown by the locals in our valley. I find it. I harvest it. And I preserve it!
As a result, I have a lot of canning stuff in my kitchen. At least I would, if we didn't have a great pantry/canning storage area just off the kitchen.
When we designed our little cottage, we knew that preserving played an important part in our farm-to-table kitchen. So we designed a food storage room off the north end of our home.
And in the first space, we have our chest freezers and large preserving equipment (like my steam juicer, water bath canner, pressure canners and other large stockpots).
There's a smaller, second room at the back and that is where I keep most of my canning stuff. The walls are lined with canning jar shelves that hold both empty jars and jars of food. I keep my reusable canning lid collection, rubber rings and my canning bands in this space as well.
I don't have any trouble sorting and storing my mason jars (or whatever other brands I have!). And the boxes of lids aren't any trouble either.
But canning bands? I don't like storing canning bands.
Not in a cardboard box. Not in plastic containers. Not in ziplock bags, large plastic bags, paper bags or any other "thing" that the internet recommends!
When I first started canning, we didn't have a pantry. And I quickly got frustrated with the never-ending supply of metal rings that would annoying appear in each and every kitchen drawer!
And so? I decided it was time to take the matter in hand and find an efficient and tidy way to store them.
Off I marched to the closet to find a wire hanger. And this technique I discovered nearly a decade ago has "hung" with me ever since! 😉
Best Storage Method for Canning Rings
I love storing metal canning bands on wire hangers. On a busy preserving day, it's especially nice to be able to grab the entire strand and hang it in the kitchen for easy access.
No more juggling bands or hurriedly running from the kitchen to the canning storage area and back again...just for an extra canning ring!
You can use any type of wire for stringing your bands, but I especially like to use old coat hangers. The wire is thick and stiff, so you don't have to worry about bending the hanging hook out of shape.
I feel silly giving you step-by-step directions for such a simple project, but if I don't, someone will ask.
Here's how works.
Take on old wire coat hanger and use pliers to untwist and straighten everything (expect the hook at the top).
Tightly wrap the bottom of the wire around a metal screw band.
Slide the remaining canning rings over the hooked top and let them fall to the bottom, where the fastened ring will stop them.
If you use both wide mouth and regular mouth canning bands in your kitchen, it's a good idea to have a hanger for each size.
To hang your jar bands, pound a nail into the wall in a good place, where things won't get bumped or knocked down and rings are easy to access on canning day.
Best Practice for Storing Canning Rings
In spite of what you might read on the world-wide web, canning rings are tough. And tips like "store canning rings out of direct sunlight" are nonsense in my world! Just saying.
They're metal rings, folks!
And the biggest threat to metal is rust.
So there's just one thing you need to be conscious of in storing your jar rings. And that is moisture.
Regardless of how you choose to store your bands, follow these tips and your canning rings will be in good shape for future use.
Tip 1: Always remove screw bands from filled jars after they come out of the canner.
Whether your water bath canning, steam canning or pressure canning, moisture does get between the top of your jar and the canning band.
If you leave bands on when you put jars of canned goods into storage, they will rust. So annoying as it might be to unscrew each band...do it anyway!
Tip 2: Let canning rings dry before putting them back into storage.
If you string your bands on a wire hanger where they have airflow, this doesn't matter so much. But should you choose to store them in a plastic bag or plastic container (like a bin with a lid), let them fully dry before putting them in storage.
Tip 3: Store canning rings in a dry place.
Canning ring bands don't last as long in moist environments, so choose a dry place to store them, even if it's a bit odd.
Helpful Tip: in case you're wondering, yes, you can store canning rings on new jars or even empty, washed and dried glass jars. But for me, all that screwing and unscrewing just isn't worth the hassle, especially since you have to make sure everything is thoroughly dry beforehand!
You may also like:
How to Organize Your Canning Supplies
5 Ways to Find Free Canning Jars
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Why You'll Love This Method of Storing Canning Rings
- Bands are easy to get at and put away when strung on a coat hanger (no dealing with boxes or ziplock bags).
- Stringing bands and hanging them on the wall is a great way to maximize limited storage space.
- It's easy to gather bands on canning day; just grab the strand and hang it in your kitchen for easy access.
- Because you can string wide mouth bands on one wire and regular mouth bands on another, things stay organized.
- Clean up is easy on canning day; just slip the damp bands onto the wire with the extra rings and return them to wherever you store your canning supplies.
