My  first year of canning, I ran all over town trying to buy equipment. I’d find one dusty shelf with a dozen jars and the scavenger hunt would continue.

Then, a year or two ago, a family member went into a nursing home, and all her canning stuff came to me. Boxes and boxes of dusty jars and kettles. I didn’t think I’d ever use it all.

Now, suddenly, stores everywhere devote entire displays to canning supplies. They’re at Kmart, Wal Mart, Wegmans, Giant Eagle, even my tiny little grocery store in Conneaut, Ohio.

At the beginning of this season, I laughed about how hard I’d had to look, and now that I had plenty, they’re everywhere. But now it’s not all that funny, because, I have indeed — smack dab in the middle of tomato canning season and at least a month away from apple season — run out of pint jars.

And so has everyone else. A display at Wegmans last night was all jelly jars and quarts. I don’t want quarts of tomatoes. I want pints of tomatoes. You know?

Just like that, I’m back in the scavenger hunt. Beware pint-jar hoarders. I will find you.