It used to be that Weck jars were precious things, hard to come by outside of Germany. Then people started discovering how pretty and useful they are. Suddenly, stores from Crate & Barrel to Williams-Sonoma and beyond began stocking them.
No explanation is needed when it comes to storing dry goods in Weck jars, but when it comes to the actual act of canning in them, newcomers sometimes need a little help. A couple years ago, I wrote a step-by-step guide to using Weck jars, and while I have no intention of reinventing that particular wheel today, I do want to pluck out a few of the most commonly asked questions about canning in Weck jars and highlight them here so that they’re easy to access.
How do you tell if Weck jars are sealed? You can tell that Weck jars are sealed because the little tab on the rubber seal will point downwards. You can also test your seal in much the same way that you do with Ball jars. Once the jars are cool, remove the clips and grasp the lid of the jar. Lift off the counter an inch or two. If the seal holds fast, you’re golden. If it starts to lose its seal or breaks the suction entirely, that’s a jar that needs to be refrigerated.
Can you reuse the rubber seal? In all printed materials available in the US, they don’t recommend that you use the rubber seal for Weck jars more than once. However, I’ve been told the instructions printed in other countries tell you that it is reusable until it is stretched out or begins to lose its elasticity. Because I don’t like to take chances, I replace the rubber seal with each use.
Can you pressure can in Weck jars? I have not tried it personally, but I was told that it can be done, provided you add a third clip to the lid, in order to help prevent siphoning during processing.
Is it possible to buy replacement clips? It is! You can actually easily buy replacement clips, rubber rings and even lids for Weck jars. MightyNest, sponsor of today’s giveaway sells all the replacement parts in their canning section.
Because Weck jars are quite a bit more expensive than traditional mason jars, I tend to save them for my favorite preserves. These are the recipes that I like so much that I tend to either keep them all for myself or share them with only those people who are truly deserving.
Plum jam is one of my most beloved preserves, because its flavor reminds me of the rummy jam my mom used to make with the fruit from our backyard trees, in Southern California, when I was very young.
For this jam, I combined 5 cups of chopped plums (a mixture of yellow and red) with 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Once the juices started to run, I cooked the fruit and sugar over high heat until the fruit broke down and the syrup thickened enough to hang off the spatula in little pink windows. A squeeze of lemon juice went in at the end for balance. Processed for ten minutes in an array of Weck jars, this is one preserve I’ll be rationing this winter, to ensure it lasts until plum season returns.
If you’ve been contemplating adding some Weck jars to your kitchen, you’re going to love today’s giveaway. It’s provided by MightyNest, an online shop and community hub designed to help people find a world of products (everything from kitchenware to personal care) that are healthy and non-toxic. Here’s what MightyNest has put together for this giveaway:
20 quart canning pot with a rack designed to hold 7 quarts
6 1-liter asparagus jars
6 1/2 liter tulip jars
6 160ml mold jars
Weck jar lifter (these are great, because they don’t catch on the clips the same way that jar lifters designed for Ball jars can).
MightyNest is also hosting a giveaway of my book over on their blog this week. If you’ve not yet gotten your copy, make sure to click over to enter!
If you’re interested in entering this giveaway, here’s how to do it.
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me what one change you’d like to make to your kitchenware to make it healthier. If you’re stumped for ideas, head over to MightyNest and browse their many lovely kitchen items. You’ll be chomping at the bit for something new in no time (I want everything they sell).
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Friday, August 24. Winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Saturday, August 25, 2012.
- Giveaway is open to US residents.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
Disclosure: MightyNest provided the jars, canner and jar lifter for this giveaway at no cost to me. I have not been compensated for my time or this post. My opinions remain mine entirely.
Founded by two parents, MightyNest is an online store, resource center, and community dedicated to helping parents create healthy, safe homes. Our mission is to give families the ability to research, get advice, and buy natural, non-toxic products all in one place. From kitchenware to skin care, MightyNest’s safety experts have built the web’s broadest selection of products that are free from known toxic ingredients such as BPA, PVC, Phthalates, Lead, Melamine, Formaldehyde, Parabens, and more.
MightyNest is a place where people feel motivated and welcomed, not discouraged or judged; somewhere people are empowered to make changes in their lives, whether large or small. For the growing number of parents seeking high quality, healthy and safe alternatives to everyday products for their family, MightyNest is their most trusted resource.
On my donate list: all the “non-stick” pans, most of the plastic storage containers, and a ton of plastic mixing bowls. I just need to get a few hours all in a row to really clear out my cupboards!
I’d really like to ditch my old non-stick pan in favor of a cast iron skillet!
I really need a pot for canning qt jars. I have to do everything in pt jars at the moment, and it would be so nice to do somethings like pasta sauce and tomatoes in qt jars. I’d also love to get more glass storage, tired of the old plastic and a bit scared about it.
Thanks for all your great ideas.
We’re in the process of replacing our old plastic lunch containers with glass ones.
I’d definitely like to get rid of plastic all around. Stainless steel or glass only!
I got rid of the plastic containers for glass, but I still have plastic wrap & plastic bags – I’d love alternatives for those!
I’d love to replace all of my old, scratched non-stick pans with cast iron. Unfortunately, given the family budget, I’ll have to do it one pan at a time.
I would like to make peach preserves in the tulip jars.
Like many of the others, I too would like to replace my plastic food storage with glass. I have also been wanting some Weck jars, but haven’t been able to make the investment. I also need to get more reusable jar lids (to make it easier to seal and reseal once things have been opened) and would love some of those pour spouts for canning jars. I make a lot of liqueurs and infusions in canning jars and they can get messy pouring from the big jar openings.
My plastic cutting board has got to go. Bamboo is in my future!
Would love to get rid of the plastic in my entire house, starting with the kitchen. I am never sure what is leaching and what is not, and getting rid of it all would take care of that problem!
Ohhhhh my goodness, I have been dying for some Weck canning jars, but can’t find any near me! Plus, my canning pot is too small for quarts or even more than a few pint-sized jars, which has become a problem–this one looks about right!
I’d like to continue ditching plastic in favor of glass…it has been a slow but steady process thus far!
Another person chiming in for … more glass, less plastic for storage!
Probably more glass storage containers to replace plastic, also if I had a better seasoned cast iron skillet, I might replace a non-stick pan. Though both those replacements make for heavier boxes when I move!
Except for two, I just replaced all my teflon cookware with stainless steel and I love it! Melamine and plastics are the next things I’m losing. Glass storage here we come–wow those Weck jars are beautiful–I’d hadn’t heard of them before this blog. Glad I did!
The one change in my kitchen that I’m working on to make it healthier is switching out plastics for glass. Slowly but surely making progress! I see so many items on MightyNest…. I just wish my budget was as big as their selection!!
Teflon, plastic containers and plastic wrap and wooden utensils have just about disappeared from my kitchen. going with glass and stainless steel.
Oh wow! I adore Weck!
I’d love to switch from plastic food storage to glass and stainless steel -I just pulled some plastic out of the dishwasher that had that weird white bloom on it -what IS that??
I would love to get rid of all my plastic storage and start using all glass. Not only does it look and feel better, but it would be more healthy as well.
We’re trying to use more glass for storing leftovers. We have a lot of plastic containers from lettuce and lunchmeat that I’d love to do something with other than recycle though.
Oh what wouldn’t I do!! I’d like to get rid of all plastics and most silicones except perhaps a spatula and *maybe* a silpat (I’m not totally sold that silicone isn’t bad for us somehow… especially since some of it smells plastic-y). Change most cooking utensils over to wood/bamboo and metal. We already got rid of the nonstick pots, but I’d like to get more cast iron (love how nonstick they get!) so I wouldn’t be as tempted to use so much veggie oil and could save my expensive, high-heat oils as ingredients. Oh, and switch most of my pans to baking stones and glazed stoneware. I LOVE the heft and visual weight of stoneware. Can I just say I also love that Weck uses natural rubber seals! You can just toss them in the compost pile when they’re done. Oh, definitely also ditch the microwave, we barely use it anyway.
I’m working on eliminating plastic for food storage. I’ll probably still need to use some for taking my lunch to work, but I’m trying to use reusable containers instead of disposable baggies (although I did get a reusable snack bag as a gift… but I haven’t tried it yet!).
I have a few weck jars that I store things in but only the large ones for things like dry goods, and I make sun tea in them:) I haven’t wanted to shell out the money for the smaller jars to try to actually can with them, but I really want to bc I can then avoid the lids that come with the mason jars which hve BPA. I’ve been using the Tattler lids but even though thy don’t have BPA I’m assuming they have something else that’s not good!
My big push right now is to stop or minimize use of plastic for food storage. Slowly building a collection of glass and enameled containers and bowls. Jars work too of course! Home canning and preserving is also helping me minimize purchased metal-canned foods and whatever coatings are on those.
Like many of the other posters, I’d like to continue getting rid of plastic in favor of glass or metal in my kitchen. This is proving extra difficult with kids’ stuff, because there are a million super-cheap options for babies in plastic but glass or metal options are so much pricier!
I’ve been replacing my plastic food storage with glass, slowly but surely. The Weck jars I already have have been helpful in that respect!
I’d replace our teflon pans with a non-stick that won’t start flaking into the food.
i’d like to get a sharper (read: not so dull it’s a danger to use) mandoline so I would have more ways to prepare and eat veggies.
I’d love to switch from Teflon to stainless pans for cooking.
Oh goodness, that is an incredible giveaway! Wow! I have already switched my kitchen to using iron cookware, but the lunchbox and pack ware look so neat! I will need to order that stuff soon! Great site!
My biggest goal for the kitchen is teaching my 2 yr old how to eat healthy fresh food. Slowly changing over his kid plastic plates and cups to glass/pottery. Thank you for the canning inspiration.
I’d love to trade out my nonstick bakeware for stainless steel or cast iron…
I too have been moving away from plastic for food storage, and have been slowly weeding out the teflon from my cookware collection.
I would love to have more canning jars. I would like to start canning more than we do now. This way I can feel better about the food I make for my family.
I’ve been getting rid of plastic and switching over to glass, and at this point all my storage containers are glass only (yay for reusing jars!). I’m in the process of slowly replacing my measuring cups/containers as well to stainless steel and glass.
I would love to get rid of the plastic storage in my kitchen and go with glass!
I have a teflon griddle; the last teflon item in the kitchen. I would love to replace it, but just can’t part with it. It’s perfect for pancakes! I’m on the lookout for an equivalent non-teflon grill.
WECK!!!!
I’d like to figure out a way to wean myself off of plastic wrap. I’m constantly using it especially for bread baking.
I’d love to start replacing my plastic containers with glass and eliminating store-bought sauces and preserves!
Like everyone else, I want to ditch my plastic storage habit and my teflon crutch. I also want to find a way to source decent kitchen utensils that aren’t cheap and throwaway and dollarstore sketchy that doesn’t break my bank.
I would like to eventually get rid of all my plastic food storage containers and switch to glass.
more glass!
I’d like to find an alternative to the plastic bags I use to store the bountiful produce from the garden and the next few days of washed lettuce. I do re-use them, but I know that’s not quite enough.
i’d just love a gas stove, but then, that’s dependent on the apartment building – haha. in the meantime, the healthier option is probably more about the food i buy – and using all of it before it goes bad!
I would love to replace all my plastic storage containers with glass containers.
I would make a better effort to can tomatoes every year. Some years I make it, and some years (like this one) I don’t. Hate having to buy the store-canned stuff.
Definitely get rid of plastic and go with glass.
For some food storage, plastic ziplock bags are still the easiest and best containers. I’d love it if I could find an alternative for storing things like bacon and lunch meat in the fridge and vegetable scraps for stock in the freezer.
I’d love to ditch ALL my plastic storage containers and convert entirely to glass. Thanks for offering such a great giveaway! I’ve just purchased my first round of Weck jars and am loving them…
First thing I would like to do is to replace all of my storage containers with glass, instead of plastic (thankfully, the grandchildren are getting old enough that I don’t need to worry overmuch about breakables).