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.
I want a non-toxic (less toxic) non-stick pan for scrambled eggs. I am also trying to reduce the amount of plastic I use in the house.
I would like to change over my cookware to stainless steel and/or cast iron 🙂
If I had the money, I would replace all of my plastic storage containers and all the tephlon coated pots and pans with a safer alternative (glass and stainless). My daughters are both struggling with food allergies and environmental sensitivities and I would love to not have chemicals leach into their food to aggrevate their sensitive systems. Thanks for the chance to enter such an awesome giveaway!
I am trying to get rid of all plastic in our kitchen by switching to glass and crystal. I also would love to get some high quality pans so I can get rid of my cheap non-stick stuff.
I would love to get rid of all the canned goods 😉 in alum cans….. I do pretty good, just have a few things i still get in cans and I would love to be able to replace alot of that this year with stuff like tomatoes I can myself.
I’m trying to ditch the plastic in my kitchen and try my hand at canning.
I’d like to start preserving foods more adventurously than just in the freezer, so that I don’t have to resort to packaged/store-bought/imported once the local harvest season is over.
We are in the process of getting rid of all of our plastic storage containers and switching to glass. Thanks for the giveaway!
More cast iron and less plastic in the freezer
Banish all plastic!
I would really like to replace all of the non-stick cookware I have with stainless steel.
I would dearly love to start canning with Weck jars! I do a fair bit of canning, and I’m always careful to keep the food away from the metal lid as much as possible; it will be great to be able to use the glass lids so I won’t have to worry about that so much!
Like others on this post, I am trying to phase out plastic storage in my kitchen, but also trying to save for a better set of knives so I can be more efficient when cutting up all my fruits and veggies during canning season.
I’d love to get rid of my nonstick cookie sheets. I have one stone and I’d love to get some stainless steel, I think.
I am ridding my kitchen of old, overused, mystery plastic containers – I want good old glass!
I;d like to replace any possible toxic cleaning materials with earth and human friendly ones.
I’d like to get rid of as much of the plastic stuff (utensils, bowls & storage) in our kitchen as possible, switching over to stainless steel, wood & glass.
I’d like to replace my specialty bakeware with nonstick versions. I don’t use any nonstick cookware, but it’s often difficult to find less-ordinary bakeware that’s not nonstick.
I would love to have more glass jars, and just to try canning in general!
Our family has been on a mission to convert our kitchen(and home) into a healthier space over the last year. Specifically when it comes to HOW we prepare, cook and store our food, & WHAT we cook with. We are slowly upgrading and replacing with healthier/organic/natural/non toxic options in our entire home. It is a process and a costly one at times, but WELL worth it! We planted our first garden(all organic!) this year in hopes of learning to make our own baby food for our new addition ( Christian Robert – 8 months old) and to learn how to can our produce . Winning this giveaway would mean a lot to our family because we live on a very tight budget so I can be a stay at home mom and sometimes it can be very costly to choose a healthier & safer lifestyle for our family.
I want to use more glass and recyclable materials and less plastics.
I’d like to swap out my plastic containers for glass!
I’d replace my cheap-o popsicle makers with the Kidsville silicone ones, they probably won’t crack like the ones from the dollar store! My 2-year old would like that, and the bright colors! And the squeezie pop makers, too! So I don’t have to give my kids those horrible Otter Pops anymore.
I really want to learn how to can so I can provide healthy homegrown garden foods for my family year round.
Ive started phasing out the plastic in my kitchen and replacing it with glass… It’s just so expensive to do it all at once. I’ve started using dried beans instead of store bought canned, and I’m hoping to learn how to make my own tomato sauce and can it myself so I can stop buying the store cans. Since having a baby, it has really opened my eyes to the things in processed foods, cleaners and all the things we have.
I just recently got rid of almost all my plastic leftover containers, but would like to get a few more glass pieces that hold smaller servings of food, and lids of course! I’m using a lot of saran wrap at the moment and ziploc bags that I’d love to get rid of.
A better pan for scrambled eggs – which we eat a lot of. I use an all stainless pan but then they stick so much, but I don’t want to use regular non-stick anymore!
I am trying to switch all food storage in my kitchen over to glass only! This would be a great step in the right direction 🙂
This summer I started replacing all of my non-stick pans with cast iron skillets. My next step is to replace non BPA microwaveable plastics with glass.
Great giveaway! I’ve been trying to get rid of all the plastic storage in the house and transition to glass storage.
I would like to have cookware and kitchen stuff that is safe and sound that I could pass to my daughter….glass, wood, stainless..kinda like my kitchen legacy.
I would really love to begin acquiring more glass storage items for my kitchen. I’ve been buying only glass bottled/jarred items, avoiding things packaged in plastic and saving all of the jars and bottles that I can and reusing them when I make my own jellies, sauces and for pickling. I never heard of Weck jars before- they sound great and I’d love to have some!
Ooh good question! I’d replace my chipped enamel Dutch oven. And ditch the last vestiges of plastic storage containers!
If I could I would change all my aluminum bakeware to stainless steel. Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love to have enough glass to get rid of all the plastic we have! I just got 3 Weck glass bottles for my birthday and am IN LOVE with them! pick me, pick me 🙂
We’d like to continue canning foods from our garden and local farms because they’re much better for us than the stuff in the grocery store. I’d also like to eliminate all plastics where we can.
This is just perfect – I’m starting to look into canning our garden produce! I am working towards BPA free plastics until the kids are older – then I’ll move to glass storage!
My wife would love these so that we can get rid of all our plastic containers. She also really wants to start canning.
Thanks
I would love to replace all my plastic storage containers with glass.
We are making some big changes in our eating habits…Now I just need to get rid of all the plastic cups and bowls and plates that my kiddos use. Thankfully, my kids are old enough that I don’t have to worry about them breaking glass dishes. MightyNest has a lot of great alternatives for those with younger kids!
Karen
We’re planning to eventually switch from canning with disposable lids to ones that can be used over and over. And, we’d like to can more.
the chemex glass coffe maker would be cleaner for us i think.
Honey Hush! Help me embrace the glass jar of my grandmother’s day in this modern fashion!
These WECK Jars are beautiful! We’ve gone all glass or stoneware in our little kitchen… No plastics. Our next step is to learn how to not use a microwave. If the mothers before us were able to do it…so can we 🙂
~ Anna
Walla Walla, Washington
I need to invest in some good freezer-safe glass storage options – something really durable, because stuff always topples out of the freezer. That is the last place where plastic still really reigns in my kitchen; those ziploc freezer bags are hard to quit. I like the Duralex ones on Mighty Nest – a new website for me, looks like a good one . . . it certainly is an awesome giveaway!
I would love to start canning. Our family is trying to limit our food miles, canning would help us get through the winter months. 🙂
I would love to start canning. Our family is trying to limit our food miles, canning would help us get through the winter months. 🙂
I did not know that the lids I can with has BPA on them. I am so sad to hear this. I thought I was doing a good thing by canning all my own foods. I would love to try these to get out the chemicals.
I love canning! I have never tried these ones, but I love the idea and can’t wait to add them to my kitchen! I’d like to have the resusable lids to cut down on the chemicals in my food storage (like those in the canned food you buy in the stores).
Just found your site – I love it! My change is that I would have more canning supplies to feed my family nutritious vegetables and fruits canned at the peak of their goodness. I’m intrigued by the canning items shown – I’ve been using Ball jars with lids and seals, but I love the look of these!
Everytime I move (at least once a year), I throw away any old plastic containers and replace them with whatever solid glass containers I can find. These would be so amazing, to have a set of quality canning jars and the pot to really enable me to can food this fall! Now I just go to my aunt’s and help her or comandeer her kitchen for a while to make my own. Also, on the safety side, I’m getting rid of my non-stick coated pans (the coating keeps flaking off and it makes me super nervous) and scouring the stores for reliable cast-iron pans instead. Turns out Mighty Nest has a few of those as well!
I would like to phase out plastic entirely. Its surprisingly difficult!
I’d like to get more glass storage containers as I’m always running out of the big ones.
I would love to replace to plastic around my kitchen. I have also been staring to grow my own herbs but am planning a veggie garden so that I can eat organic and not buy food in cans.
What an awesome giveaway!! I’d love to replace the last of the teflon/non-stick (ack!) pans.
I am wanting to do away with plastic tubs and paper products. So far I am doing good with my dish rags next to the sink in a cute little basket. Now I just need to get hubby and DD to stop looking for the throw away stuff every time something spills. 🙂
I would like to change my canning process to include these BPA free seals. I’ve already swapped out most of my plastic and non stick cookware. Ooh – I hope I win!!
I would like to eliminate plastic from my cooking and food storage entirely. Realistically, I think Ziplocs and their BPA-free kin are here to stay.
Love Food in Jars, so pleasantly surprised at the number of truly terrific recipes and amount of helpful information on canning –
I would love to win this food in jars set, how awesome.
I always need more glass in my kitchen, but I really liked the nesting trio of stainless steel storage containers…I need to get rid of plastic storage!
We are, like everyone else, trying to get rid of plastic and transitioning into glass for storage and travel containers. Also, never opening the microwave door when there is a perfectly good stove underneath it! It’s pretty easy to access organics living in Brooklyn, now I just need my budget to catch up to be able to exclusively. Love the blog!
I would love to do away with my plastic storage containers. I love the tulip and juice canning jars.
We are steadily making some big changes in our kitchen, from replacing plastics with glass, to buying local foods from the natural grocer, to sending our children to school with lunch in bento boxes. These jars would certainly help us in our quest to make our kitchen healthier and our planet cleaner!
I would love to use more glass containers instead of plastic. Larger glass jars for creating herbal vinegars and such would be awesome as well!
I would love to replace the plastic storage containers! Thanks!
Slowly getting rid of plastic in my home. Getting a few jars here a few jars there. Been reading up on canning. Ready to take the plunge. I wish my grandmothewas still alive to pick her brain. She canned every thing from her 4 acre! garden
I would like to change my cookware. I have mostly standard (though not Teflon) nonstick, but now that I know more, it makes me nervous. I’d rather get mostly ceramic or stainless.
I would love to be able to invest in some cookware without coating or with a healthier coating, though that will be a long term change as it is quite an investment! On a smaller scale, I want to invest in more glass storage containers which Mighty Nest has a ton of!
I would love to eliminate more plastic from my kitchen and start making my own baby food.
No more BPA!
I would definitely replace the Teflon-coated cookware. I also would like to use more glass storage containers instead of plastic.
One thing to change? – this is it – the most major change i need it food storage. i can’t seem to shake the ziploc bag. i need help. These Weck jars are fantastic – thank you for the info!
I would like to rid my kitchen of plastic entirely…disposable and reusable!
I have been getting rid of all teflon/non-stick coated pans in our kitchen and switching to mostly glass for storage/reheating rather than the plastics we used to use (and still will until we can afford to replace it all – piece by piece).
I would love to get rid of all the plastic containers in my kitchen… they are yucky and discolored and so not safe for the food we eat. And, don’e even get me started on the microwaving with them!
I’d like to be able to replace the plastic containers in my kitchen…if only I had more space. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
I would like to have a bpa free kitchen!
I just started making my own yogurt, which tastes wonderful. Next step, learning how to make my own preserves. This kit would be very helpful!
I love canning and would love to use products without BPA, love these jars!
I am slowly switching out all my plastic for glass containers. Gosh this giveaway is beautiful!
I have a tiny kitchen and it is so hard to maneuver appliances to get behind, under and way inside to clean them more thoroughly. As it is, the refrigerator door can only open just so wide and it is quite the ordeal to get the one drawer out for scrubbing. No fixing this issue easily. But one thing we are trying to do is use more glass jars for storage. They get cleaner with washing, therefore being less of a breeding ground for germs Winning this prize would be a huge treat and could only be better if it had come about a month ago…as that is how long I have been chained to the stove every night after work and every weekend! Thank you for sharing –
I would love to phase out all plastics in my kitchen, I’m almost there but still have a few tupperwares and plastic bags haunting my kitchen.
I would love to add more BPA free glass jars to my kitchen. I want to start fermenting foods and the Weck canning jars would be perfect for this!
Working to rid my kitchen of all plastic storage containers.
I would like to cut down on my use of plastic and paper in the kitchen, as well as replace the one last remaining teflon-coated frying pan I have!
One change is that I’ve got to get rid of the tupperware in my cupboard and stock up on glass containers.
I need to get rid of plastic baggies. My husband uses them for his lunch, and I really need to get those awesome, cute reusable baggies! Thank you for the giveaway!
I’d love to replace my non-stick cookware with something better.
Post college, I started to slowly replace all my hand-me-down non-stick pans and plastic tupperware. I’ve invested in a couple of cast iron skillets and plenty of pretty pyrex refrigerator dishes. My next move is to find a good cast iron sauce pan (it’s slow going, I am relying on thrift stores and antique malls for a deal). My mom swears by cooking rice in cast iron to boost the amount of iron in her diet.
I’ve moved much of my kitchenware to glass storage, but really need to update my pots and pans to stainless and cast iron.
Trying to go all organic with no plastic. Learning to can is a wonderful experience. Going to farmers markets and then canning it up is wonderful! Really need that new canner! 🙂
I want to get rid of all the plastic and only use glass. The dilemna? Glass is expensive and plastic is cheap. I am slowly adding more glass. This would give me a huge advantage 🙂
I have a bumper crop of tomatoes coming in, and it is my hope to put enough up in glass to eliminate the need for canned tomatoes during the winter.
I would love to be able to replace my plastic containers with glass!
I want to quit using the metal rings and sealers on the traditional jars. Been caning in glass for 35 years. The rings and sealers coming in from China leave a metalic smell and taste on my hands. Cant be good for the food or me.
Biggest kitchenware change: reducing plastic and moving to glass storage!
We just had our first child 12 weeks ago, and I am committed to bringing her up in a healthy, as-green-as-possible home environment. One of my (many) projects is to complete the transition of our kitchen storage from plastic to glass.
I would definitely like to replace the non-stick cookware we have… I know it’s not healthy to use when cooking meals for my family. I’d also really love to start canning our fruit and tomatoes, so this give-away would be awesome!!
One thing that I am working on for my kitchen is finding a really good 6 or 7-qt. enameled cast iron dutch oven. I had one and used it all the time. Sadly, the coating started wearing off the lid, so I had to get rid of it and I am now looking for a new one.
There are still a few chemical products under the kitchen sink that I’m not thrilled about. I am trying to replace everything with more natural and safe options that work as well as their toxic counterparts! Thanks for the chance to win- my jars are rapidly depleting this time of year!
I just came off a 30 day juice fast and I am excited to start the rest of my life off right by displaying all the grains I am not going to use, preserves from scratch and healthy snacks to keep me on track.