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.
Getting rid of the 30 year old slow cooker with its dubious non-stick coating & replacing it with a ceramic or glass-lined modern one.
More space! Like Marisa, my girlfriend and I have a TINY kitchen, in a 600 sq ft apartment; a little more counter/storage/fridge space would be nice! Considering we have both vowed to eat healthier and cook at home more, we could actually have a place to store more fruits and vegetables, and some area to actually cook and experiment in!
Jam already in love with Weck jars and guard against giving away my canned goodies in those over the easier to get Mason jars however my stash is dwindling over the years, I especially love the resealsble lids and the reuseable gaskets. Other items at Mighty Nest I would really love to have are the compost pail liners and the reuseable snack bags. I also really like many of the bedroom items also! Never tries plum preserves but I think this weekend I will. I’ve got the canning itch!
It’s a process I’ve already started, but haven’t completed. I’d like to eliminate ALL plastics from my kitchen.
Several things I would like include the following: A bubbly water maker and a dehydrator. If I had enough space for these things, in addition to more, I would also like a juicer – all ways to use fresh fruit/veggies and make them into something else!
On a somewhat kitchen related note, I would like a bigger brewing system for beer (currently at a 5 gallon system, would love to move up to a 10 gallon all grain mashing system). I enjoy brewing my own beer at home, I also believe that it’s not just good beer, but good for the environment and for my economic health!
I plan on replacing my plastic containers with glass. I’ve already started switching out my pantry items. My goal is to have zero plastic containers in my home!
I really want to get rid of my non-stick Teflon pans and find alternative, non toxic nonstick pans! Also, get rid of all plastic storage containers and switch to glass/pyrex.
The most obvious thing I need to do is get rid of my plastic containers. They’re cheap (and free with the yogurt I eat every week) but I think they are better used as pots for plants and not homes for soup!
I would love to use more glass and less plastic!
I feel like a missing piece to a puzzle was found tonight. My husband’s grandma had those jars. I thought the clips were for holding down a table cloth at first glance. I bought a weck jar at the secondhand store because it’s cool looking and the rubber seal was stretched so Thanks for teaching me how to use them and where to get them. I went and through away my Teflon pan and plastic storage containers tonight. My husband and I talk about how we think they aren’t good for us but we didn’t.’t have a clue what we could be doing to harm ourselves and our children. Canning is a love both my husband and I have. Nothing feels better then walking into the storage room and seeing all our hard work and delicious fod.
Finish replacing my plastic storage containers with glass.
I’d love to finally replace the last of of my old non-stick pans
i would like to get rid of my plastic storage for left overs and replace it with glass.
Generally I need to learn to eat at home after going through some digestive health problems, and I’m only in my mid-twenties! I’d love to incorporate more bulk foods and grains while preserving more tomatoes in Weck jars 🙂
I’d like to see jar lids without BPA–I’d like to try Tattler, maybe next year.
I’m slowly adding Weck to the kitchenware, but expense is a factor.
In a more perfect world there would be fewer gophers in the garden, and more produce, local, in the kitchen!
I would like to have Weck jars for canning as they don’t have BPA like the canning lids for Ball and Kerr jars do. I hope I win!
These jars are gorgeous! I would love to get a pressure canner to try my Han at even more canning.
I would like to be rid of all my grains in bags in my freezer.
Dumping all my plastic and Teflon junk and buying some proper cookware!
Well, the number one change I’d make isn’t to my kitchenware but to my kitchen – a dishwasher would be a lifesaver. But, oh well. As others have said, would love to replace plastic with glass. Have only just started canning — mostly refrigerator jams since I don’t have any canning equipment yet besides a few ball jars. My first-time garden has exploded, though, so I would love a beautiful set like this to get started with!
I would love more glass foord storage options on my collection for leftovers and such. I would also love some of those adorable glass straws to sip my stevia lemonade from my Mason\Ball Jars. (the only kind of drinking glasses we own) 🙂
I would like to get rid of all plastics a use only glass jars as I am sure that is why my hubby now has Stage 4 cancer!!!!!!
I love these, and remember them from Germany. Much better than always throwing the lids away! Want, want, want! And the book sounds fabulous, too.
Being a single mom healthy is awesome. To contribute to this is jaring my own pickles and jams. Yumm
To be able to say good bye to more plastic and hello to more glass would be a huge help!
WOW! So many things I would want to use. First, are these awesome canning jars. And food storage… no more plastic! 🙂
I’ve been trying to replace all my plastic storage containers with glass. Also want to make some cloth bags to use for veggies and bulk at the grocery store.
I want to get away from the use of plastics in our kitchen and thier glass sets of storage containers and such is awesome. Also love the freezer pop molds!
I’d like to replace my plastic with glass.
I’d like to have more glass storage containers. I’m always running out of the larger sizes.
It’s an ongoing effort to remove processed foods in general from out diet (ah, time!) but really want to get good at making my own bread. Thanks for this opportunity for more canning!
In addition to (needing )the Weck jars, I’d like to make my kitchen healthier by using more stainless steel bowls with lids and silicone storage containers.
Hope to win!
Go back to basics: replace my non-stick cookware with stainless steel and plastic food storage containers with glass!
I’m working on replacing all plastic storage containers with glass and exchanging old teflon cookware for enameled cast iron. I’m just getting back into canning and would love to win this prize!
I need to get rid of my remaining plastic!
i want to use more reusable storage/to go containers for snacks and meals! working on it still, sometimes we carry mason jars of foods! hehe
I have a really great, really healthy kitchen now, but I’m working on making it healthier by starting to make my own cleaning products with basic materials such as natural botanicals, vinegar, and sodium bicarbonate. Not only are they better for my home, they work better!
I have made lots of changes in the past few years, but I STILL have tupperware. I’d love to replce that with all glass.
Oh my gosh! I would LOVE this set of gorgeous weck products to help cut all plastics out of my cooking/preserving processes!
Oh I adore Weck jars! Just beautiful. I already use Tattler lids, so that’s a healthy improvement to my canning, but these would improve things some more. I also wish I had more glass for my leftover containers, but I worry about breakage too…
Definitely get more canning equipment-being able to can my own produce makes it do much easier to eat healthier all year long!
Thank you to you and MightyNest for the giveaway!
I’d like to use less plastic bags, etc. for food storage and transportation.
I’m working on buying more in bulk and can always use more storage containers. I also made pickles for the first time this year and would like to do more canning, so the Weck jars and canning equipment would come in really handy.
Id get rid of my old flaky teflon pans. I would replace in a heartbeat if i knew my boyfriend wouldnt balk about me throwing out his favorite pan! I will say that we store more leftovers in jars now over plastic options, and love canning jars as our drinking glasses.
I want to start using reusable snack bags and sandwich containers.
We’ve recently gotten rid of all of our traditional non-stick… And we gave away the microwave while we were at it!
Beyond the swoonworthy Weck jars, what I could really use are those biodegradable compost liners. (I know, not sexy, but true.) And now I have to go procure some plums!
I’d love more pantry space to store home made canned goods!
love food in jars, My favorite is Blueberry Jam.
More glass containers to store leftovers & to reheat things in the microwave.