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.
My husband has a rare cancer. After doing so much research on the subject, I am horrified by what I have read. I have thrown out all teflon, all plastic containers. I would love to be organized, labeled and chemical free in my kitchen. One day at a time but i am starting from nothing now that I went a little crazy getting rid of things. We only use glass for drinking and always have. I am just happy to get rid of as much toxins as I can and still feel that I can be an good mother, wife and chef in my home! I would love to win this giveaway. Reminds me of all the canning and preserving my mother did when I was a child. Can still taste her veggies. Yum.
We are trying to remove all plastic from our kitchen & pantry. Buying in bulk and using glass jars for storage. I am also buying produce in season & learning how to can to enjoy the tastes of summer throughout the winter!
I really would like to start canning and we are trying our best to do away with the use of plastic bags or plastic wrap.
I’d love to switch out our nonstick for cast iron!
I’ve just ordered your book and have become interested in canning in order to feed my family better more nutrious slow food. This would help immensely in getting started!!
I would love to have BPA free canning lids!! We use mason jars for everything around here, and I worry about the bpa lids 🙁
I would love to use more glass for storage and get rid of plastic. I am slowly headed in that direction.
There are several things that I would like to do to make my kitchenware more healthy. I want to switch from plastic ice cube trays to the awesome old style metal ones (stainless steel, not aluminum). The biggest change is definitely replacing all the plastic food storage containers that have collected in my kitchen.
what? BPA in those ball canning lids? I use them all of the time, so of course I would like to change this in my kitchen! Thanks for the chance, and the information!
I would love to replace all of my plastic food storage containers with glass or stainless steel.
We have a great urban gardening community in our city. We would like to learn how we can continue to enjoy some of the spoils of summer and fall once the weather turns colder. This would be a great start.
After years of accumulating plastic containers for food storage, we are converting to glass. It is a gradual process and our next step is to transition our freezer items and dry goods to glass. Also working to gradually replace our cookware with stainless steel and cast iron pieces.
I cook a majority of our food from scratch and try to avoid processed foods. I would love to expand to canning (jams, pickled items, vegetables, tomatoes, etc.) and bread making to my goals. For me it would be to add that extra bit of homemade goodness and heathy additive free food for my family.
I’d like to stop using plastic in the kitchen.
I’m in the process of replacing all plasticware with glassware, including baby bottles. I won’t be able to bf right away after this pregnancy due to being on Lovenox which is supposed to help keep anymore bloodclots from forming like they did during my last pregnancy. 🙁 And I will be purchasing from MightyNest! Love them!
I want to get rid of all my cheap cookie sheets and replace them with healthier alternatives.
I’d love to replace all the plastic containers in my kitchen… all the ones for leftovers, flour/sugar storage, etc… and cookware too, if I could!
I’m slowly switching over to glass storage containers. And I want to get rid of my teflon skillet and get some good cast iron!
I would love to rid our kitchen entirely of plastic! I hate it… and we are slowly moving it out but it is quite expensive. From plastic bags to plastic food containers.
I’d say it’s the non-stick cookware I’d like to get rid of. I love using glass, I dislike cleaning up broken glass when it drops out of the freezer. So, we still use a mix of glass and plastic, until the kids are a bit older.
I would like to replace my current canning jars with the Weck jars to get rid of the BPA. I am growing my own tomatoes to make sauce so I don’t have to buy it in the cans and was so discouraged to learn that canning lids have BPA in them. This has been a fun site to stumble across!
Man… I know I use way too many plastics… processed foods. I think growing/canning/jarring own foods is practical and neat! My aunt does it and it just amazes me with the treats she comes up with. Makes me feel all nostalgic and think of the pioneer days. I think one way I’d make my kitchen a healthier place would be to get rid of those frozen chicken-less chicken patties that have been in my freezer since returning to the US. :S When I was abroad, I noticed that glass dishes were the way to go, even with with kid’s lunch kits. I’d be afraid mine would break it, but the glass seems so thick.
I would like to replace our non-stick cookware with stainless steel.
I want to learn how to can. I’m learning to make everything from scratch and I’m running out of freezer space! I am deathly afraid of mold, so I tend to toss things that seem “iffy”. I think canning would save me a lot of hassle and would help me stay out of the center aisles in the grocery store. Oh! And I want to find a way to make my own “to go” packs for the kids… like Gerber Grabbers. Veggies and Fruits that are fun to eat.
I’d like a really great Bento Box that I can take to restaurants for leftovers.
I would get rid of our non-stick skillet. It gets so much use, but I’m afraid of making even one tiny scratch.
I would love to get rid of all my plastic 😉
There are many things in the kitchen I am still working on changing to make it healthier for my family. I am currently working on making my own re-usable bags for snacks and sandwiches. I have just gained interest in canning. I am learning how to make my own essential and cooking oils using herbs. As far as cookware I have a great collection there. I just do not have a canning bath and cans for canning, so when I saw this giveaway I jumped right over. So Thanks for this opportunity and I hope I win!!!!
I would love to be able to put our garden to good use and start canning some sauces and salsa, etc. We always have so many tomotoes and I never know what to do with them! I have never attempted to can anything before, I am so glad I found this blog with tips and so much help with this! thank you!!
I would love to switch everything to glass and trade in my nonstick pans for stainless steel.
I’d like to get rid of ALL plastic containers. Sometimes that’s a little easier said than done, though.
I’ve been wanting a Weck canning set since I found out about them a year ago! I would love to be able to can tomatoes so I don’t have to buy any in cans from the store.
I am trying to move away from plastics to more glass and stainless. And I’m constantly trying to find more and better ways to preserve the harvest without spending days upon days in the kitchen!
My big makeover would be better planning so that I only utilize the glass storage containers we have and use less plastic storage bags.
I’d really love to get glass storage containers for my fridge. I’m slowly replacing the horrid plastic stuff I have.
I would love to make my kitchen more green overall. We have already switched out our cookware to baking stones and cast iron. Our cleaning products are all homemade now. You have to do things gradually with our limited funding. My newest project is to phase out all of my old plastic containers and switch us over to glass and stainless steel, this carries over to our canning. We plant a large garden and can a lot of it to reduce our food budget and save a little money.
I would like to remove all plastic tupperwear style food containers from my home. I have started but would definitely like to get rid of it all!
I’d like to use lids that are bpa free
I canned and pickled for the first time with a friend this summer and was amazed at how fun it was. It was not as complicated as I thought it would be. Then another friend shared with me all the different things you can can (ha ha..can can) and pulled so much out of her pantry to show me that I am inspired to start doing this myself. I just need the equipment to get going. Canning is the future. Plus, we have to get rid of all that plastic storage that doesn’t help anyone.
I love making baby food and would love to get the wean green glassware to store the babyfood in instead of plastic!
I’d like to replace all my teflon pots & pans
OH OH OH ME PLEASE!! Dying to learn to can! Big investment to start tho
Would love to decrease plastic, increase glassware storage 🙂
I just started canning last year and I’m addicted. I had trying the Weck jars on my to-do list for the very reason you sight…the BPA in the lids of the Ball jars. We don’t use non-stick cookware anymore, we’ve converted all of that over, so now it’s on to our canning jars!!!! Thanks for the great post and information on canning. Very much appreciated 😉
I’d like to reduce the ziplock baggies I use in my kitchen and also get rid of the last of my plasticware that’s used for leftovers.
I would love some better dishes for the children or more glass jars for canning/storage.
I was recently diagnosed with celiac’s and have been slowly replacing my kitchen gear….and cooking literally EVERYTHING from scratch at home. I would love some jars like this to prep food for the week and have it ready to go to take to work with me. I’ve currently gotten rid of all plastic and have used up my stock of ball jars for our pantry…
Thanks for offering this give away!
I hate using plastic for leftovers. I would use these to can my salsa, peaches, and store leftovers. 🙂
I would like to completely eliminate plastic from my kitchen in order to make for a healthier kitchen. I’m working on it slowly, but surely.
I would love to get rid of all the plastic in my kitchen. Mainly cooking tools and storage!