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.
Storing (and worse, microwaving) food in plastic containers is a habit I really should stop right now since I know better. Like most other commenters I want to get away from plastic and nonstick stuff for my cooking and storing.
I’d never heard of Weck jars ’til now, but now I reallyreallyreally want some. What a great prize!
I would like to eliminate tupperware type storage containers from my kitchen.
I would love to try Weck jars and avoid the bpa in regular lids!
I’ve pitched my old plastic containers and love the extra space in my cabinets now!
I’m trying to get rid of BPA in my kitchen. My little one will be starting solids soon so I want to eliminate the possibility of storing in plastic.
I would love to start canning to have healthy, cheaper food sources all year. I go through summer withdrawl every year, longing for yummy fruits and veggies. I would also like to try the glass popcorn maker, I love popcorn, but microwave bags a just yucky.
Looks like I have alot to learn. Going to start reading up now and hope to win the set to start me off on providing a healthier kitchen for my family! Thanks for the info 🙂
I am learning how to can (organic veggies) for the first time tomorrow and am very excited. I would love to rid my home of plastic that is toxic and replace with either glass or non toxic plastic!
I’d like to start using less paper in the kitchen. Cloth napkins (even for taking to work), and a paper towel substitute.
Love the class jars & lids. Want to can so I know what goes into my food!
I have a bad plastic habit – zip bags, take-out containers. While I’ve replaced some with glass jars, I need MOAR. This giveaway would totally help improve my kitchen health.
I would like to phase out all my plastic refrigerator and lunch containers!!!
What a great giveaway! My immediate objective is to replace my plastic utensils with stainless.
oh my are those ever pretty!!!! I have been working on getting rid of plastic in my kitchen and also using more glass cooking dishes
Great giveaway! I would love some glass carafes. They scream sunday morning oj!
I love keeping everything in glass instead of plastic because of BPA fears.
I am dying for a porcelain travel mug and they have such cute patterns! So many amazing things to choose from!
Reading all the comments here, I have also been slowly getting rid of my plastic. I’m buying a new Pyrex every time I go to the grocery store. I thought I was alone in my new obsession, welcome friends! 🙂
Having grown up on a farm, I have always grown a large garden and preserved my own fruits and vegetables. My son and daughter-in-law now have the chickens for eggs. I do not waste money on buying packaged foods from the grocery, knowing they are not healthy and costs so much more. I save on cabinet space, counter space, and refrigerator space by using fresh and preservative free foods.
I have everything I need but the cow!
I would like to make my kitchen healthier by having more home canned products on hand (especially made with the produce of our organic CSA neighbors!)
Like many others, my kitchen wish would be a plastic free kitchen! I still have too many cheap tupperwares and mixing bowls that I just cant seem to replace with glass/pyrex/stainless steal.
I need
a cast iron chef’s pan. Really.
I’d like an in sink hot water dispenser so I can have hot water for cleaning handy and immediate. It takes too long for my water to get hot for cleaning and I admit, sometimes I just don’t have the patience to wait.
I WANT EVERYTHING!!! i’m working on eliminating plastic from my kitchen. working with more glass containers. would love to try the Weck jars!
I would like to win this giveaway because, I would like to get Bpa out of my life!
I would like to switch out all my pots n pans to ceramic or cast iron!
Yeah, I have been looking for more glass for canning, as I am just starting larger canning project. I have not liked the lids because of the BPA so not canning yet. I would love to get to know Weck jars. Pick me please. Thank you for the contest and a chance to learn about a healthy product.Right now I eat frozen food to stay out of the can!!
I’d like more glassware and less plastic. Also a reusable to-go container of some sort to use when we dine out.
Not to copy everyone else, but I’d love to get to a point where I have all glass and no plastic. I’m getting there, but it’s surprisingly expensive to live a healthy lifestyle.
I would love to add glass juice canning jars to my preserving kitchenware. To enjoy homemade juice would be quite a treat for me.
Kitchen wish = ditch plastic!
i need to get rid of the rest of the plastic and get more glass and stainless steel products
I would like to get all of the plastics out, once and for all. I’m working on it, but tupperware and baggies are so damn handy :-/
I would love this collection of weck jars to complete my farm-to-table regime. With my backyard square foot gardens, spoiled-rotten chickens, and 2 local farms that I volunteer at, I could use these gorgeous jars! Since I began canning this past summer, I have become highly addictive to perserving the bounty that I’m reaping. I live in Austin, Tx. where we are fortunate enough to have a zero waste grocery store. The concept is simple – bring your own container, weigh your food, then pay. How I could use more containers!
I’ve made my kitchen healthier by only using glass to store food, I heat our food in or on the stove, and eventually will not own a microwave. All this, while I hypocritically stuff my face with a bag of chips! Ugh. (i hate when i do that) And about that; I often satisfy my craving for chips by making my own dehydrated version.
I’m in the process of converting all of my plastics, even handy-dandy ‘to go’ containers to glass!
I love to can our own food and am really excited to try new jars. I would love to rid my entire Kitchen of plastic including my awful plastic ice cube trays.
I would love to get the glass microwave popcorn popper for healthier popcorn!
Love to get right of the plastic and use only glass for all food items.
I am on a quest to remove all plastic from my kitchen. I have replaceda a lot already with pyrex and anchor hocking products. The Mighty Nest website looks great. I like that glass popcorn popper. I’ve been using paper bags in the microwave, but I’ve heard they can catch fire, so it’s made me nervous. These canning jars would be wonderful to have.
I’ve done quite a bit already to clean up my kitchen. In looking at the MightyNest website, the glass microwave popcorn popper would be fantastic! My daughter loves popcorn, but I refuse to buy microwave popcorn because of all the chemicals.
would love to try weck jars to avoid bpa
For a few years I have been using glass jars for just about everything. From vases to drinking cups they will get used. I only have one tiny Weck jar in my possession. It looks like MightyNest is a great source. Lovely and informative post.
One thing to make my kitchen healthier would probably be to replace my old frying pan with a good cast iron pan for everyday use.
One thing I’d like to change to be healthier: I never realized that the old cookware we’ve used could be detrimental to Thyroid Health – leaching of metals etc. I’ve begun to replace our cookware, old plates etc., to those less harmful to my family.
I really, really need to replace all my cooking pans. I want to move away from teflon all together, but still have many pans with it lingering.
And WOWZA — that’s a lot of Weck jars!!
Fantastic giveaway! For my kitchenware wish, I wish I had more glassware so that I could completely phase out plastics from my kitchen.
My goal is for a petroleum and big ag-free kitchen.
We want to figure out how to freeze stuff without using freezer bags …
My goal is to completely eliminate plastic from my kitchen!
This summer I have been freezing and preserving every weekend. I hope to make our CSA share and small garden last until next summer!