On Monday, I wrote a post about canning in vintage jars. Tara left a comment, asking about the safety of these jars. I briefly responded to her question there, but it’s an important enough question that I wanted to make sure that the query and my answer to it got its moment in the sun.

So here it goes. These jars are not recommended by the USDA. The only home canning method endorsed by the USDA is the one that involves Ball/Kerr/Mason jars and the two-part lids. Thing is, Weck jars aren’t endorsed either and they are widely sold today and are an extremely popular style of canning jar in Europe. These vintage bailing wire jars are the functional equivalent of the Weck jars. That fact leads me to extrapolate that if you treat the vintage jars with the same safety precautions that are recommended for the Weck jars (those safety precautions come from the Weck company, not from the USDA) and check the seal after canning by lifting the jar by the lid, your canned item will be just fine. As an added precaution, I only plan on using these vintage jars to can high sugar items like jams and jellies.

The thing to remember is that the government safety precautions are written for the absolute canning novice. They want to make the canning process as safe and idiot-proof as possible. And they’re right to do so, because people have gotten sick from eating poorly canned/preserved foods. While I wouldn’t recommend that you can in vintage jars during your very first canning session, I do think that it’s a viable option as you explore and want to try other styles of jars.

However, just because I’ve offered instructions on how to do this style of canning, I do not intend to endorse other antiquated styles of food preservation. I’m not going to start sealing jars with paraffin wax (despite my father’s happy memories of licking his grandmother’s jam off of wax discs). But I will continue to can in these bailing wire glass jars, using fresh rubber seals and following safe canning procedures (making sure my jars are clean and undamaged, doing the hot water process and then testing the strength/quality of the seal once the jars are cool by lifting the jar by the lid). I like the way they look, I like how sturdy they are and I like that the only waste produced is the rubber seal. All that said, don’t do it if it makes you uncomfortable.

When I first started becoming truly enthralled with canning, I began to look beyond the standard Mason/Ball/Kerr jars available. I discovered the Weck jars that are typically used in Europe, but was put off a bit by the price tag and the fact that they are often hard to actually get (I did break down and order a half dozen from Lehman’s, but with shipping, they cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 a jar. That is far too much for the volume of canning I typically do).

However, when I took a close look at the way in which the Weck jars seal, I realized that they are practically identical to the vintage bailing wire canning jars that were popular in this country through most of the 20th century. The glass lids on the Weck jars seal via a rubber gasket. Through the hot water process, everything is held in place by a couple of metal clips. The glass lids on the vintage jars seal via a rubber gasket. During canning, the lid is held in place by the metal wire that locks up over the lid. The thing that makes the vintage jars even better than the Weck jars is that you have an easy way to keep the jar closed after you’ve opened it, via the bailing wire. When you use the Weck jars, you have to keep replacing the metal clips (or get a set of their plastic lids).

So once I figured out that the jars I already had (and had gotten for free when helping a friend of a friend clean out her mother’s basement) would do the exact same job as the spendy ones, I got down to work. I ordered a set of rubber gaskets from Lehman’s for just over three bucks (they’re the only ones who still seem to carry them) and made a canning plan.

I did a mixed berry jam, because I’ve been endeavoring to clean out my freezer, in preparation for the coming onslaught of produce and still had some frozen fruit from last summer. I supplemented my frozen strawberries and raspberries with some fresh (but cheap and decidedly not local) strawberries (I made up for it the following week by hand-picking 13 pounds of local strawberries and making the best jam I’ve ever tasted. That recipe is coming later this week).

When canning with these jars, most of the steps are the same as with the screw-top jars. You clean your jars, lids and seals well, prepare your jam and fill the jars. Once the jars are filled, you wipe the tops clean and the apply the rubbers (clean thoughts, kids) and top with the glass lids (of course, making sure that your vintage jars and lids are without chips, cracks or other damage).

Lock the bailing wire into place and lower the jars into the hot water bath. Process as usual (this recipe calls for a 15 minute process). When the time has elapsed, remove the jars from the water, being careful not to tip them (these jars are mostly glass, which means that if you get the jam on the top of the lid, you’ll see it, and if you’re a bit of a perfectionist, this will make you sad).

The next day, when the jars are all cool, unlock the bailing wire. The lid should not move in the slightest. Test your seal by picking the jar up by the glass lid (don’t go crazy, just lift an inch or two above the countertop). It should hold fast. If it doesn’t, your seal is no good. If it holds, lock the wire back into place (you don’t need it there to hold the lid in place anymore, but it makes for better storage) and store as you would any other sealed jar.

I do have a jar of this lovely mixed berry jam to give away, but I’m giving away pint canned in a conventional jar. I trust these old jars, but I don’t know how well they’ll hold up when shipped, so I’m not going to risk it. A warning – this jam is a bit loose (some might call it syrup-y, I wouldn’t argue with them), but is amazing stirred into plain yogurt or cottage cheese. If you want a shot at it, leave a comment. I’ll pick a winner on Friday, June 12th.

Mixed Berry Jam

8 cups mixed berries (if frozen, let defrost thoroughly) with their juice
5 1/2 cups sugar
2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 box liquid pectin (you’ll use both packets from that box)

Pour the fruit into a large pot (think 8 to 10 quarts, this stuff gets bubbly). If there are still big hunks of fruit, smash them with a potato masher, or puree with an immersion blender a bit. Add sugar and bring up to a gentle boil. Add the lemon juice and zest and let everything simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until it starts to look very syrup-y. Bring up to a rolling boil and add the pectin. Let boil for an additional five minutes then kill the heat.

Ladle into prepared jars, clean rims, apply lids and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes (remember that you don’t start timing until the water has reached a boil).

Eat on toast, stirred into oatmeal or in yogurt. This recipe will make between 5 and 6 pints (it depends on how much liquid was in the fruit).