It’s been a summer of everything ripening earlier than usual. That means our kitchens have been busy places as we preserve. Popping open a jar of peaches or pears, or strawberry jam is a real treat in deep, dark February.
We can thank a chemist from Germany for glass jar food preservation. Over 130 years ago, Dr. Rudolf Rempel and his wife collected glass jars and lids, rubber rings and a bunch of heavy stones. They filled the jars with vegetables, added the rubber rings and lids, then weighted them down with the stones while submersed in boiling water. The stones were a hot, heavy hazard and Dr. Rempel designed small clamps to hold the lids in place as an alternative. He took out a patent on his design, and went into production with his brother. Their biggest customer was a man called Johann Carl Weck.
As a vegetarian, Mr. Weck was very interested in preserving vegetables and fruit for winter consumption. He acquired the rights to sell the jars for the Rempels. Just as the business was ramping up, Dr. Rempel fell ill and died. Mr. Weck bought the rights to the patent from his widow, and went into business for himself with a young partner, Georg van Eyck. On January 1, 1900, the Weck Company was launched.
Mr. Eyck was a Weck jar enthusiast. He sold more jars in his little store in north-west Germany than were sold in all the rest of the country put together. He hired nearly 2 dozen home economics teachers to travel Germany, demonstrating how to use the Weck jars for food preservation. By 1920, a new factory was built and the jars were made by machine. This dramatically increased affordability.
However, two wars destroyed all three factories and seventeen distribution facilities. It wasn’t until 1950 that the Weck Company began to rebuild, with the Eyck family at the helm. All the materials for the glass, sand, soda and lime, are found in Germany. The designs of the Weck jars have been tweaked over the years, but the strawberry trademark and the sealing system are the same. And the fourth generation of the Eyck family still runs the Company.
There are so many styles of Weck jars, from the little tulip style to the larger mold versions. New to the North American market are the 3L jars. Weck jars can be used over and over, with new rubber seals to ensure proper sealing. Hot water baths work the same for Weck as for other canning jars but as the glass is thicker, a few minutes longer boiling time is recommended. You know the seal is good when the tab on the rubber points down. And to unseal? Pull the tab and the lid pops free.
There is something timeless and elegant about the Weck jars. Your peaches and preserves will look just as delicious as they’ll taste in a Weck jar, with over 130 years of history to ensure perfection.
*Did You Know? Glass is made from liquid sand, heated to over 1700° C. When it cools, it becomes an amorphous solid. It never truly solidifies again.
Cathy