WECK Small-Batch Preserving: Year-Round Recipes for Canning, Fermenting, Pickling, and More

by Stephanie Thurow, Weck

Preserve the harvest with WECK, the company that introduced preserving in glass jars.

Food preservationist Stephanie Thurow has teamed up with the canning experts at WECK to show readers how to preserve throughout the year with WECK jars. The J. WECK Company has made aesthetically beautiful all-glass home canning jars for one hundred years. Never before offered, Stephanie has created a step-by-step guide to preserving with WECK jars and has developed one hundred delicious, small-batch recipes to can, ferment, and infuse with them.

Recipes in this helpful guide include Bloody Mary mix, pineapple and strawberry jam, escabeche, kimchi, various sauerkraut recipes, a variety of kvass recipes, numerous infused spirit concoctions including pineapple and mango vodka, orange, clove, and cinnamon whiskey, and so much more!

Recipes are paired with colorful, stunning photos and written in an easy, approachable format. Perfect for new preservationists and delicious enough for even seasoned pros to appreciate, WECK: Canning & Preserving is every preservation enthusiast's go-to resource for year-round preservation.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food Preservation

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 4, 2018

About the author

Stephanie Thurow is a Certified Master Food Preserver, food preservation instructor, Master Gardener Volunteer, freelance writer and the author of three best-selling books, Can It & Ferment It ('17) - 2nd Edition (released 2020), WECK Small Batch Preserving (2018) and WECK Home Preserving (2020). Stephanie's 4th book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is set to release February 2023. Pre-order now!

Stephanie first learned the kitchen craft of water bath canning in the mid-2000's. What initially started as a mission to make the perfect garlic dill pickle quickly morphed into a way of life. She finds great pride in canning and fermenting fresh, organic produce for year-round enjoyment. She and her family also tap their maple trees, raise laying hens, grow hundreds of pounds of fresh produce each year, plus more, and do it all from their urban homestead.

Thurow finds great joy in teaching others. Her non-intimidating approach to cooking and preserving from scratch puts a novice at ease and her delicious recipes are ones that even a seasoned preservationist can appreciate and enjoy.

In addition to writing, she also owns a hand-stamped jewelry business. Stephanie was born and raised in Minnesota and resides in Minneapolis, MN.

Reviews

[Michelle Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Stephanie's book "Can It & Ferment It" and "Weck: Canning & Preserving" does not disappoint, I especially love the alcohol infusions! Though, I have to disagree with the 1-star review in regards to the use of the jars. It is true you should not re-use lids when canning with the traditional mason jars (the metal lids), but the WECK jars have glass lids which are reusable. That is my entire draw to jars. In the book, the author states that it is recommended to replace the rubber rings each time you can with them, and goes on to say that in Europe (where these jars are the common jars used and have been for over 100 years) they re-use the rings and that she has for a decade as well. So, that sounds like it is up to your personal preference/comfort level on whether you re-use the rings. I was intimidated to use these jars, and this book walked me through the entire process of canning with them. Plus, in the book, there are there are recipes to ferment with the jars, freeze, and (my favorite) infuse alcohol. I think it's a great book and I would recommend it for someone looking to use these jars. The recipes can also be used for traditional mason canning jars, but the head space needs to be adjusted if canning. I made the bloody Mary mix recipe, and it was a big hit. Will be making more for holiday gifts.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I took a canning class a few years ago the instructor reiterated that even if we grew up watching relatives can some of the old ways are not considered safe any longer. I didn't have anyone in my family that canned, so I didn't have any bad habits to unlearn. I'm not saying these Weck jars don't work, but it was very much reiterated in my class that you do NOT want to reuse lids/seals when canning and that's basically what you do with these jars. Even though I didn't intend to can with Weck jars I figured I could still get some new canning ideas from the recipe part, but not really. There wasn't really any recipe that I wanted to try, which is very rare for me with cookbooks or canning recipe books. The illustrations and jars and beautiful, but I can't recommend this one.

[Jessica Worthington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading her first book, Can It & Ferment It.

[Lauren Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cons might sound nitpicky, but there are some great recipes if you don't mind the shelf space of owning or can get it from the library! I bought it and am disappointed I did instead of getting a library book (not an option with covid), but I am also really picky about the books I own. Anyways,

Pros:
-Beautiful pictures
-Plenty of appetizing and delicious recipes
-Suggests fermenting some things I hadn't thought of fermenting (apple sauce, a garlic stash for the fridge, and salsa to name a few)-- I do think stuff like this should have been organized to take up less space, though.
-Perfect measurements if you use Weck jars
-Well organized index (listed by ingredient and then followed by every recipe that uses it)
-Some great Kimchi recipes (would have preferred more difficult recipes like this instead of so many kvass recipes or repeating kraut recipes with 1 different ingredient)

Cons:
-So many wasted pages (the best example is the 10 pages dedicated to kvass where the directions were word for word copy and pasted for each each new recipe)
-Some recipes were truly just too simple to include in a cookbook or used too many pages to make very mild alterations to previous recipes (with the kvass example, the book simply changed the fruit used: same measurements and everything....)
-Not worth it if you don't own Weck (I do and love them, so enjoyed this aspect of the book)
-Considering Weck is in the name, I expected maybe more info/history about Weck
-Mild annoyance--in the recipes, the book should have referred to the oz size of the jar (Weck measures their jars in oz) needed instead of the "jam jar"

[Betsy Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about Stephanie's books and life is how she incorporates her family into everything she does! Whether it is sharing age appropriate tasks for younger children, giving credit to grandmothers for recipes, or making sure that everything (both the jars and the food within) are supportive of her family's health! I love the idea of using Weck jars so only glass is touching my lovely organic ferments! And they are beautiful besides!

As a grandmother myself who never canned or fermented prior to this year, Stephanie keeps her directions and recipes clear and simple! I'm really excited to explore some of the beverages in this book but will probably mostly stick to fermented veggies for the most part!

Thanks for Stephanie for all the testing and photos in this book. I love when I find an author who has done extensive recipe testing and I can count on it coming out right even the first time!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tips and techniques.

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My father bought this book for me since I have jars for storing or juicing. Weck is promoting their own product; however, you learn more about fermenting, storing, etc. I am also interested in some of the recipes like cabbage and turmeric in a jar. Pickled items.

blueberries.
raspberry jam.
pomegrante kvas. (ferment for 3-5 days). raspb and pineapple ones.
kimchi (vegan) instead of buying
jackfruit kimchi.
brussel sprout kimchi.
pickled red onions. to add to salads and sandwiches.
infused spirits*

Directions seem easy and hope to try. Photos are nice. Can even make drinks.

I own a copy and giving my honest review.

[Shannon Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was particularly interested in the pickling section of this book when I bought it, but actually read the whole thing in one day. It's well put-together and written. I love the index so I can look things up quickly, and the conversion charts.

This book is going to help me to preserve small batches of food when I get food from a garden or a farmer's market. It's just me at my place, so I don't have a need to can too much of any one thing.

[Rita L. Claar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adds to my canning knowledge

This is a fascinating book. I have Weck jars that I've used for storing spices, but I haven't considered canning in them. I will now! These recipes aound delicious and once the shelter in place is over, I will head to the farmer's market and try some of these.

[Stephanie Thurow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naturally :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know specifically about Weck jars, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, majority of the recipes are from her other book.

[Riegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tool, but you should really have the right type of (Weck) jars for it to be useful.

[Raelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inventive combinations, simple instructions, lovely photos. I don’t use Weck jars, but the recipes are totally adaptable.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice ideas.

[Bollinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great information about the jars, but a very odd assortment of recipes.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good selection of fermentation recipes. Can be adapted for Mason jars, but you may need to tweak them.

[Terri Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author offered a good selection of recipes with clearly written instructions.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

May have to buy this one.

[Emily Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! So many great recipes. Lots of information on fermenting and canning foods to help preserve your harvest/haul. Ideal for the home gardener who wants to take their production to the next step and increase sustainability. I was happily surprised with non-canning recipes for dressings and flavored liquor, salts, and sugars.
A must have for anyone wanting to keep their harvest and make food they know is good for them!

[Kathee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would really like to try canning in Weck jars. There are many sizes and cute shapes, but the jars are not readily available in the USA and the USDA discourages their use. I am intrigued, though, by the description and the recipes in the book.