Fermenting Equipment, Fermenting in Jars

[tortoise]

I am new to fermenting. I do not like fermented food but I like to try new things!

I plan to ferment in 1/2 gallon wide mouth jars. I have weights and airlocks. I'm confused about the primary and secondary followers. I'm curious how others set up their jars for fermenting.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh my - I am very basic. I've made sauerkraut and kimchi and I've never used an airlock... I think I have one somewhere though, lol. I make kimchi more than sauerkraut. I use a 1/2 gallon mason jar and just make sure all the ingredients are covered with the brine. I've rarely even used a weight. If I do, I just put water in a ziploc bag and drop it in the jar making sure it covers everything. After that I put a paper towel over it and a canning ring carefully over the paper towel and set it back on the counter for 3 or 4 days.

 

[tortoise]

Oh my - I am very basic. I've made sauerkraut and kimchi and I've never used an airlock... I think I have one somewhere though, lol. I make kimchi more than sauerkraut. I use a 1/2 gallon mason jar and just make sure all the ingredients are covered with the brine. I've rarely even used a weight. If I do, I just put water in a ziploc bag and drop it in the jar making sure it covers everything. After that I put a paper towel over it and a canning ring carefully over the paper towel and set it back on the counter for 3 or 4 days.

Plastic bag with water or pebbles sounds easy. I couldn't picture it. Does the whole bag fit inside of the jar? How full is your 1/2 gallon jar before you put the bag in?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

With kimchi it's constantly releasing moisture so I might not need to use weight for more than a day or so. But, you can adjust the amount of water so that the baggie spreads out within the jar to cover the surface. And yes it'll all fit in the jar if you don't use too much water. Occasionally, I've had to remove a little of the product to make it fit.

 

[Britesea]

I use plastic bags too, but I put some of the brine in the baggie. That way, if there is a leak, it won't change the salt level, which could ruin the ferment. If I am fermenting in the summer, I keep the jars in an ice chest half full of water, with a frozen water bottle floating in it, to keep the temperature down to the ideal temp for fermentation. (we don't have air conditioning, and sometimes it gets pretty warm in the house)

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Great idea!