# Fermenting jars



## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

I have a 5L german crock, which is great for making large batches, but most of the time I like to make smaller batches of kraut, pickles, carrots, apple cider or other fermented foods, and I rarely have enough of something to make a large batch. I get tired of skimming off the stuff, and often my husband won't eat it when he sees what I have skimmed off, even though he loves sauerkraut.

So I was looking to see if there was a lid for a canning jar and found these:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2B98K4...TF8&colid=3G15CQHBPQND8&coliid=I38WONAGPC3NHP

or these:
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Pickl...qid=1424393902&sr=1-2&keywords=fermenting+kit

Some of the kits come with glass weights to hold down the food.

If you have used them, do they work well to keep off the scum?

Dawn


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## TRellis (Sep 16, 2013)

I too have a crock, but mine is a 10 litre and I do not want to make 10 litres of pickles so I too wanted to be able to make smaller batches of things. I checked out the links that you provided and was a little put off by the prices and the fact that many reviews mention cracking in the airlock and the fact that they were easily broken. 

I went to a local home-brewery supply store and bought small airlocks similar to this one for just a bit more $$$...

http://www.brewhaus.com/Airlock-P979.aspx


This type even comes with the lid attached and is still cheaper than what you found...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/207664..._language=en&gclid=CNGFh73j8MMCFRIjgQodLCYALA


The food-grade grommets needed are a little bit more difficult to find sometimes, but can easily be found on-line...

http://www.amazon.com/GROMMETS-BPA-free-Grade-Silicone-Fermenting/dp/B00KTJXOBO


The least expensive way to set up an airlock system will require you to create a hole in a lid. It is not difficult, but you do need to be a little careful.

I have made four of my own and they all work fine. I think the total cost was around $2 or $3 each including a Tattler lid. I used Tattlers because of their reputation for longevity and my desire in not having to re-drill holes as much. 

I have never not used an airlock fermenting system and can only imagine what a pain in the neck it is to have to skim off, on a daily basis, what inadvertently grows. I just cracked open my crock of sauerkraut the other day. Not even one bit of anything bad growing in there.

TRellis


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Get a small hole saw for a few bucks and you can make your own fermenting lids. Cut a hole about 3/4" - 1". Put in a rubber stopper that has a hole in the center (sold at brew supply stores). Insert the air lock and BOOM! You're good to go. Total investment about $25 and most of that will be the hole saw. Most carpenters will have a hole saw, so you might be able to get the cost down to about $5.

From experience, use the air lock that is shapped like a medicine bottle, not the "S-type". They are impossible to clean.

edited: DH says you can put a hole in the lid with a hot wire - heat on stove or flame and burn a circle in the lid.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

My older boys left a woodburing kit in their old junk in the attic, I'm thinking about using it to burn a hole in one of my Tattler lids and trying it out, and if that doesn't work I might try using the drill press to drill a hole in one. I'm not sure if the local brew store will have the air locks, but I'm going to check in the next week or so as the biggest cost online is shipping. I'm hoping that they might have smaller rubber grommets also, rather than use a large stopper. 

Several of the reviews have said that the s-type are impossible to clean out, but that the 3 piece cyllinder break fairly easily. The 3 piece cyllinder type still get better reviews, so I'll probably try one of them if I have a choice.

Dawn


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Here is a lid that fits a 2 gallon bucket, a stopper with hole and an airlock. Works great.


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

halfpint said:


> I have a 5L german crock, which is great for making large batches, but most of the time I like to make smaller batches of kraut, pickles, carrots, apple cider or other fermented foods, and I rarely have enough of something to make a large batch. I get tired of skimming off the stuff, and often my husband won't eat it when he sees what I have skimmed off, even though he loves sauerkraut.
> 
> So I was looking to see if there was a lid for a canning jar and found these:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2B98K4...TF8&colid=3G15CQHBPQND8&coliid=I38WONAGPC3NHP
> ...


Those lids can't produce a true anaerobic environment since they can't create a gas permeable seal. The problem is the threaded plastic lid not the airlock. I do ferment using a jar with an airlock but not a threaded one.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

I don't care for the plastic lids either, they leak, unless you purchase the gaskets to go with them (which most of the fermenting kits have in them), and even then I've had one leak with a gasket so it might not always be a good seal. That is why I would probably try it with tattler lids, as they seal well and can be reused unlike regular jar lids.

Dawn


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## GardenGekko (Jan 31, 2013)

I do a lot of fermenting and have tried various containers - including those crocks. Fido jars are by far the best thing I've come across. They come in various sizes from four cups up to 3 gallons. I'll try to put a link at the bottom. The rubber gasket and wire latch creates a one way valve. Pressure will build up and then gas will periodically escape. But air can't come back in. Unlike with an airlock, there is no risk of the airlock liquid evaporating or being sucked back in to the crock with changing temperature / pressure. In my experience the fermenting material will generate enough gas so that all the air in the headspace is expelled within twelve hours or so. In fact the fermenting material itself expands as co2 is generated and trapped in the nooks and carnies. I usually pack the vegetables in really tight to about 1/2 inch of the top, and then fill the rest with brine up to the lip. Then seal it up. Much of the brine is expelled with the headspace air as the veggies expand. Unlike with crocks, no need to skim bc there is never any mold growth. The veggies at the top (which are exposed to some residual gas) are as good as the veggies submerged (which convinces me that all the oxygen gets quickly displaced). 

A further advantage over an airlock system is that the jar is under some pressure, which causes a very nice effervescence within the veggies. I've opened up jars and have had co2 out gas like a champaign bottle. The veggies then cause a very pleasant prickly sensation on the tongue. 

Also unlike with crocks, you don't have to mess around with repacking. You can prepare the jar with the veggies and brine, seal it, set it out in room temperature to ferment, and when the ferment is done put the jar right into the fridge without ever opening and exposing material to oxygen. 

Now they do make a bit of a mess when they're actively fermenting, and can spray brine quite far. (Which I unfortunately found out while experimenting with kimchi,...) So I usually put my jars in a cake pan with some paper towels on the bottom, put a ziplock bag loosely over top of the jar to contain the liquid and direct it downward, and put a towel over the top to block light. I change the paper towel once a day for the first few days. 

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocc...7733&sr=8-1&keywords=bormioli+rocco+fido+jars


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## GardenGekko (Jan 31, 2013)

Some cucumber pickles and a recommended book...


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