You can spend a lot of money on specialized pickling crocks. Go ahead, be my guest. You’ll learn all about how your $25-$200 is buying you an ideal anaerobic environment in which to nurture your precious anaerobic bacteria…blah, blah, blah.
Me? I don’t need another unitasker in my kitchen. I like to be able to use a few things – bowls, food processors, knives, mason jars – in a variety of flexible ways to achieve my goals. And this isn’t because I have a teeny, tiny kitchen, it’s just that one trick wonders don’t woo me.
So here’s how to turn any mason jar into a damn fine Pickl-It style fermentation crock for about $10, or way less if you already have a reCAP Mason Jar lid (which you should, because they rock and are definitely not unitaskers).
To DIY a very serviceable lacto-fermentation crock, you will need:
- 1 airlock. $1.75 at your local homebrew store.
- 1 rubber bung (hee hee, I just said bung). $.90 at your local homebrew store. #6 is a good size.
- 1 reCAP Mason Jar Cap. (Wide month lids are coming soon!) $6.99 online.
- 1 Mason jar in an appropriate size to hold your ferment (you totally already have this, right?)
Step One: if necessary, go shopping at your local homebrew store. So fun, even if you aren’t a homebrewer. These places can be a bit intimidating at first, but just keep in mind that people at homebrew stores live for beer. Seriously. They are beer geeks. And like geeks of any stripe, all they want is for you to not laugh at the thing they think is cool.
So, here’s a secret: if you are a girl of even remotely serviceable appearance, and you show up at your local homebrew store and say the following: “I’m looking for whole leaf Amarillo for an all-grain 80 IBU IPA I’ve been perfecting,” you will have the rewarding experience of watching six homebrew-geeks trip over themselves in an attempt to assist you.
(By the way, Comic-Con people, don’t bother leaving nasty comments. I am Geek, garden-variety. I speak redshirt and Quenya and zucchini and I’m proud of it. I’m on your side.)
After you’ve browsed around, buy an airlock and a bung. Should run you about three bucks, all told.
Step Two: Get your homebrew loot home and put your airlock, bung and ReCAP Mason Jar Lid together in this order:
Viola! Now any mason jar is a fermentation crock. Seal off your ferment from nasty aerobic beasties.
Pat yourself on the back for the $15 or more you just saved. Don’t you love multi-taskers?
This post and lots more useful articles you might like are part of the Homestead Barn Hop on The Prairie Homestead.
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Seriously Erica, you are my hero! I was just weighing the pros and cons of making the more than slightly unnerving purchase of a Pickl-It or two after my most recent batch of kimchi went slimy on me. You just saved me a bunch of money!
I still can’t believe I just recently found your blog!
Glad you found it! Welcome, and thanks for reading. 🙂
I am guessing if you have enough cabbage you could do this in a 5 gallon wine fermenting pail? We have two of those and 2 large carboys (dad loves to make wine and beer). Would think that if you do enough for 3 gallons that the 2 gallons would be enough headroom? New to fermenting veggies and thinking about doing kimchi (have never had it before).
Holly, I wouldn’t do that if you plan on using that fermenting pail to make wine again. Fermenting veggies builds up a bunch of wild yeast and bacteria. Getting rid of those later might be an issue despite how well you may clean it afterwards. When you try to brew wine later they might still be hiding out and they would love to feed on the wine. Sour/infected wine is a total bummer and a risk to your work/money.
Actually a lactic ferment could be a good thing for wine. It converts the Malic Acid, which is rather harsh, into Lactic Acid, a milder acid. There are eines ehere this is done deliberately!
” The Giveaway ” I have been trying to make a “comment” this is the only way I have found . I went to Facebook and did the “I Like Thing” and said to Comment when done , can You help me ? Thanks for any help You can give me .
Hi andrea.
I’ve run into some serious trouble with the Pickl-It caps too. They use a plastic lid which contains a chemical that is completely toxic! The chemical is called formaldehyde and is suspected to cause cancer. I threw all of mine away….
The only cap on the market that seems to be food safe at this point is called a “Kraut Kap” They food safe and have thick silicone seals which makes them completely air tight and water tight. They are even cheaper then Pickl-Its. You can check them out here..http://www.amazon.com/Kraut-Kaps/dp/B009RT4W9U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357983522&sr=8-1&keywords=kraut+kaps
I really hope this post helps people avoid getting exposed to toxic chemicals.
Anna
Great advice Anna, thank you for sharing. Love this Blog by the way Erica–good job!
Pickl-Its do not have plastic lids. You’re thinking Perfect Pickler, I think.
Very important distinction.
Plastic leaks oxygen, glass does not.
Umm no, Pickl-its are made of all GLASS. There is no “cap” it is made from a FIDO jar and has only a glass fido jar lid with a drilled hole. So you are speaking of the Perfect Pickler as another commenter mentioned. There is nothing similar, the PP is simply a plastic lid with a hole and spacer added, not even close to the same.
I still wouldn’t call this truly anaerobic because oxygen is getting in through the cap, these plastic lids can never be fully air tight. But I suppose this is better than the way most people ferment with mason jars. It’s a step up perhaps. But it’s no pickl-it by far.
Have you asked the pickl-it company about this chemical? She is such a nice lady. I am sure she would change the caps if indeed they are bad. Let’s help an American company to succeed and meet the demand that people want.
Quality Components…
Pickl-It has been developed and rigorously tested over the past 6-years, meeting the stringent needs of a toxin-free, nutrient-dense, whole-food lifestyle!
Our youngest, adopted with a wide-range of health issues, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, needed the best possible nutrition, as well as easily digestible foods. Lacto-fermented foods played a very important role.
Eliminating toxins from his diet – replacing all processed foods with made-from-scratch locally-raised foods – as well as using toxin-free cookware and kitchen tools were key to his recovery.
All Pickl-It fermentation system components were selected from companies who feel the same way – that the health and safety of their customers is important.
No Lead
No BPA
No Glaze
No Cadmium
No Phthalates
No DHEA
Anna is confused.
Pickl-It Parts
A. Glass Fermenting Container – lead-free, high-quality, Italian-made glass with stainless steel, lead-free wire-bail; meets California safety standards.
B. Glass Lid with installed airlock grommet – lead-free Italian glass and stainless steel, lead-free wire-bail; USA-made silicone grommet specially-designed to resist lactic-acid created during fermentation; meets California safety standards.
C. Barrel Air Lock – Widely used in the making of beer and wine, allows escape of damaging oxygen, and excess carbon dioxide gas, prevents oxygen from entering; 3-part system is easy to disassemble and clean – Made in Canada; details
D. Dunk’R – High-quality laboratory food-grade, toxin-free, food-safe glass weight; USA Made; details here meets California safety standards – available to purchase separately
E. Plug’R: Superior dishwasher-safe and lactic-acid resistant silicone, the Plug’R converts the Pickl-It containers from fermentation to refrigerated food-storage. Made in USA; details here
F. BPA-Free Cover Gasket – Superior all-natural rubber material is food-safe; dish-washer safe; one-size fits all Pickl-It lids – Italian-made; replaceable
THANKS for the advise, I just call my Wine Making & Beer Brewing Equipment local shop and they have Airlock – Cylindrical for $1.50/each Rubber bung#6 same price and I got 8 Wide Mouth Plastic Storage Cap for $6 at Canadian tire. Now I need to find silicone seal.
Will look like this: http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/08/gadgets-kraut-kaps-home-fermentation-pickling.html
Always DIY all the way, save money…
Just find this: http://ozfarmer.com/keep-fresh-plastic-covers-suit-weck-preserving-jars
http://ozfarmer.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=3715
Check this too: http://cedarhillchronicles.com/cultured-fermentation/lacto-fermented-garlic-cloves/
Yeah yeah yeah! No more fighting with ziplocs full of brine. Thanks!
Erica, you are a awesome! Thanks for the super information! Will be heading out to get these today as I have really been wanting to jump into lacto fermentation! And I do have the reCap lids!! Keep up the wonderful informative blogs. Thnks again!!
Awesome, thanks!
I had my heart set on a fermenting crock before I saw this idea floating around the internet! Our setup is similar, except we got a bung (didn’t know that’s what they were called!) that fits a regular-mouth mason jar all by itself. I’m still a fermenting novice, though, and my sauerkraut bubbled so much that it overflowed the airlock. Any tips?
Yeah, that happens. 🙂 More headroom next time. We’ve done some alcohol ferments (homebrew, wine, etc.) that have gotten downright ejaculatory. Luckily an airlock is a one-way thing, and stuff getting out isn’t really an issue, just stuff getting in. Just rinse everything off as best you can and add clean water or brine to the lock.
Ah, thanks! I’ll definitely leave more room next time! (And put a dish under the jar, just in case).
One thing you can do for the first few days of heavy fermentation activity is another trick from us homebrewer’s trick bag – instead of the airlock, fit a length of vinyl tubing into the stopper (or if you can find tubing that fits snugly into the ReCAP opening, remove the #6 stopper) and put the other end into a can or vessel with the end under a little bit of water. This will allow the CO2 to vent out and the water will prevent air and bacteria from getting in. Once the activity dies down, replace the tubing with your stopper and airlock.
This is such a great idea. It’s nice to know the tip of using the recap. I had already talked to the local brew store and they’ll have to order me the smaller airlock, but I didn’t realize the other pieces I’d need as well.
We did sauerkraut this spring and loved it, but I’d like to have the more specialized tools, for a consistent outcome.
The airlock is a standard part, I’d expect your LHBS should have it in stock, but I’m not sure if that size bung is quite as common. We shop at The Cellar, just north of Seattle, and they’ve got basically wall-of-bungs.
Truthfully, I advise taking your reCAP to the homebrew store and just fitting bungs that way.
I love this idea! We are making hard cider this week, and I was hoping to do 3 or 4 different batches to test a recipe before going all in on 15 gallons… this is perfect!
Great idea!
That is a seriously amazing plan! I’ve seen a plain mason jar lid modded with an airlock, but I think being able to take the system apart and use the different parts for different things if needed is a better idea.
Thanks. Yes, the flexibility of this is what I love. The reCAPs are extremely useful. And I’m not affiliated with them or anything, I just think they are handy as heck. And since we homebrew already, airlocks are standard equipment around here.
awesome ingenious idea – thank you.
HA! I giggled a little inside, too, when you said ‘bung’…
You come up with the neatest stuff! Totally a blogger high-five for you!
Bung…. Bung…. Bung… Bung.
Solid or perforated for airlocks? Important information we need to know.
Hi Kim – not familiar with the term “perforated airlock,” sorry! Generally we use the three piece airlocks over the one-piece bubblers. Is that what you mean? If there’s another type of airlock out there that I don’t know about, I’d love a link to see what you mean. Thanks!
Just a standard three-piece lock (I find them easier to clean). Like one of these: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/three-piece-airlock.html
I haven’t run across “perforated” as describing a fermentation lock before.
Damn it. I wish Fowlers Vacola (the Aussie Mason jar company) would get them something like those re-Caps lids! I did buy a Pickl-It Converter Kit and two different sized Fido Bormioli jars, which have been brilliant.
I don’t have a reCAP and only use wide mouth jars but I loved the idea of using the airlock for fermentation. I drilled a hole in a metal wide mouth like and inserted an airlock that had been laying around in a drawer. Works great! Thanks for sharing. If I could post a pic, I would.
Right on!
I’ll be modifying a Ball Wide Mouth Plastic Storage Cap in the same way – drill a hole in the cap, fit a rubber grommet into it and push the airlock into the grommet for a nice air-tight seal.
We drilled into the reusable tattler lids and fitted with the bung and the airlock -best kraut we ever made, we had problems with the regular ball lids rusting a little, that is why we use the tattler lids, this is the 2nd year of using them and no rust and no problem
That sounds awesome! I wanted to start this weekend, but all I have thus far is a 1 Quart Regular mouth jar. What do I need to buy? Also, any suggestions on a good sauerkraut recipe? Ty 🙂
What’s wrong with using a plate to press down the fermentations with a rock on top of that to hold them under water? Has worked great for years for my kimchee. Just have to ferment in something wide enough to fit a plate inside.
Nothing at all! 🙂 Just different tools for different jobs (and quantities).
Have you considered lacto-fermentation? You can still use a mason jar but don’t need anything else other than the lid and ring it comes with. Google: Nourishing Traditions, Weston A. Price for more info.
this is a lacto-ferment. the ferment recipes in NT specify using whey but all that does is make it sour faster, and in many people’s experience, doesn’t result in consistent results. a salt brine in an airtight container is the best way to get consistently fantastic results with lots of LABs. NT is a great book, but Sally Fallon’s recipes for ferments and baking are only “meh” imho.
Yup, this is a lacto-fermentation technique, relying on the natural lactobacillus residing on the vegetables themselves.
Do you weigh down what you’re fermenting or does the airlock make that unnecessary? If so, what are you using?
I do not weigh the ferment down in situations like this because the ferment itself rapidly creates a CO2 “cap” that protects the top of the ferment from oxygen. With the airlock in place no atmospheric O2 is sneaking in, so mold growth, etc. is highly, highly unlikely.
Picture shows a wide mouth jar. I just ordered and realized these are not wide mouth adapters. Come on. Get us some wide mouth adapters please.
thanks,
John
Hi John. The picture does indeed show a regular mouth mason jar. As I mentioned in this post, and based on the information I have from the reCAP website, the wide mouth lids will be coming soon. Their website now says they will be available in October. I am not in any way affiliated with reCAP, but I encourage you to add your voice to mine in letting the people at reCAP know that you’re eager for those wide mouth lids. (http://recapmasonjars.com/) Sorry for any confusion.
Absolutely brilliant!! Thank you.
OK, I’m sold. Ordering it all on Amazon. Now, can you tell me how to make sauerkraut in the mason jar? Thanks!!!
Excellent idea, thanks for sharing! So what I’m dying to know is what is in the soon to be fermenting mason jars in the last picture? It looks so awesomely, incredibly green.
Thanks,
Chris
Hi Chris,
That’s a cabbage salsa. Chopped cabbage, cilantro, peppers, lime juice, etc. It’s great!
These look way cool. But excuse me for asking as I am new to the fermentation process. How do you guarantee against botulism? It is an anaerobic process and extremely dangerous.
Hi David, I’m glad you asked. I think it is very responsible to have a healthy respect/fear of botulism. To answer your question, the salt content of the ferment (as in sauerkraut) or the added brine (as in crock pickles) creates an environment that favors the growth of lactobacillus. The lactobacillus in turn converts starch and sugar from the vegetables (or fruit) into lactic acid, which sufficiently lowers the pH of the ferment to make it unlikely to support the growth of c. botulinum spores. This is the same basic technique used in kimchi, sauerkraut, dill pickles.
The CDC puts out periodic reports on what foods have actually caused botulism. I recommend the summary from 1990-2000, which shows 10 years of botulism events in the US, none of which, so far as I can tell, are traceable to canned *high acid* or fermented foods outside of Alaska. Alaska is a special case for a variety of reasons, and is always looked at separately from the rest of the US. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/9/03-0745-t3.htm
I have spent a good deal of time studying the actual risk factors for botulism, and have come to the personal conclusion that properly fermented and properly home canned food poses a risk to my family so minute that I have no concerns about these techniques. That said, I highly respect your hesitation and encourage you to investigate for yourself for your own confort level. A good rule of thumb in ANY food preservation is that, if you aren’t *sure* don’t do it.
Thanks!
Hey! thanks so much for the reply. and sorry for the double post..
These things seem like botulism havens. I would have my brine fully cultured and the PH set before mixing in raw veggies. Am I right about this?
Hi David – please see above, thanks.
I love this approach but why use reCaps rather than drilling a hole in a standard lid and inserting a bung (hee-hee) for the airlock? Loving your blog!
Hi All,
I love this idea. I had the recap lids and air locks. I purchased a bung. I recently noticed that the recap lids are not liquid tight. Therefore they must not be air tight. Anyone else have this problem?
Maryellen
Another commenter on this post made the same comment so I just double checked. I cannot get my recaps to leak. I just turned a qt jar half full of water fitted with a recap upside down and shook it for about 3 minutes, then tilted it every which way I could and didn’t get any leaking. I wonder if there is an issue with some gaskets? Is yours stretched at all? Is it clean and well seated? I don’t know if you can get replacement gaskets but that would be my first thought. Good luck!
Yes – I was the other commenter. I got mine when they first came out as a sponsor gift for sponsoring. Both of the leak. Now…I have heard that it is possible that OLDER canning jars may have had thinner rims and that the newer rims are thicker and seal better. I haven’t tested this as mine are narrow mouth and I don’t ever want to purchase a narrow mouth canning jar. I usually don’t even take them if someone gives them to me! So…that may be the issue.
Dear blog,
I read that fermented cabbage has trillions of probiotics so I was very excited about making a big batch, which we enjoyed for months. Unfortunately my dad was put on Coumadin for blood clots. We were given a list of food to avoid because they would reverse the blood thinning of Coumadin. My question is can we get the same trillions of probiotics from other fruits or vegetables?
Thanks,
Esther
When you aren’t allowed to eat healthy food because of drugs, it’s time to lose the drugs. Research the blood thinning properties of beet juice. Get a good juicer (omega 8500) juice several times a week, get off the processed foods, slowly get off the meds, and never go back to your doctor.
Trevor, this is an ignorant and highly irresponsible piece of advice.
Actually, I found it quite helpful. He is right. If your drugs don’t allow you to eat what you’re supposed to, get a second opinion from a holistic doctor and get out of the other doctors office.
complete agreement with Nicole here, mr. or ms. Beck. you have bought into conventional medical propaganda, an information stream of mendacious garbage in most instances.
Yes. You can ferment any raw fruit or veg, though some do better than others. If cabbage but not all brassicas are disallowed, try turnips. Turnips are my fave ferment. A good veg to start with is cucumbers. Ferment them and they are pickles! 🙂 Most people are familiar with cucumber pickles. I like the recipe in Wild Fermentation.
I have *just learned about fermenting veggies. I have not researched them much at all. Could you walk me through how I would ferment veggies in this neat contraption? And, how would I get these parts if I do not have a brew store? Do you all use cultures in the fermenting process? Someone referred me to bodyecology.com for their cultures.
If you don’t have a brew store nearby, check out the available set-ups on eBay…I just got three set-ups (made from a Tattler reusable canning jar lid with a rubber grommet/bung and the airlock piece) for a wide-mouth jar for about $16 delivered. Totally worth it and WAY less than what I was thinking about paying at Pickl-It. With the wide-mouth lid set-up you can use wide-mouth pints, quarts, or half gallon jars.
Rea a book called ‘Wild Fermentation’ by Sandor Ellix Katz. VERY good info on this topic!
I sponsored re-cap when they were first being designed so I have a couple of the originals. Unfortunately, they both leak so I don’t get an airtight seal with mine. (When I place them on a jar and lay the jar on it’s side, it’s not air-tight and the liquid will leak out.)
So…I’m wondering how you are getting an air-tight seal? Perhaps a different brand of canning jars that have a wider lip?
Hmmm. I have to say I haven’t had any issues with leakage. I am pretty careful about getting the gasket well seated but I haven’t run into leaks. I generally use Kerr jars, but have the typical assortment laying around. I don’t think I’ve noticed a difference in that. I’m sorry you are having leaking. 🙁
Well, you just hooked a: Homebrewer; Gardner; Preserver (Vegies & Meats); Hunter/Fisherman; Cook; and Rancher (Waygu Beef) , along with 3 or 4 other things that friends call upon me to do for them….lol.
Great site!
Just getting started looking and learning.
Carey
Thanks so much for this information. My husband has recently become obsessed with all things fermented, and I want to support him as much as possible (because I get to eat the results). I’d mooned over some really gorgeous ceramic crocks, but winced at the prices (up to a couple hundred bucks). So excited to find this solution – and it will finally get me in the door of our local home brew supply shop.
WWWWWOOOOOOOWWWWW! So glad I found this. I’ve been debating if I should fork over my bday money to buy some pickle-its, but didn’t want to and now THIS!!!! Thanks!
so here i am trying this fermentation thing and i am still skimming mold. I am attempting some home made pear vineagar from cores and peelings. I made my trip to the brewery, got my bung….giggle…….airlocked it up……when i went to check there was the layer of mold scuz on top. wtf? so how do i fill my containers…..how do you seal out the air? i am confused and tired of skimming scuz
Ericka, my wife and I bought picklit jars several months back. Yes, they are very pricy. Thanks for this vital information as we need more fermentation containers. My wife cultures a lot of veggies.
I am making some fermented granola this week and will be dehydrating it tonight. Can you culture dairy products in these jars?
I bought two ReCap lids to experiment with, and I noticed the wide mouth one leaked AT FIRST. I went back, carefully clean and seated the lid and the rim of the jar. Then I cranked that mutha down very tight. Result: no leak. In my case the leak was “operator error”.
I plan on trying this recipe this weekend I have come up with my own airlock system
No home brew store around here. Can these be purchased online?
eBay has tons of options for airlock lid set-ups…some use the Tattler reusable canning lids with the rubber gasket, some use a regular canning lid, some have other plastic or glass lids…there are hundreds of listings…
I got two ReCap lids from funding their Kickstarter campaign. I was trying to think of a way to create a pickle-it like lid with mason jars when I thought of my caps. Glad to see I was’n the only one thinking like this.
Really want to try this, thanks!
I love the idea of this and have checked it out on a couple of different websites/blogs. The convenience and freedom to make several recipes at once would be wonderful.
That said, I hesitate because I’m uncertain about investing in this process until I determine whether or not the bung contain toxic chemicals. I would not be comfortable with chemicals leaching into my ferments. Do you (or anyone else here) have any information on the bung regarding toxicity? Thank you!
Most bungs I’m aware of are made of food grade silicone.
Thank you, Erica! I appreciate the response. I just found a good site with food grade bungs. I’m excited to give this a go!
Hi, Thanks for this tutorial! I ended up drilling a hole in Ball plastic lid and inserting the bung and airlock in there. One question:
About 2 weeks into my first batch of sauerkraut, it seems like the cabbage has reabsorbed most of the liquid in the jar. Should I open the jar and top it off with brine?
Thanks!
Hi, Thanks for this tutorial! I ended up drilling a hole in Ball plastic lid and inserting the bung and airlock in there. One question:
About 2 weeks into my first batch of sauerkraut, it seems like the cabbage has reabsorbed most of the liquid in the jar. Should I open the jar and top it off with brine?
I’ve done it both ways, topping it with brine (2.5%) and not. In my experience leaving it un-topped results in slightly uneven fermentation: the kraut that was fully submerged was slightly more sauer-y than what was on top.
I. Love. You. Thankyousomuch! <3
Hi Erica, thank you so much for this fantastic idea. I found a hombrew shop and bought a bung an airlock and I just purchased four reCap’s on Amazon. All that’s left is my wide mouth mason jars :). I am a novice when it comes to fermenting sauerkraut and I have been mostly making Kombucha, kefir, and water kefir. I’m very excited to put this tool to work! Next goal is to dive into the world of homebrewing. Again, thank you very much.
hi, i bought the recap and find it impossible to get a stopper for it does anyone have a website that has the right size stopper?the #3 stopper is to small nobody caries the #4 and the # 5 is to big.
i cant believe i am the only one having this problem.
Question for you~ Do you need a glass weight to lay on top of the veggies? Do I just follow standard directions for fermenting? Do you use whey? What is the best salt to use?
Thanks for sharing! I’ve also been looking for a more affordable airlock system.
It is VOILA, fyi 🙂 Viola is an instrument.