DIY Fermentation Jar Setups for Culturing Veggies
Want to start making your own cultured vegetable fermentation containers? Check out these options to get you started.
One of the most important things to figure out when getting into culturing vegetables is what kind of a fermentation container you are going to use. There are quite a few different type of ready to go fermentation containers available on the market, such as specially designed fermentation crock pots, and already put together airlock setups.
However, if you are into a little bit of DIYing there are quite a few options you can consider which are cheaper and just as effective. We have lined up six for you to potentially try your hand at. All of these alternatives work just fine, and the most complicated tool you will need is a drill. If you do not have a drill handy, you can always collect you items together before going to visit a more kitted out friend or family member who will probably happily help you out.
Method #1: Mason Jar With Layer of Olive Oil
Hold on you say, I thought there was drilling involved! There is, but before we get to that, here is one of the easiest quick fixes for making sure that your vegetable ferment is airproof.
How to do it:
Assemble your ferment as per usual. Once the mason jar is full of veg (and brine if called for) pour a layer of olive oil over the top of your ferment. If you are using something to weigh down your vegetables to keep them under the brine, don’t’ worry, merely pour the oil over before you incorporate the weight. Now screw the lid on tight!
The olive oil layer will work to form a protective shield through which oxygen cannot travel, inhibiting the growth of mold, foreign bacteria or kahm yeast on the surface.
Remember – if you do not have an airlock and you have sealed your ferment up tight, you will have to burp it once a day to release pressure.
Method #2: Mason Jar With a White Lid and a Baggy Liner
If you do not have olive oil, but you have a mason jar, its white lid and some baggy liners, then this is another trick you can try.
How to do it:
Assemble your ferment and place the baggy liner on top of the vegetables once finished. Press this down so that the fluid and the baggy liner form a sort of a suction together to keep them from separating. Now screw on the white mason jar lid. You will have to crack it daily to release possible pressure build up. This is a good time to press down the baggy liner if you see air has made its way underneath and is in contact with the fermenting vegetables.
Method #4: Mason Jar With a White Lid and an Airlock Installed
Ok, here we get to the drilling part! If you have a mason jar and white lid, you can quite easily install an airlock. You can buy airlocks from home brewing shops or online.
What You Need:
- Electric drill
- ½ inch drill bit
- ½ inch rubber bung (also termed grommet, available at any home brewing store or online)
- Standard airlock (available from any home brewing store or online)
How to do it:
Drill a hole in the center of the white lid, taking care not to press to hard. The white mason jar lids are slightly flimsy, and are apt to crack when drilling if one presses down to hard. You can scrape off any rough edges caused by the drilling with a pocket knife. Insert the bung, and then push the airlock into place, taking care not to exert too much pressure on the lid. And voile! You now have an airlock fermentation setup.
Method #5: Mason Jar With a Metal Lid and an Airlock Installed
If you have the metal part of the mason jar lid setup, you can mount an airlock onto this instead. However do be warned that it is slightly more difficult to drill the hole, and the lids can be prone to rust spots – something which does not happen with the white plastic ones. So if you are in the position of choosing between Method 4 and 5 (as in you are going to go out and buy lids anyway, you just need to decide which ones), then go for the plastic.
If you have a gasket hole punch, you can also use this, instead of the drill, to make your hole.
What You Need:
Electric drill
½ inch drill bit
or ½ inch gasket hole punch & hammer
½ inch rubber bung (also termed grommet, available at any home brewing store or online)
Standard airlock (available from any home brewing store or online)
How to do it:
Drill or punch a hole into the circular metal lid component, placing it in the center. Fit the bung and then insert the airlock. Once you have set up your vegetable ferment, merely screw the two component lid into place, and there you go – airlock bliss (this means no cracking and burping of ferments every day, and no mold, and no kahm yeast).
Mason Jar Lid Hack –
If you are going to be fitting an airlock onto mason jar tops as your DIY fermentation container, then it can be convenient to have two lids for each jar, one with the airlock mounted and one without. The fitted airlocks add quite a lot of height to your jar, which can be very impractical when it comes to the point where your ferment is done and you want to store it in the fridge. If you have a spare lid which does not have an airlock mounted, once you are ready to stop the ferment, all you have to do is swap you fermentation mason jar lid for the one which does not have an airlock fitted, and pop into the fridge. The airlock one is then freed up for another ferment right away.
Method #6: Salsa Jar with Airlock
If you have some recycled salsa jars, you can put them to fermenting work as well. It is just as easy to fit an airlock onto a salsa jar as it is to put one onto a mason jar.
What You Need:
Electric drill
½ inch drill bit
or ½ inch gasket hole punch & hammer
½ inch rubber bung (also termed grommet, available at any home brewing store or online)
Standard airlock (available from any home brewing store or online)
How to do it:
Drill or punch a hole into the middle of the salsa jar lid. Put in the bung, and then the airlock itself. If you have opted to punch the hole, make sure that the lid has not warped with the impact of the punch and that it still seals.
If you have two salsa jars which are identical and take the same lid, then reserve one of these lids to be used as your spare for when you stop the ferment and want to put it in the fridge. When the time comes, all you need to do is screw off the one with the mounted airlock, and screw on the airlock-less substitute for easy storage.
Method #7: Stoneware Fermentation Vessel – With Water Bags, or Oil & Weight
Stoneware vessels can make for good fermentation containers. Some fermentors even say that earthenware or ceramic containers give the best taste results. You can either choose to use a regular crock pot, or a fermentation crock pot which are made with water seals around the rim. These water seals keep out oxygen while still allowing for pressure to escape, which help to keep your ferments mold and scum free. Regular crock pots of course do not have this feature, so if you are going to be using one of these, then it is important that you put some measures in place to lower the chances of mold developing. While there are some schools of thought which encourage open ferments, and instruct one to merely scrape off any mold which might grow, having mold topped ferments is not very appealing. So, unless you have your hands on a fermentation crock which is specifically designed for fermentation, then you will need to come up with a way to avoid mold. Here are some ideas.
Olive Oil Layer:
As explained in method 1, pouring a thin layer of olive oil over your ferment is an effective way to seal them off from oxygen, and thereby protect the surface from mold and other agents of decay. As it is almost impossible to seal off a crock pot, never mind install an airlock – this is a great trick which you can try out.
Remember, to place a large weight on top of the vegetable ferment, otherwise the olive oil layer might not be very effective. In the case of a crock pot, a large stone can work well, or a plate which fits into the top.
Bagged Water Layer:
An ingenious method for keeping fermenting vegetables totally submerged and sealed off from fresh oxygen is to weight them down with water! The way to do this is to fill a clear plastic bag with water, tie it tightly closed, and then seal it up in another bag to be extra safe. Next, place this inside your crock pot on top of your vegetables.
The unfortunate aspect to this method is that the plastic can leach chemicals into the ferment, which for many can rule it out as a suitable method. It is however an ingenious option, and very effective at sealing off the ferment.
Final Word
While there are quite a few different types of convenient and ready to go fermentation containers available online, not only is it cheaper to make one’s own, but more fun too!
If you start to really get into vegetable fermentation, you will probably find yourself needing quite a selection of jars and/or other vessels to use as culturing containers. Knowing how to mount airlocks or use olive oil as an effective quick fix plan, will start to come in handy!
