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diy essentials: making a fermenting jar

Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
Wichita, KS

As you probably know, eating fermented veggies can be very healthy for you. I shopped about on Amazon, and found that you can spend 50 bucks or more on fermenting jars; which are basically modified canning jars. So, in the spirit of American ingenuity, we are going to make our own using a few parts from good ole’ Amazon. And the price is only $9.79 per jar, and if you use my hack for the fermentation weights, that brings the price down to $4.79 per jar. And do not forget that you can use them over-and-over again So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen. Or, in this case the workshop.

yield serving(s)
prep time 10 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For diy essentials: making a fermenting jar

  • any veggies you choose

How To Make diy essentials: making a fermenting jar

  • 1
    WHAT YOU WILL NEED
  • 2
    1, 2, 3 A quart-sized mason jar with a sealing disk and screw-down ring. I picked some up at a thrift store for a buck each. FYI: Make sure that they are large mouth canning jars.
  • 3
    4. Grommets made from food-grade silicon. I found the perfect ones on Amazon for $7.99 for ten. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XKK99O0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • 4
    5. Plastic airlocks to vent the fermenting veggies. I played around with a few and found these to be the best., $8.99 for a set of six. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041F2DL4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • 5
    6. Fermentation weights to keep your veggies under the brine. After several misses I found these for $20.00 for 4. This is the most expensive part of the kit, but I will show you a hack if you do not want to purchase them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y3BFV3C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • 6
    ADDITIONAL ITEM A drill with a 1/28-inch bit… Or, a friend who has a drill with a 1/2-inch bit… Or, a pistol that takes .22 bullets, so you can shoot a whole in the lid… Up to you. DRILL BABY DRILL!!!
  • 7
    THE ASSEMBLEY Drill a hole in the middle of the sealing disk. Extra Scooby points if you get the hole spot in the middle… Ops… my bad.
  • 8
    Add the grommet to the newly-drilled hole.
  • 9
    Stick one of the airlocks into the hole with the grommet.
  • 10
    Place your veggies and brine into the jar, and then add the fermentation weight. If you do not wish to buy the glass fermentation weights, then crumble up a piece of wax, or parchment paper, and use it to push down the veggies into the brine. If you use the paper hack you will save 5 bucks per jar. I do; however, prefer the glass weights.
  • 11
    Screw the top back on, and wait for the veggies to ferment…
  • 12
    Chef’s Note: It goes without saying (but I am going to say it anyway) that you can use larger jars for your formatting. The size I am creating in the photographs is what I call my “test batch” jar. It is large enough to use when I am experimenting on new fermenting ideas, and if I like it, I will move to a larger jar. Just remember, the larger the jar, the longer it takes for the fermenting process to take.
  • 13
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

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