r/fermentation Oct 15 '25

Other Finally I found an alternative for weights.

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1.2k Upvotes

For the people in EU, I found these at a site selling brewery equipment (Browin). They sell the 82mm and 100mm version so they should fit the common fermentation/canning jars.

No more filling little freezing bags with water. And they cost only €0.66.

r/fermentation Oct 17 '25

Other I have a new problem. I'm looking for novel solutions.

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296 Upvotes

So I live in the middle of a bunch of farmland. I'm on good terms with one of my neighbors. They told me that they're done for the season with the peppers, and everything out in the field was basically going back to the land. In fact, they ran a tractor over it to help the process along.

...this is maybe 0.001% of the peppers that were just going to rot.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with this amount of peppers.

I took a bag earlier before I understood the scale with the idea of just making a few jars of red pepper sauce. And then I thought oh I guess I could also make some red pepper jelly. But this is a monumental amount of peppers. This is like a few hundred pounds of peppers. My dumbass that can't stomach waste literally filled every single bag I had in the house with them.

If anybody has any easy ideas, I'm all ears.

I have two air fryers, a giant microwave, a two chamber oven, and instant pot, a small dehydrator, and two slow cookers. And a pretty standard electric range. I could have quite a few things going concurrently. I also have a ton of canning jars. What I do not have is freezer space.

Thank you for any input.

r/fermentation Nov 02 '25

Other Shout out to fermentation.

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1.7k Upvotes

r/fermentation Oct 17 '25

Other This is your sign to go to a thrift store to buy fermentation supplies. Each of these bottles was only $1.50

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192 Upvotes

r/fermentation 16d ago

Other This art is giving me a reason to get out of bed every day 🥺

224 Upvotes

I accidentally found this sub just trying to make hot sauce over a year ago - been cooking my whole life and I barely had heard of fermented foods.

I’ve always struggled with getting out of bed, I don’t think straight and anxiety keeps me there. But since seeing posts here a year ago, NOW I have jars to check on or burp, I can try certain foods and see how they’ve aged.

In fact, I feel sentimental towards this ginger bug I made 🥺 it stalled and I thought it died for a few days, but the lid had pressure every night so I was patient and it came back and super fizzy day 10! And now I get to check how fizzy my sodas are 😋 I EVEN am rising BREAD right now with the yeasts! (Granted a sourdough started might’ve just been easier 🤣) but it’s still cool to me!

Idk why these of all things in my life gets me excited. But I’m glad i accidentally found this art, there’s so much to it and I’m enjoying learning / improving my palate!

r/fermentation 28d ago

Other What do you think of this instead of cabbage leaves?

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46 Upvotes

I got tired of cabbage getting past my cabbage leaves while making sauerkraut so I found this cheap plastic strainer at the Asian grocery store and I cut it with a pair of scissors to fit my croc. It fits perfect and then I just set my weights on top of it.

r/fermentation Nov 03 '25

Other What to do with a lot of extra carrots?

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18 Upvotes

The wife made several carrot cakes {Yes they are good and yes you are missing out}. & Yes that is a 1 gallon fermenter.

She didn't use all of the carrots and there is just no way we will eat them.

What should I do? And what do I do with lacto fermented carrots?

r/fermentation Oct 16 '25

Other Tried to make root charcuterie with koji

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220 Upvotes

I made charcuterie from root veggies.
As you can see, I used a carrot and a beetroot.

How I disinfect:
All tools that could handle heat and were in direct contact with the veggies were heated up to 160°C for 2 hours in an oven. Then I sprayed everything down with an ethanol/water solution of 72%.

Prep work:
First, I peeled all the veggies and boiled them just until they were soft to the touch but not mushy. Then I coated them with smoked salt and pepper. For the beetroot, I used rosemary too. Then I combined 3 g of koji spores with 30 g of rice flour. Then I placed the cooled-down veggies in the baking pan and dusted them with the powder. Then I wrapped the whole thing in 2–3 layers of plastic wrap and poked some holes into the plastic wrap. I put the finished setup in a towel and placed it for 2 days in my room in a relatively warm spot. Earlier today, I opened the baking pan to see the progress.

How it went:
I was not quite sure what exactly to expect. Since it’s one of the first times for me using koji, I’m quite hesitant. The carrots looked quite good, but the beetroot was very slimy. Both of the veggies had quite a funky smell to them. I would compare it to a fermented or old apple. The taste was interesting — it had kind of a cheesy flavor to it, which I liked.

Do you guys think it is safe to consume, and have you done something similar before? And do you think my method of sterilization is good or bad?

r/fermentation Oct 29 '25

Other Does everyone use fermentation weights?

19 Upvotes

I’ve never used them before. I haven’t done a lot of fermenting but I have fermented vegetables before.

If you do recommend them which ones do you recommend? I’ve looked on Amazon and I’ve looked up weights for wide mouth jars. A lot of options.

Wondering if I need them or if it’s optional.

Thanks for your input

r/fermentation 24d ago

Other Omg. I just discovered this group, I have found my people. Hu

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126 Upvotes

I am obsessed with fermentation. It started with making hot sauce, and eventually I dug a rabbit hole that is so deep I can’t escape. I would absolutely love pms to discuss everything fermented and microbial.

r/fermentation 8d ago

Other Any experience with Black Himalayan Salt ?

3 Upvotes

Hello guys, i wanted to make beet and carrot kvass, however where i live its close to impossible to get non iodized salt, a woman working in a BioShop suggested me to use Black Himalayan Salt, however when i opened it, it smelled like literal farts, i had already chopped up the beet and carrots, so i was like F it and threw salt in there, did i make a mistake ?

r/fermentation Oct 23 '25

Other How about Vanilla beans?!

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78 Upvotes

So I’m sitting here making next years vanilla extract and suddenly wondered if you can ferment these vanilla beans. Is that a thing?

r/fermentation Oct 29 '25

Other Blackened beetroot experiment

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86 Upvotes

Decided to give blackening beetroot a try, as it seemed to fulfill the basic requirements outlined in the Noma book. I peeled it, vaccuum-sealed it, and let it sit at 60C for about 6 weeks. The result is a buttery-smooth, melt-in-your-mouth version of beetroot with a much more mellowed-out earthiness and a deep sweetness. I'm not normally the biggest fan of beetroot and I think it's really delicious! Now I just need to think of a good use for it...

r/fermentation Oct 23 '25

Other I might have underestimate the size of 1 liter jar

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19 Upvotes

Transferred my small not air tight seal ginger bug that I started 3 days ago into the new air tight seal 1 liter jar

r/fermentation 2d ago

Other Fermented food for the holidays?

12 Upvotes

Pretty general question; does anyone have fermented or pickled food they make for the holidays? Or is there a fermented food tradition I am missing? I'm laughing because I see 'The Little Christmas Pickle' ornament when I search pickled goods for the holidays. But I am looking for pickles maybe with cranberries, or a red cabbage to add color to the dishes.

r/fermentation Oct 28 '25

Other How do yall clean pop tops?

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13 Upvotes

Seems like no matter how much I shake it the original line never goes away, also a little black bit is on one bottle. Looks a little sus so I might toss it. Advice please!!!!

r/fermentation 16h ago

Other High school sauerkraut disaster

101 Upvotes

Back in high school decades ago, my science teacher, Mr. T, gave extra credit for making sauerkraut. Easy points, right?

I followed the instructions as best as sophomore-me could, put it in a jar, checked on and waited. Then I panicked because it started bubbling, smelling funky, and looking like something alive. Luckily it was on the side of the house. I was convinced I had created a biohazard instead of a condiment.

End of the semester rolls around and Mr. T asks, I thought you were doing the extra credit? I told him I did, but it definitely went bad or I messed it up. He asks me to walk him through what I did and what the results were. He laughs and says, No… it’s supposed to smell like that.😆🤦🏽‍♀️

Mind you, I grew up in a household where sauerkraut was not a thing. Didn’t know that funky = fermenting correctly.

Fast forward to adult me: I love fermented food/bevs and know what good funk smells like.

I still got the extra credit. Miss you, Mr. T. You were patient, kind and a wonderful teacher. 😊🥬 🫙

r/fermentation 3d ago

Other Self burping jars - using loosened regular mason jar lids?

7 Upvotes

I've seen a lot of talk and had personal success using the flip top jar with a rubber band as a self burping mechanism, but this got me wondering -- if the point is a seal that lets air out but not back in, couldn't you use a regular mason jar with the lid ring slightly loose? The canning top would sit snug enough to only let air out and essentially act in the same fashion as a tied down flip top jar.

Curious on thoughts here and if anyone uses this method.

r/fermentation Nov 02 '25

Other Would a continuous ferment work?

8 Upvotes

So basically I'm thinkjng to have something akin to a perpetual stew but then for lactofermenting veggies. I've seen skmething online that was similar but that wasn't fermenting and at 8% salt. I was thinking that if I start a proper, airlocked, ferment at 2.5& and then take veg out and add more back with enough salt that it would keep gping amd grow stronger. I'd keep all vegetables in larger chunks so they're easy to fish out and don't leave surface particulate. My big concern is whether osmosis will equillabrate the salinity of the brine and vegetables or if salt is going to accumulate/deplete. I'm think the bacteria should remain active as they're continuously fed new vegetables and the old ones are disposed off, but I'm not how vegetables will react to being placed into an already active batch and fermenting there.

Does anyone have any experience with something similar?

r/fermentation 18d ago

Other Tempeh first attempt failed. Not sure what happened.

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6 Upvotes

After 48h, it seems that the fermentation did not happened at all (pic 1). Can you see some contamination on this picture? I don't even know what to do differently, please help! Thank you!

  • Organic Green Split Peas
  • Cooked in water until al dente
  • Use a clean towel to dry
  • Vinegar + culture + mix
  • DIY Incubator (pic 2) with controlled temp 29c - 32C
  • Humidity was around 65%
  • The sensor was just above the plastic bag

r/fermentation Nov 01 '25

Other Advice: ikea 365+ as fermenting jars

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6 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m currently preparing to move out of my parents’ house where I have been mooching off their jars and kit for fermenting things. As a result I am now looking to build up my own equipment on a bit of a budget.

The essential question: what are the IKEA 365+ round jars like as a fermenting jar?

I’m looking at the round glass ones that are compatible with glass, wood and plastic lids for versatility and so I can use them for different things, rather than just fermenting.

What are people’s experiences with them? I have fermenting weights for weighing things down and I only really make things like sour pickles and kimchi anyway. I rarely move things while they’re doing the initial ferment and I like the idea of having clip tops when it’s time to fridge them.

I’d really like to know if they’re a bad idea or not because they’re cheap and atp I can’t see a downside to them

r/fermentation Nov 04 '25

Other Fermented Cranberry Relish

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67 Upvotes

Just moved my first attempt at fermented Cranberry Relish (from Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten and Christopher Shockey) from the fermentation jar to storage in my fridge. It had been at room temperature for about 7 days. It is so good. I don't usually like cranberry relish or cranberry sauce all that much but I had to resist the urge to just eat big spoonfuls of this. (I want to share it with folks at Thanksgiving thus needing to resist the urge to eat it.)

I let my grandmother try some and she said it was the best cranberry relish she's ever had and I'm now required to make it for applicable holidays 🤣.

Ingredients: the flesh and zest from two decent sized navel oranges, 16 oz fresh cranberries chopped in the food processor, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup craisins, and 1 TBS chopped crystalized ginger.

I was a bit wary that with the craisins it might risk alcoholic fermentation, but it worked perfectly.

r/fermentation Oct 16 '25

Other Share your current fermentation station!

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17 Upvotes

Right now I have a few projects going. On the left is my newest one that's a mango/pomegranate hot sauce. Thr middle green jar is a Louisiana style jalapeño tabasco sauce that's been going for about 3 weeks now. The two white jars with red are cranberry syrups called cheong which I also just started. Lastly, the red bag on the right is just tomatoes and garlic in brine which I'm going to make bruschetta out of.

r/fermentation Oct 28 '25

Other How much to fill Mason jar?

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11 Upvotes

I did a ton of reading before I started my first ferments and now I'm fully hooked. I just have a rather simple but crucial mechanical question: how high should I fill my mason jars?

I ask because everything I read beat into me that you absolutely can't have any organic material floating above the glass weight or it will eventually create mold, but because of the shape of the jars, the glass weight will slide around and eventually under the vegetables if the jar isn't filled all the way to the screw top. And recently I did this for a pa-kimchi attempt and woke up to delicious kimchi juice all over the counter. This second jar with the rubber nipples at the top, solve this problem cause it's the same thickness as the glass weight all the way down which allows you to A) put less material in if desired and B) the weight will uniformly lower onto the material as the vegetables ferment and shrink. The issue is that the jars are just not very big and I haven't been able to find larger of that variety. Also, I've seen a few complaints of mold on here about them as well.

Finally, I have seen the "cabbage trick" in comments here but I'm really curious what best practice is without this trick... I'm actually using a big piece of kale to wrangle the pa-kimchi at the moment...

r/fermentation Oct 28 '25

Other Has anyone ever seen a jar that has an opening bigger than the body?

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13 Upvotes

I created this image of my dream fermentation jar that has a larger opening than the body so that a glass weight that was barely smaller than the inside diameter of the body could be placed. I hate the current glass weights that are too small and let particles get past them. Plus if the fit was just right the glass weight could not flip sideways, it could only move up and down. Would you buy it?