Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
I have been wanting to make sauerkraut for some time now so I was very happy to receive the Starter Kit from Fermentools to review for you. For a long time now I have been reading about the benefits of lacto-fermented foods. They contribute to a healthy gut, boost the immune system, offer an excellent preservation option and inexpensive!
Included in the kit:
- Stainless steel lid
- Rubber canning gasket
- Air lock assembly
- Rubber stopper
- Glass Fermentation weight
- Himalayan pink salt (with minerals!)
- Instruction guide with a basic recipe
How to use the kit:
- Prepare your ingredients. This will include washing, chopping, salting, etc. to any ingredients you wish to ferment.
- Pour prepared ingredients into a glass mason jar.
- Add extra water (non-chlorinated if possible) if needed, so level of liquid is above the vegetables.
- Place glass weight into jar, pressing lightly in order to ensure all ingredients are below liquid level.
- Clean rim of jar and place rubber gasket on the rim.
- Place rubber stopper in stainless lid.
- Screw jar ring lid into place, secure but not too tight.
- Insert airlock assembly into rubber stopper.
- Add enough water into airlock assembly to reach the halfway mark.
- Place jar into a dish (there is sometimes a bit of overflow as gasses build and escape.)
To make the salsa you see in the collage above, I chopped tomatoes, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, an onion, a couple cloves of garlic and some cilantro. I added the juice of one lime and a bit of the salt included in my starter kit. I combined all this and poured it into a quart size mason jar and sealed it all up according to instructions. For this recipe, fermenting time was only 24-48 hours. Mine sat of 36, and the whole family gave it a thumbs up when I served it with supper.
For my sauerkraut, I chopped a head of cabbage, sprinkled it with a couple teaspoons of salt and let it sit for 2 hours in a large bowl. Then I massaged the salted cabbage, releasing much of the water it contained. The cabbage became a little soft, and very juicy. That’s what I wanted! I poured the cabbage and it’s salted juices into the jar, and followed the same instructions above. This time, though, the recipe called for a longer ferment time. Some say you can open it up after a week. I prefer 2 weeks. You could even leave it for 4 if you prefer a little more ferment.
Now I am ready to try fermenting a variety of vegetables – so excited! This process is so easy, takes only a little prep time, and an excellent addition to the nutrition of my family. 
See what delicious foods my fellow crew mates are fermenting for their families – just click on the banner below:
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