Using your FARMcurious Fermenting Set
Posted on Sunday, June 02, 2013 | By Nicole Easterday | 
Thanks for purchasing a FARMcurious Fermenting Set! These instructions will help guide you through using and enjoying your set.
1) Wash the ReCAP lid in warm, soapy water and rinse well.
2) Open the flip-top lid on the ReCAP and insert the rubber stopper into the hole. Insert the narrow end of the airlock into the top of the stopper.
3) Remove the airlock lid to fill the airlock to the etched line (or about halfway) with water and replace the lid.
4) Wash with warm, soapy water any canning jar with the size opening that matches your ReCAP lid (regular or wide mouth).
If using non-shredded vegetables like carrot coins or coarsely chopped or whole produce...ad the produce to the jar and pour over it 1 cup water with 1-3 tsp sea or kosher salt dissolved into it.
If using shredded produce (like cabbage for sauerkraut)...add the salted chopped produce that you’ll be fermenting and pack down tightly. If the brine extracted from the produce by the salt doesn’t rise up to cover the produce you can add brine made up of one 1 TB Kosher salt to one cup of water. Please see this note about using a weight with shredded produce.
5) Leave one inch of space between the top of the brine and the top of the jar. Screw the ReCAP Fermenting Set to the top of the filled jar and leave in a cool dark place for several days to several weeks to ferment. Within 24 hours you should usually see bubbles rising to the top – this is carbon dioxide produced during fermentation.
6) Wait 4-7 days then taste the product periodically to get a sense of how long to ferment it – it will become more sour and less crunchy with time. The key to excellent fermentation is cool and slow, which is why many people keep fermentation vessels buried in the ground or in root cellars. When the acidity and texture have reached your preferred level, remove the stopper and airlock, close the ReCAP lid and store in the refrigerator where it will keep for many months.
In warmer temperatures, fermentation will go faster (taking 3 days to 4 weeks) while it will go more slowly in cooler temperatures, taking 4-8 weeks.
Process for Basic Fermenting: Here is a basic recipe that you can use and adapt to your taste.
1) Slice 1 lb produce to the thickness you prefer and add to a mason jar.
2) Combine 1 cup water with 1 TB Kosher salt and pour over the produce, leaving 1" of space between the top of the brine and the top of the jar.
4) Optional: Use a large piece of produce like a whole cabbage leaf or onion layer to keep the veggies submerged under the juices (read this note about weighting shredded produce).
7) Apply ReCAP fermenting top using instructions above
8) Store in a cool place or at room temperature & taste after several weeks. You might prefer it after 5 weeks or more! Cooler temps ferment more slowly & create more mellow flavors and crisper texture
9) Eat or refrigerate once it reaches your preferred level of sourness and crunch
Some particularly tasty combinations:
- Carrots with ginger
- Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots with garlic and basil
- French breakfast radishes with carrots
- Mixed red with green cabbage
- Apples with cabbage and ginger
- Beets, radishes, carrots
- Red onions with one or two bays leaves and four peppercorns
- Green cabbage with seaweed (cut up small and soaked in warm water at least 30 min)