Fermenting Pickles with Fermentools [a review]

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

​I've wanted to learn how to ferment foods for years! I first read about the process and how important fermented foods are to our gut health when I was pregnant. But, other than knowing it was beneficial, I had no idea where to start. When I heard about Fermentools , I was really excited to check out their Starter Kit and get fermenting!

There's obviously a learning curve with every new skill we dive into, and my first slope downwards on the curve began by not reading that a Wide Gallon Mason jar wasn't included in the starter kit. Then I ordered some on amazon but was sent regular mouth jars, and finally was able to get what seemed to be the last wide mouth mason jar in our Coronavirus laden world. But, it was a gallon jar, and starring on such a large scale is not recommended. 

The Fermentools Starter Kit includes a fine grain salt, which is rich in minerals and easily dissolved in water so it’s ideal for fermenting. You’ll also receive a stainless steel lid, made from surgical grade stainless steel, a glass fermenting weight, the airlock system, a rubber stopper and rubber gasket. Fermentools is also a family owned business- and all of their products are made and sourced in the USA!

I wanted to make fermented pickles, so I found a recipe and got to work. I learned the key to making crunchy pickles comes from adding ingredients which include tannin- a substance secreted in some leaves. For pickles, it's recommended to use bay leaves or black tea leaves to maintain a crunch.  I chose bay leaves and added those, dill, pickles, and the saltwater brine.
 
The Process:
 
First, I heated water on the stove top to dissolve the salt, and then I allowed the brine to cool.
Next, I loaded the mason jar with cleaned cucumbers, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and dill.
Pour the cooled salt water brine over the veggies.
After your mason jar is loaded with whatever you’re fermenting, you’ll want to place the glass slab on top of your food to keep them under the brine.
Then, add the rubber gasket and stainless steel top on it.
Place the rubber stopper to the top
Add ½ inch of water to the airlock system
Lastly, you’ll place the airlock system into the rubber stopper
 
The benefit of the airlock system is that it allows air to escape instead of having to manually “burp” the brew to letting gases escape. This kit was ideal for beginners like myself who would be otherwise clueless on how to let the gases escape.
 
Instead, you just load the jar and let it ferment in a dark place for about a week. 

After a week passed, I opened my big jar and tried a pickle. To my surprise, it had a crunch to it, so the tannin of the bay leaves was successful, but, the pickle just tasted like salt, so my brine might have been incorrectly proportioned. I feel like this was simply part of the learning curve, and not a reflection of Fermentools Starter Kit. The kit itself makes the fermenting process as simple as putting a fancy top on to a jar!


 
 

Fermentools is offering readers and friends a 15% discount on their products from now until June 30th, by using the code:
 

Crew2020
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Many other members of the Homeschool Review Crew tried out Fermentools - and made different fermented products, so be sure to check out their thoughts and reviews below!