Fermented Food Lab

Simple And Safe Fermentation For Beginners

  • Home
  • Beginner Workshop
  • Hot Sauce Workshop
  • Fermented Food School
  • Recipes
    • Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut
    • Lacto-Fermented Pickles
    • Lacto-Fermented Hot Sauce
    • Probiotic Drinks
    • Water Kefir
    • Kombucha
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Brine pickling / Ways to keep veggies under the brine

Ways to keep veggies under the brine

September 28, 2016 By Danielle 24 Comments

Pinterest0
Facebook0
Twitter0

Can't get your sauerkraut or pickles to stay under the brine? Here are ways to keep veggies under the brine. Simple and easy.

Can’t get your pickles or sauerkraut to stay under the brine during fermentation? It can be frustrating to go through all the effort of chopping, shredding and stuffing your ingredients into jars to ferment… only to find them a few days later with fuzzy mold growing on the little bits that stick out of the brine.  I’ve tried many ways to keep veggies under the brine. Here are the ones that work.

Ways To Keep Veggies Under The Brine

Cabbage Leaves

Can't get your sauerkraut or pickles to stay under the brine? Here are ways to keep veggies under the brine. Simple and easy.

I always use this method when I make sauerkraut because it’s very effective and convenient. This can be used for pickles too if you have a head of cabbage on hand.

Peel two pieces of cabbage leaf, roll it up and stuff it into the jar. The lid will keep it in place. When you’re done fermenting, throw away the cabbage leaf.

Fermentation Weights

Can't get your sauerkraut or pickles to stay under the brine? Here are ways to keep veggies under the brine. Simple and easy.

I use fermentation weights the most. They are one of my favorite way to keep veggies under the brine, because they fit perfectly, are heavy enough, and always on hand.  I either use pickle pebbles or ceramic weights when fermenting veggies.

Rock

Can't get your sauerkraut or pickles to stay under the brine? Here are ways to keep veggies under the brine. Simple and easy.

It’s kinda silly, but it works really well. My best friend uses a rock every time she makes sauerkraut. You can find them in any size and weight you want. And they’re free! I recommend boiling the rock for 15 minutes before you use it.

Small Glass Jar

Can't get your sauerkraut or pickles to stay under the brine? Here are ways to keep veggies under the brine. Simple and easy.

Use a small glass jar or ramekin that will fit inside your fermentation jar. Wide mouth jars work best for this method. If you need to weigh it down even more, put a rock inside the small jar.

Large Pieces Of Fruit Or Veggies

Can't get your sauerkraut or pickles to stay under the brine? Here are ways to keep veggies under the brine. Simple and easy.

Similar to a cabbage leaf, you can use any piece of fruit or vegetable to weigh down the veggies in the brine. I used a slice of apple to hold down these fermented apple slices. I’ve used leftover carrot chunks, orange slices and large pieces of zucchini. Get creative and use anything that won’t change the flavor of your pickles.

How do you keep your veggies under the brine when making fermented foods? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Fermenting,

Danielle

You may also like these

  • Top 10 Fermented Food Recipes of 2015Top 10 Fermented Food Recipes of 2015
  • The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Salt in FermentationThe Do’s and Don’ts of Using Salt in Fermentation
  • Tips To Ferment Vegetables Safely & Prevent MoldTips To Ferment Vegetables Safely & Prevent Mold
  • Tips for making lacto-fermented foods in cold weatherTips for making lacto-fermented foods in cold weather
  • 9 Tips to Get Your Child Happily Eating Probiotic Rich Foods9 Tips to Get Your Child Happily Eating Probiotic Rich Foods
  • How to prevent mold when fermenting vegetablesHow to prevent mold when fermenting vegetables

Filed Under: Brine pickling, FAQs, Pickled Veggies, Sauerkraut, Troubleshooting, Uncategorized Tagged With: fermentation, How-to, pickles, sauerkraut, tips

« Top Probiotic Apple Recipes
How to prevent mold when fermenting vegetables »
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

When Danielle started making fermented foods several years ago she struggled to find easy instructions. Advice was often conflicting and confusing, so she started Fermented Food Lab to teach her simple and easy methods for making sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, and probiotic drinks. Read More…

© 2017 Fermented Food Lab
 · Shipping Policy
 · Return Policy · Privacy Policy