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

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

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

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

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

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