Traditionally, people took great pride in making fermented vegetables such as pickles, sauerkraut, kim chi, and much much more. These were live foods, high in probiotics and enzymes. They were made using live beneficial bacteria and yeast. Today, we can buy crude factory approximations of these foods in supermarkets that may look and taste similar to these traditional foods, but are in fact dead and lack the true nutrition and probiotic benefits of live fermented foods. To truly get the good stuff, sometimes it's best to make it yourself. I have found it easy and so rewarding to make our own ferments. Here is some of the equipment I use.

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1 Gallon Wide Mouth Jar Manufacturer: Anchor Hocking (visit mfg)     I use this for fermenting vegetables in large quantities. I use it most often to make sauerkraut and it also works great for making salted duck eggs. I really like this jar as the wide mouth makes it very easy to pack the vegetables into the jar. Although the lid is not airtight, it is heavy and helps to weigh down my ferments and does a great job of making sure undesirable bacteria or yeast spores don't land in the jar. It is also large enough to fit a 2 cup pyrex bowl in to keep the veggies submerged during fermentation. I do a lot of fermenting, so I have two of these. The full name is the "Anchor Hocking 1 Gallon Heritage Hill Jar". It comes in 1 gallon, 2 gallon, 1/2 gallon and 3 quart sizes. This can be bought locally at Bed Bath & Beyond, the Container Store, as well as other kitchen stores. Learn more about this item at Amazon...

32 oz Clear Glass Jar Model Number: G016 This is my go to quart sized jar for my cultured veggies. Although I like a wide mouthed jar for ease of packing, I like the narrow mouth of this jar since I can tuck and wedge veggies under the mouth and keep it from coming above the brine. I have over two dozen of these floating around in my house and they are all in use! Besides fermented veggies, these are also great for storing nuts, herbs, and my homemade sleepy time tea mix. Learn more about this item at Container & Packaging Supply...

65 oz Clear Glass Jug Model Number: G007 This 1/2 gallon jar is fantastic for a variety of uses in the kitchen. I use them to pack away soaked and dried nuts, sauerkraut, pickles, fermented fish, and all sorts of other foods. It also works great for dripping kefir and yogurt cheese. Be sure to also buy caps if you order these jars. I use the "L247 - 110-400 White PP Ribbed Lid (unlined)" with my jars. Please note, these jars don't specifically indicate that they can be used with pressurized contents, so better to be safe and cap it loosely. That way the air that is released during fermentation can be allowed to escape. Learn more about this item at Container & Packaging Supply...

Organic Flour Sack Towels by Williams-Sonoma These towels are great for straining kefir or yogurt for making kefir or yogurt cheese. I find these towels work better than cheesecloth for this type of straining as cheesecloth tends to be a little too widely woven. I really like these because they are organic, which I feel is especially important given their use and that they will be in direct contact with our food. They are rather large, but hold together well when cut. I have cut one into 4 pieces for certain uses. I recommend boiling the towels to sanitize them before the first use. To clean, simply wash them by hand with baking soda or a green/biodegradable detergent after each use. Learn more about this item at Williams-Sonoma...

Oxo Mini Salad and Herb Spinner Manufacturer: Oxo (visit mfg)     Model Number: 1045409 I use the plastic strainer insert in this spinner for straining milk kefir. I like my milk kefir well fermented, and when done perfectly, my milk kefir is very thick. That makes it hard to put through a fine strainer, but you also want a small enough mesh to keep the grains from falling through. I find the plastic strainer insert perfect for kefir. I don't ever use this as a salad spinner since it's not very rugged, but I occasionally will use when rinsing berries and herbs. Learn more about this item at Amazon...

Pyrex 2-Cup Storage Plus Round Dish Manufacturer: Corning Incorporated (visit mfg)     Model Number: 6017399 This works perfectly for weighing down the sauerkraut in the Anchor Hocking 1 Gallon Wide Mouth Jar. To use, I simply fill it with spring water (in case some leaks) and place it on top of the veggies to weigh them down and keep them submerged below the brine. If using a 1/2 Gallon Anchor Hocking Jar, then use the 1-cup pyrex in this one's place. Oh, and these are great for food storage too. We have over 20 of these as it makes for a perfect serving of soup or stew when packing my lunch. Learn more about this item at Amazon...

Pyrex 4-Cup Measuring Cup with Cover Manufacturer: Corning Incorporated (visit mfg)     Model Number: 1055162 I like this for making milk kefir. I simply place my plastic strainer over it, which catches the kefir grains, and pour the kefir through. If I want to make kefir cheese, I put the cover on and let it ferment at room temperature another 1/2 day or so. Otherwise, I can easily pour the kefir into jars or containers to store away. Pyrex also makes a version of this measuring cup without the cover at a much lower price, but I like having the cover for when I make kefir smoothies. I simply place the desired amount of kefir in the container, throw in a banana, a handful of other fruit, honey, and blend with a hand blender. If I don't finish the kefir smoothie in one sitting, I put the cap on and stick it in the fridge. Very handy! Learn more about this item at Amazon...

SIGG Cleaning Brush with Red Bristles Manufacturer: Sigg (visit mfg)     Model Number: 8216.5 Amazingly slim with a long reach, this is the only brush that I am able to get into my gallon sized fermenting jugs that I use for water kefir. Before I got this brush, I actually had to retire one of my bottles because I used it to brew cider vinegar and could not get the yeasty strands off the insides, no matter how much swishing and shaking I did. The only thing I wish is that it came with more bristles, but then again that may cause it to not fit in slim openings. My gallon fermentation jugs have a 1.25" opening, and this brush got it sparkling clean. Learn more about this item at Amazon...

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