When you begin to ferment your own foods at home, you may start to realize that kits will only get you so far. In fact, if you plan on fermenting foods for your daily and routine diet, you may find that you need a lot more than what a simple kit offers. If you are planning on buying what you need and stocking up your supplies that can boost your fermentation projects, then here are a few things to consider.
Fermentation Crocks
If you are doing a lot of cabbage or vegetable based fermentation, you may want to invest in a fermentation crock. These crocks are usually an enameled clay or pottery based crock that have a wooden lid with an airtight seal. These crocks can be purchased at specialty stores or online. You can buy several crocks in different sizes as well. These crocks can be used for large batches of pickles, kimchi, or other similar foods. You can also use some crocks to house pickles and certain vegetables after fermentation.
Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is a must have supply to help with your fermentation projects. There are many projects, like kombucha, that should not have a tight lid on them. They do require something like cheesecloth as the lid during the fermentation process. You can buy cheesecloth in large amounts and cut them to fit so they are ready to go when you are. You can also buy them in precut options that are cut to fit different mason jar sizes.
Packers
When you make pickles and other vegetables in a fermentation process, you will need to pack them down and remove the air. You can do this with a knife when you have no other option, but one supply that will make your fermentation project easier is a set of packers. These packers can be made of plastic or of wood and will help you tamp down the vegetables and remove air from the fermentation area.
Fermentation Calendar
While not a real supply, having a fermentation calendar can help greatly with your fermentation projects. This calendar can help you keep up with what you are doing, how long it has been fermenting, and when you need to move the foods to the fridge for storage or use.
Most of the supplies on this list can be purchased at food supply or catering supply stores. You can also find some of the supplies online if you are in a more rural area where catering supply stores are hard to find.