Lakeland Fermentation Jar with Air-Release Valve 1L

If you’ve always wanted to have a go at making your own delicious sauerkraut or kimchi but are unsure where to start, fear not – this special 1 litre glass fermentation jar with air release valve is all the equipment you need to begin fermenting at home.

Air Release Valve

There’s no messing around with muslin cloths or remembering to 'burp' your jar as the airtight lid features a special one-way valve that allows built-up gas from the fermenting process to escape automatically, so there’ll be no explosive situations, while also preventing contamination from outside, which can make your food go mouldy.

Ideal for Sauerkraut

To make a basic sauerkraut that’s a world away from the stuff you find in supermarkets, all you need is cabbage and salt. Simply shred the cabbage and massage the salt into it until the cabbage goes soft and starts to produce a natural brining liquid. About five to ten minutes should do it and it’s really quite therapeutic. Add some caraway seeds for extra flavour, if you like, then put everything in this wide-mouthed fermentation and preserving jar, top up with water until the cabbage is covered, weigh it down with a cling-film-covered ramekin filled with baking beans and put the lid on. That’s it.

After about three days, it will be ready to eat, but the longer you leave it, the more the tangy flavour develops. When you’ve got the flavour just right, put the jar in the fridge to halt the fermenting process. It will keep for ages. Our buyer, Veronica, was still enjoying a batch three months after she originally made it.

What Else Can I Make?

As well as cabbage sauerkraut, you can experiment with other vegetables to make different flavoured sauerkraut – celery and dill, beetroot and juniper, ginger and carrot… the possibilities are endless.

You can also make kimchi to accompany Asian dishes, or try kombucha – a fizzy black tea. Ideal for preserving pickles and chutneys, too, it can also be used to make kefir or hold your sourdough starter.

What is Fermentation?

Fermentation is one of the oldest techniques for preserving and storing food. When you combine your vegetables with salt and store them in an airtight container, the naturally present beneficial bacteria transform your food into a natural probiotic.

Comes with a recipe for kimchi.

To learn more about fermenting and how it works visit our blog and read all about the Focus on Fermenting.