Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten more and more interested in small batch fermentation (these dilly beans and last week’s batch of hot sauce are two good examples). Throughout my slow-motion tumble down the lactobacillus rabbit hole, I’ve gathered a useful collection of gear designed to help my little ferments turn out well.
Late in the spring, a pair of products I’ve come to use a lot fell into my lap, thanks to the folks at Masontops. They had reached out in the hopes that I’d write about their Chalk Tops (which I did), but also included a Pickle Packer and a set of regular mouth Pickle Pebbles in the package they sent, just so I could see their whole product line.
I use the Pickle Packer nearly every time I make a batch of sauerkraut (which ends up being at least a couple times a month). It allows me to quickly bash the cabbage and salt together and then compress them neatly into a quart or half gallon jar. And the Pickle Pebbles are great for weighing down the veg so that the top doesn’t rise up above the liquid and then dry out, discolor, or mold. They are just simple, useful products.
On Thursday, the folks at Masontops are launching a Kickstarter campaign for a new product, which I do believe is going to knock the socks off those of you who do a lot of fermentation. I’ll have more about that product on Thursday as well. In the meantime, I’m giving away one of their fermentation sets, which includes both the Pickle Packer and Pebbles. Here’s how to enter.
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you’re cooking, canning, or fermenting this week.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, October 10, 2015. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, October 11, 2015.
- Giveaway open to United States residents only.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.
Disclosure: The Masontops folks send me a collection of their products for photography purposes and are providing the fermentation kit for the winner of this giveaway. They recently become a Food in Jars sponsor. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.
I was planning to make fig jam, but then my fig source disappeared! I may make some applesauce instead.
Yesterday, I made 6 pints of dilly beans, 6 pints of pickled carrots, and 2 half pints of pear caramel – all from your books. My husband’s family chows down the dilly beans as fast as I can make them!
Drying mushrooms and apples and canning pickled garlic this week
Neat! Up this week is tarragon pickled red onion with habaneros.
I am “trying” to finish up my zucchini. I am canning zucchini salsa! I think I enjoy it more than tomato salsa.
i’ll be trying my hand at home made mustard this week!
Green beans!
Well. This week we are learning to cook for a chemo patient. Nothing super radical, but a bit aggravating. Want to can something, but haven’t decided what. Yet.
Working on a few lbs of urban-foraged hardy oranges — infusing the zest, preserving in salt, maybe some marmalade. On Wednesday I’m getting 10# of Concord grapes to play with.
Came across your site while looking for a tomato jam recipe as I am staring at five more cases of tomatoes that came home from the farmers market this weekend! Lovely, lovely place to find food recipes and yes, I will be making your jam recipe this evening! thank you!
Pear sauce – to eat on top of pancakes or waffles. thanks!
I’ll be starting on applesauce this week— vanilla bean, peach, strawberry, and blueberry cardamom.
I want to make apple/cranberry jam now that apples are in season.
Roasting and freezing the last of the cherry tomatoes!
I’m making my first attempt at sauerkraut this week!
I can tell you what I’m *not* fermenting. Sigh. I have a head of cabbage in the back of the crisper drawer that was so fresh and perfect in the store two weeks ago that I bought intending to make another batch of sauerkraut. I have had good intentions, but no time or energy to actually follow through. Perhaps if I had the allure of a large hunk of wood to beat the unruly kraut into submission, it would have happened already!
I haven’t been up to much canning this year, but did put away some fridge pickles this past weekend as they’re a borderline obsession for me! I have been trying my hand at batch brewing kombucha this year and loving it!
I have 3 bags of apples in my kitchen waiting to be made into apple sauce. I was also excited to find a great vegan recipe to make a cake with my apricot or peach butters. It was delicious.
Just started my first ever jar of sauerkraut 😀
Kombucha, and about to start a ginger bug
I’m cooking homemade macaroni and cheese, stuffed peppers, pork barbecue & fried apples this week. Thanks for the giveaway!
If the kohlrabi in the garden is still edible, a batch of fermented kohlrabi pickles (so good!). Pesto with the last of the year’s basil harvest.
This week I’m trying to make some pumpkin jam.
This week we’re stuffing ourselves on the last of the bell peppers!
I am experimenting (for the first time) with Kombucha. I am waiting for my first batch. And my oldest is after me to do saurkraut again. I bought the cabbage yesterday!
I’m fermenting my first batch of ginger carrots
This weekend I found some absolutely delicious late season white peaches at the farmer’s market that were completely irresistible, and made a batch of your boozy canned peaches. I also picked up some bartlett pears that I hope to make pear and chocolate jam out of this week for holiday gifts.
Thanks for such incredible recipes!
I’m not making any sauerkraut this week, but I will make a cabbage slaw tonight!
I just canned the cider we pressed over the weekend. I will also be canning cranberry sauce today. Fall is in the air! Have fun in your kitchen, too!
making ketchup with the last of the tomatoes.
I am dehydrating parsley. Made green salsa today for enchiladas to go with the red salsa I canned a few weeks ago. I have two 24 year old sons who are learning to can this year with me.
This week I’ll be pickling more red and golden beets. I baked bread yesterday. My plans are to visit the farmers market on Saturday and see what looks good. Saturday night and Sunday will be spent canning.
Noni Juice
This week I am pickling cayenne peppers for hot sauce and probably some sauerkraut as well. And I’ve got some dodgy looking carrots, which I may pickle with daikon for banh mi. I’ve got two cases of plum tomatoes already canned, along with dilly beans and hot pickled okra. I’ve still got a bunch of jam from last year to get through, so I’ve not made any this year. I think I’m ready for winter.
pears in light syrup and candies jalapenos.
4 weeks ago I made an apple pie, and saved and fermented the apple cores and peels. Yesterday I decanted my very own homemade apple cider vinegar from those scraps. Full strength and very tasty.
I’ve been putting sauerkraut on various different vegan grain bowls. It harmonizes with a surprisingly wide range of flavors!
thinking of doing apple butter, although i understand you can’t safely can the stuff, which is too bad. may also do another batch of peach jam from our teeny little wild peaches. i know, peaches aren’t wild, per se, but we don’t do anything to thin or do any spraying, so they come out the size of large strawberries. still tasty tho…
In addition to the beer and mead I always have fermenting, this week I have a batch of the fermented hot sauce posted last week going.
This would be great for my sauerkraut making in canning jars!!
Our rooftop garden is overflowing with hot peppers and mint, so I’m hoping to do something with those this week. Maybe some mint jelly and pickled hot peppers, since I already have tons of mint-pepper jelly in the cabinet…
I’m making apple butter this week! A little autumn love! <3
I’m canning chicken this weekend and some split pea soup!
I’m fermenting sauerkraut flavored with cilantro, garlic, and onion.
I have a quart jar of sauerkraut fermenting. I’m thinking about trying the fermented hot sauce, too.
I have a half gallon jar of salsa fermenting on the counter now and ready to dig into a bushel of local apples.
Peaches!
Just fermented 2 quarts of cabbage. I would love to win this.
Carol
I am new to fermenting…I tried jalapeños and I’m a little scared to eat them… They seem a little slimy? This week I plan on canning tomatoes.
Currently, I have maple applesauce in the canner, ready to pull out in a few minutes.
I want to make a batch of fermented hot sauce with peppers from our garden, and I possibly have enough tomatoes to make some roasted tomato sauce (to can, hopefully).
This week I am working 12 hour night shifts. i am doing nothing but working, and sleeping. This weekend is apple sauce!!!!
this week I’m canning tomato sauce, but I love making sauerkraut! We go through it quickly around here!
Thanks for the entry!
Just started my first batch of sauerkraut.
Going to can tomatoes on Saturday and will soon be pickling a roast for corned beef.
Would love the fermentation goodies to go along with my fermentation crock that I love so dearly!
This week among other things, I am roasting some bitter gourd.
Giardiniera!
I just pulled out some bread from the oven…..some no-knead artisan bread. Tomorrow we’re headed to the produce auction to hopefully score some tomatoes for soup!!
This week I am canning key lime marmalade and ginger syrup. I’d like to make your plum crockpot jam, but I’m having a hard time finding those fruit in Arizona.
I’ll be trying my hand at applesauce this weekend!
Making Zinfandel jelly this week.
Just finished making sauerkraut
I’ve been making jam forever and just got into pickles this summer but I’ve always avoided sauerkraut (and fermentation in general) because honestly I was intimidated by the process and it just seemed like a bit too much to undertake in my little apartment kitchen, especially since most recipes call for making massive amounts. But then I’ve just started reading your books and lo and behold you provide a really simple method for doing a small batch and now I’m completely inspired to give it a try. I just wanted to thank you for that as I LOVE good sauerkraut.
I’ve just started playing with fermentation, and have made sauerkraut a couple of times (big, whopping 2 quart jars!). Next on the list: kimchi!
I just made some tomato sauce this weekend and have a batch of sauerkraut on the counter now. Just saw a tempting recipe for some fermented tomatillo salsa and need to pick the last of the tomatillos from the garden to make it.
This week I need to put up another couple jars of refrigerator pickles, finding a couple more recipes for butternut squash, and making a small batch of chunky applesauce
Pizza, really, although I’m also planning to work on sourdough soon 🙂
This week I am working on tomato sauce for the canning pot!
Been feeling a real urge to start some pickling….!
I’m doing Refrigerator Pickles and Sourdough Breads. . Healing from a neck injury, therfore not able to can 🙁
I’d love to have that kraut masher! This week I have kombucha Fermenting and made yougurt last night.
This week I’m making green tomato pickles!
applesauce and apple butter for me!
This weekend I canned pickled peppers and blended up my fermented peppers for hot sauce. I have more fermenting now for round two!
Not this week, but next week when I’m on a break from work, I’m making ketchup. I also need to look over the finances for the next couple of months and see whether I can afford the pressure canner I want just yet. I was hoping to get it this month, but due to a couple of things coming up, it might have to wait till Christmas. 🙁 But I’m looking forward to eventually being able to pressure can stocks too.
I just canned 5 pints of salsa Verde and made pesto for the freezer. But do have some cabbages waiting to be transformed into kraut next weekend.
My first batch of fermented hot sauce with the last of the hot peppers from my garden!
So many things! Tomatoes! Tomato soup! Green beans, pluot butter and pluot barbeque sauce!
Dehydrating apples and cherry tomatoes, canning applesauce and butchering chickens…most of the garden is done (other than greens and such) but I am so grateful for a good gardening year and the green beans that I am still getting from my last planting!
My family ferments cabbage, kombucha and kefir. I would love to try pickles.
Nothing this week but this weekend will start the beginning of apple sauce, apple butter, etc.
Honestly? Fermenting only my brain!!!! 🙂 I just defended my doctoral dissertation and now it is NOTHING that involves much brain power! 🙂 But, I am looking forward to making some cabbage soon, since here in upstate NY (cabbage capital of the world!) the cabbage is getting ready to be picked!…
My habaneros and tomatillos are going crazy in my garden, so I made a habanero pepper jelly, lots of tomatillo salsa, and just finished my first batch of kosher dills. Sauerkraut is next on my list to learn! Love your site, your books, and your wit and wisdom!
Canning some pear butter, if I don’t eat it all first!
We have started cooking pumpkin oatmeal again for breakfast!
Actually I’m making your roasted salsa verde! I’ve got some purple tomatillos so I’m hoping that batch is an interesting color as opposed to the grey/tan I’m afraid I might get….
This week it’s freezing roasted peppers and the last of the tomatoes. Next week . . . applesauce.
i want t.o start making my own sauerkraut.
i want to start making my own sauerkraut.
I am still waiting on pickled peppers to be ready to eat and it is a bake sale week. Blondies, brownies and cookies- oh my!
Making a big batch of steak salad with salsa verde a la Serious Eats, featuring salt-packed capers, home-pickled dill cucumbers, and a ton of anchovies.
My family was given about 30 Crook Neck Squash. So it is freezing squash. And I have some leeks to get to.
I made your blueberry cobbler recipe last night! I live in Texas so just recently planted my fall garden. In a couple of months I’ll have cauliflower and cabbage ready to ferment.
This week I’m making the spiced apple pie filling and strawberry jam. Next week is apple sauce and apple butter…I love all your canning recipes!
Pickle Packer, Pebbles & a Pickle Pipe! Say that fast 10 times! This week, for me: applesauce, sauerkraut on week 2, fermented jalapeños on week 1. Have to fit in chicken stock. I want to tackle fermented hot sauce but will probably have to move that to next week.
I’ve already made a pot of vegetable soup loaded with tomatoes, corn, zucchini, and peppers, and baked a batch of pumpkin spice french macarons. I’m planning on baking a loaf of bread and some pumpkin muffins later this week.
This week I am teaching my first chutney class!
Cooking chili in honor of cooler weather!
Right now I have three active ferments going; plain sauerkraut using my last garden cabbage, hard apple cider from our own fresh-pressed apples, and home-made gochujang (Fermented Korean chili paste).
I’m going to be pickling radishes this weekend — I’ve gotten obsessed with Japanese pickled radish and am hoping to re-create the flavors!
Sauerkraut and ALLOFTHESOUP!
Into week three fermenting some hot sauce.
I am not going to be spending any time in the kitchen this week, because I’m moving. I’m hoping to get back at it soon, though!
This week I’m trying out a recipe for Chai-spiced Italian plum jam. If it turns out as good as it sounds, I have plans to turn it into Christmas gifts.
Finally pulled all the green tomatoes off the vine (temps are still in the 70s in Seattle) and am making relish and chutney with them. Thanks for the chance to win!
I just made a double batch of braised beef ragu to be split into many meals and stowed in the freezer. I also just popped open my dilly beans and was nearly consumed by regret that green bean season has prettymuch passed now.
I am canning pears this week. I’m doing vanilla bean pear sauce and vanilla bean pear jam.
Today I am going to make taco sauce for the first time. I hope I get just the right taste!
Canning Sauerkraut, salsa and potatoes, and a bit of dehydrating, busy busy!
I am canning Tomato sauce
I’m not doing anything right now. It’s been way too hot except for today when them temps plummeted and it rained. It will be back to 94 by Saturday.
What I see using this for is a Rumtopf. I have been using a plate and saran wrap to weigh down the fruit under the rum but now I’m thinking of looking at some sort of pebble or crock used for fermentation of sauerkraut.
corn cob jelly, apple butter and pizza sauce
Applesauce! Kimchi! Pizza 🙂
I’m about to make my annual batch of blueberry sauerkraut!
I had to throw out a batch of “fermenties” because it went moldy and ammoniacal. I left it sitting in the brine too long before jarring and packing down. And I had to put my kombucha to sleep because I’m having reflux digestive issues, and the acidity is not good for me right now, even though it’s therapeutic as a general tonic. But it’s always good to clean out and start over. Next? Pureed leek soup with some of my good homemade broth. Some chicken hearts with rice or squash? Couple pork chops braised in the slow cooker or perhaps broiled? And yes, more apple pear sauce depending on what comes from CSA Thursday. Or maybe my daughter and I will make a crumble to celebrate her moving out to her own space.
I am fermenting sauerkraut (my first time trying fermenting) and hopefully will finally make the hot pepper jelly I’ve been meaning to make for a week…
Fermented kosher style pickles – yum
I’m actually giving sauerkraut a go this week! Next up, kimchi!
I’ve been researching how to preserve chestnuts.
Just finishing up some sauerkraut, getting ready to start kimchee
I’m trying sauerkraut for the first time ever! I’m very excited to see how it turns out.
I’m hoping to make some fermented hot sauce this week, along with pickled eggplant/zucchini.
I’ve done some kosher dills, mixed veggies and some radishes for pickling this week. Trying a little of everything!
I bought the prettiest little purple cabbage at the market the other day (purple is my middle daughters favorite color!) with the hopes of trying to make my first batch of sauerkraut!
Assuming my local farmers market still has beans, I’m going to give the dilly beans a go.
Apple butter!
I have two things on the agenda this week: can a batch of your pear lemon honey butter, and start a batch of sauerkraut.
We are going to try sauerkraut this year. Hope it turns out.
It’s been all apples, all the time lately. Pie filling and plain slices in jars. I have a hankering to try something new next, but not sure what.
I will hopefully be making another batch of bread and tomato sauce to can with any extra tomatoes I have , and pumpkin and apple pie filling 🙂 also collecting hickory nuts from our property 🙂 love the fall season!!!
These products would have simplified my first venture in making sauerkraut !
It’s Napa season so I’m going for sauerkraut and Kimchi. These tools would be perfect.
Got kimchi on the go from last week — would looooove these nifty tools! And I’m bottling marinara sauce later today.
I used a wooden tart tamper this year, nice to see there’s a better tool. Would love both of these!
my favorite ferment is Kim Chi, though I’m happy to make classic Sour pickles as well.
Anything I can with tomatoes before our first freeze!
Today I’ll be canning tomato soup, using the balance of the tomatoes left from the three bushels we purchased from the farmers market. This weekend we’ll be going to a local orchard to purchase apples for pie filling. If I can anything else this week it’ll be dry beans (pinto, black, and red) as we just used the last of what we had on the shelf for a pot of chili last week.
I’m trying to ferment hot peppers — the contents of half of the jars stayed under the brine, the rest did not. Peppers like to float! I tried to use my pie weights to keep things under. I’ll have to try again. And your recipe for fermented hot sauce looks promising.
McIntosh applesauce. Skins on.
I’ve canned 24 pints of applesauce this week alone! I’ve tried to ferment some sauerkraut before but had no luck. Just tasted salty…
I’ll be making jelly w/ the last of the Mustang grapes and also getting the Fall garden planted.
We are picking up our Muscadine grapes for jelly today!
Not making anything particularly glamorous this week. Canning 16 pounds of taco meat today and taking an intermediate fermentation class this weekend. I want to try my hand at kombucha soon.
I am making 2 kinds of kraut, hotsauce, dilly beans, preserved lemons, honeyed garlic and ginger and salsa…preserving as much of that end of season produce as possible.
Chutney and sauerkraut
I am visiting my Nana this week, so I am not canning or fermenting anything. However, when I get home I want to make my first batch of sauerkraut. I wish I had this set already.
What well thought out products! This week: a second batch of pizza sauce, sauerkraut, and fermented Hungarian hot peppers (for the pizzas).
This week I am cooking dog food and fermenting a Salad Kraut.
I have been dying to make fermented hot sauce, and also to put my new set from Fermentools to use! Maybe this weekend…
That pickle packer would help!!
It’s apple sauce season here.
oh, these look very useful! canning up some damson plums this week, as i found them at market on sunday. also, probably another round of marinated peppers.
Beef vegetable soup and possibly applesauce.
tomato sauce and possibly roasted tomatoes as well.
Fermented dill pickles, attempting fermented tomatoes for salsa, and your tomato jam recipe. Yum!
Pickled asparagus!
I’ve already got tons of winter squash and sweet potatoes from the CSA, so something involving them!
I’m going to try to make kimchi!
I’m going to try to make kimchi!
I’ve been trying to duplicate my grandma’s chicken/turkey hash. It’s such a comfort after the huge meal the day before.
I’m trying out some new gluten free recipes I’ve wanted to taste! I’ll be working on some sauerkraut and fermented beans so these would come in handy!
Working through (and freezing) lots of fall casseroles, shepherd’s pies, and soups this week.
Pickled red onions and kimchi!
Candied jalapenos!
I’m doing pickles now, but I really want to try to get into fermentation – kimchi look out!
I’m hoping for late season kohlrabi to make kimchi and then hoping to find a bushel of apples to can sauce. Everything else is pretty much done.
Peach tomato chutney (had frozen peaches a few weeks back), and some roasted cherry tomatoes to put in the freezer.
I had lots of whole plums in my freezer this week, so they became honey plum sauce. Three and a half pints of perfect jewel-colored sauce! I have kimchi to make later this week, I might have to look into these tools even if I don’t win!
Just finished pickling some beets as well as some sliced ginger, and I’ve been wanting to try making my first batch of kimchi.
I have been wanting to make some dilly beans, so maybe I will give that a go this week.
I love the idea of the pebbles! Very smart. This week I’m not fermenting anything, but am working my way through apples: pie filling, sauce, and dehydrating… plus searching for something new to try with them.
pickled beets
Fermented pickles!! Sauerkraut is next!
I am making my monthly batch of sauerkraut this weekend. It’s on constant rotation in my house.
Spaghetti and pizza sauce
I am working through my apples, canning pie filling and sauce.
Some dill pickles for me. This is my first recipe using fresh dill rather than dill seed.
I’m trying your hot sauce recipe 🙂 Thanks for that!
I have yet to make anything fermented besides my kombucha. I would love to win these! Thanks for always offering such great giveaways!
I’ve been canning grape jam, dilly beans and tomato sauce this week. Next up cucamelons! Would love to try the pickle packer and weights. Growing up my Dad and I made large crocks of sauerkraut, but that became too much to handle. Excited to try small batch really soon. On a side note I have a question Marisa–I recently made your Pickled Brussels Sprout Halves recipe and they have a pinkish ting to them. I didn’t use red peppercorns, but could regular black peppercorns release that color?
Nancy, that’s normal with sprouts.
I am cooking Butter Chicken this week. I also want to make morning glory muffins. Kroger has asparagus on sale so I also want to try to pickle some this week since I did not get a chance during the spring.
I have tomatoes from my garden that I need to do something with this week, so that’s on the list. I will probably just can up some crushed tomatoes.
I seem to have taken a similar trajectory into fermenting. I love the tangy sour flavors.
I tried my first batch of sauerkraut last month and loved it! Batch number two this week.
I’m fermenting cucumber spears with lots and lots of garlic (I was gifted a large bag by a farmer) with dill seed and pink pepper corns.
This week I had a lot of apples, so I canned applesauce, apple maple butter, and apple marmalade. I also put into the freezer some spiced apple rings and an applesauce cake. I had never thought of making just one quart of sauerkraut at a time, but that is something worth a look with the pickle packer (with the cabbage ready to pick now).
It’s a busy time at work and we’re still working through all the CSA I pickled while the rest of the family was in Europe . . . so all I’ve got fermenting is a single half-pint of peppers. I try a nibble occasionally, but I understand they do best when they’re allowed to mature for a long time.
This week I’m going to be canning green tomato salsa, to use up all of the tomatoes that won’t ripen now that the weather has turned cold. I have always wanted to try fermenting, but it usually ends in failure because I don’t have a good way of weighing the contents down, so I would LOVE to try the pickle packer and pebbles!!
Just bought apples to make applesauce, spiced apple pie filling, apple brandy and to dehydrate. Lots of apples.
I’ve got tomatoes to turn into Chipotle Ketchup. That’s our holiday gift for friends and neighbors this year so we’re making _a lot_ !
I just made some tomato jam
I make kombucha!
I’m going to try out your green tomato chutney.
This week making Indian style pickles or acchars.
This week I’m making broccoli cheese soup to combat the chilly weather we’ve been having.
My current ferments include a rye sour dough, kombucha, hot sauce and 2 buckets of chick feed. Around here everyone gets fermented food.
Apples. Probably some apple pie, and maybe some apple jelly.
Tomatillos and cukes!
Sauerkraut green tomatoe pickles and anything else I can get to, Fingers crossed, know I would find these VERY useful.
Need to desperately start my sauerkraut! Just made cherry syrup too!
I’m still perfecting my pickles! I do want to try pickled eggs next though…
We put our peppers to work last night and whipped up a batch of your fermented hot sauce and another batch from a siriacha recipe. So pretty, ones red and the other green.
I am not sure what I will canning this week. The farmers market is tomorrow, so I will see what ‘calls’ to me and what is available. Last week it was apples — applesauce. I missed your sauerkraut post, just looked it up and will definitely try it.
Vinegar!
Plums….many plums!
This morning I made a batch of vodka soaked/infused fresh and dried pears and apples in a quart jar. The pickle pebbles would be perfect for this project!
Fermenting zatar kraut:-)
This set looks really neat. I haven’t played with pickles yet (other than the overnight-refrigerator variety), but Sunday I baked macarons, Monday night I baked my first ever sour cream pound cake, Thursday is fajita night, and this weekend I’ll be canning a couple of jams/jellies to get rid of the fruit in my freezer.
Today is our CSA pickup day, so I have to see what the bounty is before I know the entirety of what we’ll be making this week. That said, we acquired beautiful snow pea leaves over the weekend from a local Asian market, so those are definitely in line for some garlic-sauteed TLC!
Pumpkin roll and lemon blueberry scones!
Interesting item…..thinking about trying fermentation! I have some peppers on the vine and thinking about making some hot sauce. Everything I read about home fermented foods has been very interesting. My only venture into fermentation has been muscadine wine. This year was a waste for canning. My figs were not pretty and pears and tomatoes didn’t even appear. The only item readily available was okra and we cook that off and freeze for gumbo. This weekend I cooked Shrimp and Grits and fried a soft shell crab…mmm……wish I had more time to cook during the week!
This week’s adventures! First time wine making. yummy. And of course wonderful muscadine grape jelly and a little end of the season garden relish with green tomatoes. What a great week!
I’ll be making some applesauce this week.
Applesauce, from all the lovely offerings at our local orchard!
I am canning tomatoes this week. I want to start fermenting……sauerkraut that is!
Sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, and kombucha! Hoping to can some last tomatoes too 🙂
I bought some Pie pumpkins that I will be roasting, then freezing. I am going to make some small containers for those recipes that call for a cup or less of pumpkin.
I was inspired by your hot sauce ferment and decided I’m going to give it a try!
I’m trying my hand at making apple butter for the first time!
Ooooh, I have my first batch of lacto sauerkraut fermenting away for the past month. Would love to start fermenting some additional things!
Apple sauce and hopefully hot sauce if I can still find peppers at the farmer’s market.
I just ‘put up’ 20 jars of soup – my husband takes it every day for work lunch so…..done, and done
Scarlet pears! –djs
I don’t know! I want to try fermenting so badly, though.
Canning the last of the tomatoes from the garden, and putting my last batch of fermented dill pickles in the fridge to keep them from getting too soft!
Canning applesauce right this minute! Apple butter coming up and I do sauerkraut every 6 months or so too. The pickle packer looks great!
2 bushels of Romas. So far made 15 quarts of plain crushed tomatoes and was going to crush the rest, but I’m now thinking of roasting the rest first.
We’re making our first ever batch of sauerkraut this week.
I am fermenting a pepper sauce made with anaheims and jalapenos. I also put in garlic and shallots.
Currently fermenting sauerkraut, kohlrabi, and Anaheim peppers. My gut is gonna be so happy.
No canning this week, but I am about to start my first batch of kombucha and will be baking up some autumnal cinnamon-apple bread tomorrow afternoon. 🙂 Thank you for the opportunity, these look like wonderful tools!
I’m cooking vegetarian sloppy joes (made with textured vegetable protein and mushrooms) with coleslaw this week.
Orange marmalade!
Apples, apples and more apples….
Too cold here to leave the peppers on the plants any longer so lots of jalapeños being pickled this week…and local Napa cabbage is finally in so kimchee moved to the top of the list.
Using up the last few tomatoes from the garden. Roasted tomato sauce!
pickled green tomatoes!
I’ve been putting up apples (sauce, butter, pie filling) and have made some dill pickles. I’m going to make some pickled beets this week.
Apples – apple butter and spiced pickled apple slices.
Sauerkraut!
Roasting squash and pumpkins to be frozen!
Making a squash curry this week!
Ohh! What I wouldn’t do for a set of these! I have tried several methods and always wind up with mold in my kraut.
I think the only thing I have left to can is my mom’s family recipe for zucchini relish, so I’d better get to it before zucchinis are all gone! I bet this kit would be handy for it.
I’m making mini pumpkin whoopie pies this week. Loving the cooler weather and the treats that come along with it!
Apple pie jam. Homemade granola bars. Vegan nutella!
I am elbows-deep in apples right now, and finding time to start kraut, too!!
Making my first ever fermented goodie! Pickles!
Carrots!!
Will be canning peppers, and drying apples this week
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks… well, I turned 71-yrs old in September. As long as I have been canning and preserving foods I am always looking for ways to make my canning easier. I have just about finished my canning for 2015. Next will be dried cranberry salsa and pears. Well, I still have at least fifteen pounds of whole tomatoes in the freezer that need thawed out and canned. Oh yes, lets not forget the pie pumpkins. [smile]
This is fate…cabbage is on sale this week for .29 cents a head. I am going to try to make crout for the first time…in my grandma’s old pickle crocks! (I have all of them…they range from a small one to a huge one I am using as a base for an end table. I will be using the smallest one! :>
The long rainy weekend inspired me to get canning as fall moves so quickly and the canner helps keep the kitchen warm on chilly wet days! I fermented dilly beans and a whole quart of sirarcha sauce! I canned chow chow and 3 quarts of spiced apple pie filling. I made a half gallon of sauerkraut tonight.
Salsa and potluck pickles. Very interested in trying homemade sauerkraut.
Hi! I just wanted to say I love your blog, and both of your small-batch canning cookbooks! They have really helped me pave the way in my canning this year. I’ve got pots of habaneros and cayenne growing on my porch waiting to be used for your awesome fermented hot sauce recipe!
This week I’ve made 2 types of pickled zucchini from your books. I’ve also made peach-habenero hot sauce (it’s-burn-your-face-off hot goodness), pickled okra, candied fresh dates in spiced syrup, caramel apple jam, and watermelon and cantaloupe jelly. Up next is mixed veggie giardiniera, blackberry-basil jam, pickled watermelon rind and definitely more hot sauce! ^_^
Oh wow…those look really useful! This week I am cooking/preparing lots of apple stuff. Maybe a batch of apple pie kombucha?
Drying apples and pears and fermenting the resulting peels and cores to make vinegar for the chickens
Fermented hot chili sauce, apple sauce and whatever comes in the CSA box
Chutney of all sorts…to complement all of the slow cooked sunday crock-pot roasts that I’ve been making now that fall-ish weather has arrived in North Carolina. I’d love that pickle packer to use instead of my rolling pin!
Pears here, pears there, pears everywhere!!!
Making some roasted pear butter in my crockpot…yum!
Canning up some Apple Pie Filling this upcoming weekend. My first time canning with Clear Jel! Any tips would be appreciated!
I need to do something with all these bell peppers! Not sure what yet.
I’m fermenting some hot sauce right now, and it’s almost ready, woo hoo!
My great-uncle Flavian just gave me 50 lbs of tomatoes! So excited!
Louisiana Style Hot Sauce!!
With the cooler weather, I’ve been all about the casseroles and gratins lately
I am canning sweet-hot jalepeno pepper rings. A favorite here. Delicious!!!!
Apple sauce and more Apple sauce!
I am thinking about trying apple sauce for the first time
love this! I’ve got some sauerkraut working this week!
This week I’m making toad in a hole – the British variety! (ie, sausages in Yorkshire pudding)
Canning guava shells. from the 5 lbs of fruit my neighbor gave me. Hurrah for free food!
I actually have shredded cabbage sitting on the countertop waiting to be packed in jars. A couple of weeks ago, I made kimchi! The pickle packer and pebbles sure would have come in handy! Maybe for next time. 🙂
I am going to pressure can some beef stew for the winter. Nothing beats a quick yummy meal in the cold months.
I will be fermenting a new batch of dill pickles! Also maybe some sauerkraut.
I’m picking up cabbage today to make sauerkraut!
I have been looking for a better way to make both sauerkraut and kimchee and this looks like the perfect thing.
I’m in Central California and it is olive time! I’m a huge fan of olives but until this week have only had store bought olives. I’ve been known to blow $20 at Whole Foods just at their olive bar. Anyway, I took an olive curing class last Saturday, then picked six gallons of olives at a friend’s house. She happens to have quite an orchard (of everything) and is very generous! They are Mission and Sevillano varieties. Some of the Sevillano are the size of medium eggs!!! So I’ve got about two gallons of water-cured cracked olives in three buckets on my washing machine. And I’ve got the rest in two tubs soaking in lye in my garage. I’m on my way home to rise them and then soak in water for a couple days. We shall see how it goes!! I’m very hopeful!!
Salsa verde from the incredibly prolific plants I had this year: just 4 tomatillos and 6 pepper plants have yielded an incredible bounty. We’ll be all set for the whole winter!
Let’s see…this week we are trying two kinds of watermelon pickles, a beet pickle and I’ve also done peach butter and jam. I’m dripping for apple jelly right now–thinking balsamic & chili or garlic & rosemary. I’ve made kimchi and want to do it again and the packer sounds like it would be perfect! Thanks for your blog!
i got 40# of apple seconds I’m working my way through this week. Tomorrow I’ll make apple bread and can some pie filling.
Canning pickled banana peppers
It is the end of the growing season so it is all about finishing up the tomatoes, applesauce and kraut!
I made some cranberry juniper fruit leather, and some elderberry rose hip jam. Hooray for autumn! Apples get eaten too fast to do anything else with around here.
I am in the process of developing my first sourdough starter, and just put a gallon of half sours and a gallon of brined green cherry tomatoes into the fridge. Kimchi will sit out quite a bit longer. Fire cider ready in another month — started it the day of the lunar eclipse! Hoping to do saurkraut next, actually, and maybe some honey fermented garlic.
sort of new to fermenting, did pickles last week, want to try kraut next. these items look helpful
I’ve currently got some thai chili hot sauce fermenting away in one of my crocks and am planning on makng some apple butter over the columbus day weekend! These things look amazing! I’ve been fermenting for awhile but these handy tools seems like they’d really make things easier. 🙂
I made some of your pear caramel sauce last night, and plan to make some suaerkraut & kimchi this weekend. This would be handy!
I just stumbled upon your blog and am enjoying it so much. I just finished canning applesauce this week and going to make some beef stew this weekend.
Thank you!!
Cooking a batch of onion jam. It’s my first year growing onions and I want to maximize the punch of the 6 golden gems!
This week is all about the apples, applesauce, dried apple slices, and apple cider!
Just cut up 15 pounds of cabbage to turn into sauerkraut last night. Could have used this pounder instead of my fists to get enough liquid out of the cabbage to ferment. If I don’t win – I’m definitely buying one of those!
Preparing and canning applesauce and apple butter.
This week I’m making 101 Cookbooks golden potstickers, and pressing cider. I’m thinking I’d love to try my hand at a small batch of sauerkraut though too!
anything with hot peppers…fermenting them, pickling them, making salsa
Definitely the time of year for some sauerkraut! Picked up some lovely purple cabbage from the farmer’s market, so ready for fermentation action.
apples, apples, and more apples: apple sauce, dried apples, apple ketchup, apple butter, baked apples!
I started off with a (basically all) tomato garden 3 years ago, then a HUGE garden on out 3,00 SQFT backyard. Then canning and now I’m obsessed with fermenting. Kraut, dilly beans, dilly carrots, pickles (hit or mis with those) and would love to win these! Thank you!
Pickle Pebbles are such a great idea! It can be tricky to get the veggies to stay down in the jar!
This week, I’m fermenting homemade sauerkraut, and also made my first batch of yogurt and paneer!
I’m harvesting beets this weekend, too, so I see pickled beets in my future. . .
I’ll be canning Hatch Green Chili Salsa – I’ve been known to make up to 100 jars to give away at Christmas. I have a friend who flies in from Colorado and brings me hot peppers from her garden and I pull out roasted Hatch Green Peppers I froze in August. We spend one whole day from early morning to very late at night making our salsa.
Kimchi!!!!!!
Making purple and white cabbage sauerkraut. Trying fermented garlic next! New to fermenting, but loving it! Those tools look awrsome.
I’ve been canning sungold tomatoes pickled in Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo beer. I’m hooked on these sweeties. I found this recipe for green cherry tomatoes and loved it last year. So, I had to try it this year with ripe ones. I will be doing some green ones pretty soon here as the garden is starting to wind down. I’ve been pickling alot of peppers also and have added your Simple Jalapenos to my cache. I’m also infusing some habaneros in white wine vinegar. It smells wonderful.
I plan on trying my hand at kraut once I’m caught up with my garden. Thank you for sharing your techniques and recipes.
This week I have been away more than I have been home, but I have made two batches of sauerkraut in the past month, and I used your resource on making it in a mason jar – perfect for my family of 3! This weekend will be applesauce weekend and I am going to try and snag some end of season tomatoes to roast in the oven. Keeping my eyes peeled for a dehydrator when at the thrift stores…
Have a crock of kraut and a gallon jar of kombucha on my counter
This week it has been food in the freezer. The crab apple Rosemary jelly, Apple cinnamon jelly and apple ginger jelly were all two weeks ago. Instead, I made chili/spaghetti sauce base (onions, garlic and tomatoes ) and that went in the freezer and zucchini bread (gluten free with chocolate chips) also went into the freezer (12 loaves). I love fall!
this set looks so cool! This time of year, it’s all about the salsa! I’m forever making salsa for canning and eating. I do take an occasional break for some pear butter…
Salsa & tomatoes now! I’ve never thought of doing sauerkraut, but may give it a try!
Kombucha!! But I really want to try out sauerkraut and other pickled veg.
Not fermenting anything new, but instead enjoying my maangchi kimchi from many months ago! It’s lost all of it’s crunch but has developed a wonderful flavour, works perfect with the kimchi quesadilla recipe posted here long long ago 🙂
I would appreciate having these simple easy-to-use tools.
I have a jar of kombucha fermenting on my counter.
Looks like a handy set — thanks for offering a giveaway! Going apple picking…I’ll be making applesauce this weekend. 🙂
oh, these look so useful! I used my meat mallet last winter when I was making sauerkraut.
Anyway, I finished all my major preserving projects and now I’m starting to think about sauerkraut in my 3-gallon crock. I have kombucha going right now (and always kefir and yogurt). Time to get another veg ferment going!
This week I’ve canned a batch of crab apple jelly and batch of cranberry catsup. The cranberry catsup recipe is from Food in Jars. It’s so good! I also have tomatoes to can sometime this weekend. My heirlooms are just about done and now I’m waiting for the romas to ripen.
Currently fermenting a half gallon of Habanero mash
and Kimchi is in the fridge with two quarts of kefir.
I am very excited to try. I’m canning this week, cabbage, tomatoes, fire roasted peppers, pickled garlic, and fermenting cabbage for sauerkraut.
I’m cooking corned beef hash, canning tomato paste, and fermenting everything that is not bolted down this week. I am also dehydrating onions. I prefer to ferment things whole such as 1 inch onions. I do not ferment broccoli… anymore.
Making the last of the pickled baby beets we got at the farmers market last weekend. Also making Spicy bread and butter pickles made with Splenda. I would love to try the Pickle Packer and Pebbles seems like it would be a good addition to our tools.
Wayne
This weekend I’ve been making large batches of different things so nubby Little one and I can eat real food between the crazy of collage classes :] This time it was Breakfast cookie, a batch of hummus and a double batch of homemade raviolis for the freezer :] I would love to try my hand at small batch fermenting!
I’m so excited to try fermentation for the first time – sauerkraut will be my first project because my husband loves it! I’m supporting their Kickstarter campaign and look forward to receiving many Pickle Pipes in December! Thanks for the links, Marisa!
I’ve got kimchi and kombucha going, am hoping to ferment some homemade sriracha sauce. I wonder how this would work with fermenting kombucha? I’m so excited to try! Thank you!
A rainy weekend inspired me for a quart of saurkraut, a quart of dilly beans, a quart of sirarcha,
and canned 6 quarts of chow-chow, 3 quarts of apple pie filling!
I’m planning to make some apple pie filling!
Canning away between teaching Cottage Food Safety trainings here in Colorado and offering food preservation classes. Watching Marisa’s live webcasts on preserving tomatoes, jam, etc. have been very helpful and I have share the live links on facebook. Getting more and more into fermentation and gut health so hearing about this new product is wonderful.
This week was just under 3l of grape jelly, 7qt of potato, 5qt of carrot, and 23qt of butternut sqash.
Enjoying fall vegetables and menus, especially chili. Looking forward to sauerkraut from scratch and hoping to win so that I can make fermented foods!!
Dilly pickles and Jicama
This week I made escabeche, pickled carrots and radishes. I have my sights on pepper jelly and maybe even my first batch of sauerkraut this weekend!
I always do hot sauce this time, family comprises of just two if us and I am totally excited about the small batches.
I have water kefir going and can’t wait to start fermenting other things!
This week has been mainly white kimchi (which is basically kimchi without the spices), and finishing up the umeboshi fermentation. 🙂 I haven’t tried sauerkraut yet, but mainly because I wouldn’t know what to eat it with! (I know it tastes fantastic on hot dogs, but we don’t eat it that much…)
Kimchi, Kimchi, Sauerkraut and maybe a ginger bug soon 🙂
Today I’m cooking (and canning) soup and fermenting carrot and daikon radish (my favorite ferment!).
This week I’m cooking anything that takes advantage of the white cherry tomatoes from our garden. My favorite has been a veggie filled quiche!
I started Giardiniera yesterday and will be starting a small batch of dill pickles today:)
I don’t have anything yet. But going to a class this week.
Quick fridge pickles, dried zucchini chips, and another batch of fig preserves from Christine Ferbers awesome book, Mes Confiture.
This week it is all things apple – trying to calm that “inner pioneer” as you say – the neighbors have an apple tree they don’t use at all, and happily are letting me pick! Apple Cider Jam, Apple Sauce, apple pie filling, dried apple rings… all things appley are getting put up this week! I JUST started fermenting this summer and LOVE it. The sauerkraut in a half gallon mason jar is awesome! And ginger beer! yum! This looks like a great set – I’ve been using a jelly jar full of boiled rocks set on top of the top cabbage leaf left whole, to keep the shredded cabbage below the water line – and I tamp down hard with a wooden spoon, so this would be the bees knees!! neat idea!! –Kim
Hi,
this weekend I am planning on several fermentation and pickling projects: Fermenting Dilly Beans and pickling green tomatoes and cucumbers. One of the farmers markets that I support offered wasabi pickles and wasabi green tomatoes – thought I would give it try.
thanks,
Laura
This is an awesome give away! Thanks for offering it. Right now I’m cooking quince for jelly and membrillo. Later today I will poach quince to freeze for winter breakfasts, and I’m going to try dehydrating some of the poached fruit. And if I have time tonight I will fill my dehydrator with peppers. I love you website!
I have always wanted to try making sauerkraut. With these items, I might not have an excuse not to!. Thanks so much!
Doing my first fermentation of the hot sauce recipe. A little uneasy with knowing how the process work. But giving it a try.
Applesauce and spagetti squash are on my list for this week.
These look awesome!
I will be making a giant German apple popover this weekend along with some homemade yogurt!