Thanks!

Yes they are so good! I cant wait until we start making some

I bet it is nice fermenting in large batches like that

the real reason is they want your money 😉

We are excited about the airlocks and this method. Now we can start experimenting more with fermenting since it is more affordable

We will just have to watch it again! :)

Wondering if it has to be plastic? The metal lid on the large pickle jar I have is lined on the underside. Otherwise, I am in the same boat. Wonder if we can fit the underside with parchment....thought?

I just ordered some more! amzn.to/2gRRCSC

That does sound real tasty

Lol, We watched that episode is there more out?

I know the cost is the reason we havent started fermenting before know

I like to use clear vinyl tubing with no gromet. You just drill a home that's slightly smaller than outer diameter of your tube and pull your tubing through the hole. I will then either submerge the other end In a jar of water or I will loop the tubing and fill the tubing with water.

What have you tried fermenting?

Lumnah Acres I have fermented pickles, sourkraut, kimchi and gingerbeer.

Our apple leftovers where to dry. They never made any vinegar. I am using the jars and lock for making saurkrautt now.

When I get a chance a will post the recipe on our website

YW, Its crazy the price of real fermented foods

Yes the plastic lids seal nicely, thanks for the tip

Thanks, letting the animals out daily is a great part of homesteading

Frank eh? Hehehe he could have called him Kevin too..

Gloria Young -- Frank? As in frank on a bun? I think I'll get some pigs and name them ham, bacon, and pork chop. :)

When I was a young teenager, we had 2 or 3 pigs every year that we would raise to butcher in the fall. We had names like Petunia, Pork n' Beans, Breakfast Lunch and Dinner, etc. We knew not to get too attached to them, thank goodness, but they were fun.

Can just go back and let the big bugger show us how.

We are working on t shirts now. That would be a nice giveaway

That sounds right, I guess we will see in a little bit. LOL

For the first stage of fermentation, simple, short chain sugar to alcohol, requires yeast. For yeast to begin this conversion, it first needs oxygen. Yeast cells will absorb as much available oxygen as possible from the solution. Then the yeast can begin reproduction to build a larger colony, then to convert the sugars to alcohol and CO2. Yeast can not convert long chain sugars with links of more than 3 molecules, (long chain sugars). There are natural enzymes, alpha, and beta amalayse that can break down long chains to shorter, but that is a process outside of making simple hard cider. The need for oxygen in this cycle would make it aerobic. Without the introduction of yeast at this early stage, one is reliant on there being natural airborne yeasts present. The drawback to relying on natural yeasts is that other bacteria, molds and fungus may be present in large enough quantities to infect the solution before fermentation can begin. This is why I recommend introducing yeast at the very start. It could be bread yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) or specific yeasts used in home brewing and wine making that are available online. Once the alcohol is converted, acetobacter, if present, can begin to convert that into vinegar. Typically acetobacter will develop a colony (mother) that covers the solution, much like a scoby in making kombucha. This mother protects the solution and further absorption of oxygen and completes it's process anaerobically. Once again the introduction of a mother, whether a purchase mother or one from a natural vinegar left to develop mother, facilitates the process. This is a true fermentation process, often it's confused with pickling which is often referred to as a fermentation. Pickling is done with a brine solution and is a completely different process from fermentation, a;though conversions do take place in pickling as well, not the same. Before the fermentation process was understood, brewers and vintners relied on natural yeasts, present in the air and on the skins of fruits. Once it was understood the role yeast plays in the process, both started to develop their own yeasts which they recycle from brew to brew. The reproduction cycle of yeast starts with one cell budding more cells. Each of these cells then bud additional cells. With each budding the parent cell releases some of it's oxygen to the buds. Depending on the nutrients available as well as the types of sugars these buds evolve to their conditions. In one fermentation process there are several generations of yeast reproduction. Although most of these are Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, typical bread, ale and wine yeasts, Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis a bottom fermenting yeast is used in the production of lager beers. It was with the reuse of these sub-strains that breweries and to some extent, wineries can brew consistent products. Wineries are also reliant on seasonal conditions while growing their grapes, sugar content etc. that have affects on different vintages. I have been studying, researching and brewing ales, wines(primarily fruits other than grapes) and honey mead, as well as having a continuous batch of malt vinegar running for over 20 years. It's my hope some of you may find this useful. Good luck with your own fermentations, it's a very rewarding and enjoyable process.

David, I'd love to hear about your malt vinegar production.

It started as an adjunct to my home brewing and wine making. I grew up on the east coast of the U.S. and we more often than not put malt vinegar on our french fries (chips). I was brewing very often back then and decided to boil up some light malt powder (3 lb bag available online from brewing suppliers as are most of the other things I might mention) for a 5 gallon batch of wort that I fermented with a pale ale yeast. Once fermented out I racked (transferred) this to a 5 gallon bottling bucket (a bucket with a spigot near the bottom). I had already purchases a mother of malt vinegar which I added to the bottling bucket. Put on a lid and airlock and ignored (actually I had it tucked in a corner of my brew cellar and forgot all about it). It was not unusual as I had a brew supply shop, that I would have several batches of beer, wine and mead in different stages of the process. I rediscovered the vinegar roughly a year after setting it up. I tapped off a little and it was wonderful. At that point I would draw off a quart at a time when needed. As I neared the bottom I brewed up another 5 gallons of beer from a light malt extract powder, ferment out and add to the vinegar bucket. I've been running off this same batch for roughly 20 years. Every time I top up with fresh brew I do have to use a stainless steel spoon and skim off some mother from the top. I prefer a sharper bite to my vinegar which I get with the light malt extract. If you want a richer flavor but with less bite you can use amber male extract. Any online brew supplier has all the essentials to get you started, equipment and ingredients.

Yes we plan on making some after the pig class

Nice! Thanks for the reply.

The airlock lets the gas escape so no burping necessary.

Great Idea! Thanks