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One of the requirements for successful fermentation is to provide an anaerobic environment to prevent oxidation and mold. Keeping your fruits or vegetables completely submerged in brine or natural juices is the way to achieve that.
But those darn small pieces of cabbage, or those cranberries just love to float to the top and ruin it all. The solution? Fermentation weights.
There are lots of ways to successfully keep your precious produce submerged. Be creative; you’re sure to find a fermentation weight or two in a drawer or cabinet. You just didn’t realize it had more than one use! Be sure that your weight is clean and food-safe and you’re good to go.
And if you don’t like any of my use-what-ya-got ideas, there are just as many products available for purchase.
Some Great Ideas for Fermentation Weights
Rocks – The right size and shape rock will make a perfect weight. Be sure to boil them first for about 20 minutes to kill any competing or harmful bacteria.
Marbles tied a in cheesecloth or muslin – Marbles work well because they can easily fit whatever size or shape jar you are using. Be careful, though, that the marbles are paint or glaze-free, and lead-free. You may also want to stay away from anything made in China.
Plastic bag with brine – I often use this method because it can fill every nook and cranny. I use brine, not water, in case the bag leaks.
Whiskey stones – if you have any soapstone whiskey rocks around, they can be used like the marbles to weigh your ferments. Or purchase them here.
A small jar or glass – ideally the jar should be just slightly smaller in diameter than the lid of your fermentation jar. It can be filled with water to give it more weight.
Ceramic pie weights – another item that can be used like marbles and placed inside a cloth, or even a mesh bag. If you don’t already have any of these, they may be purchased here.
A cabbage leaf – placing a cabbage leaf on top of your ferment and tucking the sides down works well. Occasionally a small weight will be needed in addition to keep the leaf in place.
A plate – when I ferment in a large crock, I place a plate on top of the vegetables, and then a jar filled with water on top of that to hold it down.
Silicone cupcake liners – I’ve not tried cupcake liners, but they should work nicely to hold down the ferment and then add a rock or other item to give it weight.
Store-bought weights – if none of the above suggestions appeal to you, there are a plethora of fermentation weights available for sale like these glass weights.
What other ideas do you have for fermentation weights?
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Yvette Chilcott says
Great blog, GREAT pic at the top, too. Regarding fermentation weights, I used some smooth beach stones from Lake Ontario, and they got rough and the fermentation liquid started eating the stone away. A little surprising, so watch carefully if you’re going to use stone.
Susan Vinskofski says
Great advice, Yvette!!! And thank you for the nice compliment.
rock says
THE salt will leach just like it eats concrete sidewalks…some added minerals could be allowable,,,most granites are more or less radioactive ,,,a white to clear quartz could be a good choice as that is pretty well silica..if the rocks are from a Quarry like some driveway covers. then look on the bag for mineral content…. but not all white crystals are quartz…some are lead…..but I am not real familiar with the perfect choice…. more flat grey rocks tend to be shale….avoid rusty rocks i would think…heavy metals
Beverly Worthington says
You also have to consider the mineral composition of stones you find. Some of the minerals can be toxic. It’s better to stick with glass, etc if you don’t know what is in the matrix.
Kristel Wiesner says
Thanks for the ideas!
Susan Vinskofski says
Happy to help, my friend!
Sarah says
I love using glass tea light holders! They’re very cheap and work really well.
Cindy V. says
Be sure that your glass tea light holders are not made in China. Much Chinese glass has lead in it.
Mary says
I have a set of small condiment dishes that I can get into the wide mouth jars inserted upside down over the kraut or pickles.
Susan Vinskofski says
Great idea, Mary!
Liz Balise says
Would small glass or ceramic tiles work?
Susan Vinskofski says
I think that would be fine, Liz, although if they are glazed, I would want to know what was used.
Karen Umbrello says
I think the glass weck jar tops would work great for a ball jar as long as you have one that’s slightly smaller!
Karen
Susan Vinskofski says
Yes, great idea! Thanks for stopping by Karen.
Annie says
I use small glass ashtrays or candleholders (thriftstore !)
They fit nicely and work very well
leatrice gulbransen says
I use the old glass cups that used to be put under the feet of furniture. Some fit perfectly inside a regular quart jar. Nice article by the way !
Susan Vinskofski says
Great idea, Leatrice!
Patricia says
I would be very cautious with *any* glass (tealight holders, ashtrays, those furniture feet thingies (LOL) not specifically made for food! I almost bought a bunch of tealight holders for this purpose till I flipped it over and read that they are NOT to be used for food because they contain lead.
Susan Vinskofski says
Yes, it’s wise to know of what the product you plan to use is made!
Rose says
I have a glass ‘frog’ used for arranging flowers.. perfect, now I just need to find it.
Sandy Mutcher says
I use a silicon steaming basket placed upside down works great.
Rob macdonald says
Have you tried the Viscodisc canning buddies/Pickle preservers? They work great for keeping your ferments under the brine.
Susan Vinskofski says
They look interesting; this is the first I’ve heard of them!
Coby says
Thank you for all of the ideas! I have a batch of beet kvass fermenting on my counter top right now. I used cabbage leaves to keep the beets submerged; not all of the cabbage leaves are under the brine, however. Would this pose a problem to the kvass? I’m relatively new to fermentation, and have never had to weigh down my veggies before.
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Coby! It would be best if the cabbage leaves were also under the brine to prevent mold. I’m so glad you stopped by!!
Coby says
Thank you for the advice. Looks like I’ll be starting over! ?
Susan Vinskofski says
I’m not sure that you have to start over. I would try adding some brine and weighing it down.
Dawn says
I’m new to fermenting too, but I’ve made beet kvass several times without a weight the beets always stay submerged.
Brenda says
What about baby food jars as weigths? They are not heavy but they will keep the veggies pressed down if you closed the jar with a lid and band. They are food grade, right?
Susan Vinskofski says
They should work just fine assuming you have that much space at the top of your ferment, Brenda. Are the lids metal? Keep in mind that the brine will corrode metal, and without the lid the jars may turn on their side and fill with liquid from the ferment. Give it a try and let me know how it all goes.
Peter Phillips says
If you are using a larger ferment vessel, untreated cotton mesh bags work well too. Place your veggies into the net bag, add brine and seasonings as desired. Submerge the bag. Use any weight you like to keep it down. No chance for any escapees. Simply wash the bags and use again.
Susan Vinskofski says
What a great idea, Peter. Thank you for sharing with us!
Carol L says
That is a GREAT idea! I’ve had the glass fermentation weights slide under and fall to the bottom before…One jar actually had THREE of them. I gave up after that.
I have lots of organic unbleached cotton bags I could use for this…THANKS for the great idea!
Although purple cabbage might dye them purple, carrots, orange, so forth…but small issue! LOL
Emily says
Thanks for sharing! I tried fermenting for the first time recently… my 1st auerkraut attempt was waaaaay too satly and I didn’t let it sit long enough. My 2nd attempt of sauerkraut was perfect! I also attempted some fermented gingered carrots… they got white mold on top! I’m so disappointed! So glad to have found all of these suggestions!
Susan Vinskofski says
Don’t give up, Emily. You’ll learn the do’s and don’ts and then all your ferments will be wonderful. It’s a great way to preserve some of the harvest!
Laura says
I’m really not sure on what to buy when it comes to weights. This will be my first time,
Thank you, Laura
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Laura, Why don’t you start out with the plastic bag filled with some brine, and see how you like that before spending money on a weight?
Helen Thomson says
Hi there, thanks for your blog. I would prefer to use shop bought glass weights. Is there a minimum or specific heaviness of weight I would need to keep shredded cabbage down (even with a small leaf on top!) I have a150cl quattro stagioni jars and smaller kilners…would I reduce weight for a smaller jar..as I suppose the smaller jar weight would have to be smaller but perhaps just as heavy? I have heard of some getting stuck?
I have also heard of some being slippery to get out, especially if the food is further down the jar? Any tips. Any recommendations on the design of the weight there are so many? So many different sizes…depths and heaviness very confusing!
Anything I need to know or haven’t thought of that might be useful?
Perhaps you have a particular blog on glass weights?
Thanks very much.
Stephen says
Great tips!!!
A cabbage leaf and pie weights was what my Grandmother used.
I use a cabbage leaf with a “ball” made from food grade cheesecloth. I don’t like the plastic bag method. Plastic leaches chemicals except for the BPH free water bottles.
Jorge says
I used the wide mason jar with a sandwich bag full of brine. Perfect.
My problem is how to prepare the brine..water and sea salt ratio.
One jar had no taste..the other saltyyyyy.
My mess ratio was 3 tbsp to a quart..the other 1 tbsp sea salt a quart.
Helppppp
Susan Vinskofski says
i generally use 3 tbsp sea salt to 1 qt non-chlorinated water. You can reduce to 2 tbsp if you find that too salty.
J Riley Stewart says
I’m using a wad of parchment paper (first time this year). It should work, not absorb the moisture but fill the space between the product and the lid. Theoretically, wax paper should work the same way. Non-absorbable paper materials can be made to any size to fit the head space and not add anything to the brine that could effect the flavor or fermentation process. Plus, everyone has parchment or wax paper in the kitchen already, and if not, it’s pretty cheap.
Susan Vinskofski says
Another great idea!
Vickie says
If using rocks, would putting them zip lock bags be OK ?
Susan Vinskofski says
Yes, that would be perfectly fine!
Paula says
And why not pebbles, used like marbles, placed in a bag to weigh down product?
Susan Vinskofski says
Yes; that’s a great idea!