A Stable Beginning: Fermentools ~ a TOS review

Friday, May 8, 2020

Fermentools ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Since the Coronavirus has taken over the world I thought it would be the perfect time to try our hand at the many things on our bucket list. One of which is canning and fermenting. My second oldest, Madison, is home from University finishing up her freshman year because of said virus. She is my right hand girl in the kitchen and always experimenting. She mentioned frementing things back in December so when this review popped up I thought this would be a great time for her to try her hand at fermenting foods. She was excited to hear we were going to review the Starter Kit from Fermentools.

Fermentools is a US based family owned small business. I really appreciate that all of their products are made and sourced within the USA too. The Fermentools Starter Kit does include:

~ Directions for using the product, including a basic sauerkraut recipe

~ Ancient Himalayan fine grain (this includes high amounts of important trace minerals)

~ Surgical grade stainless steel lid

~ Airlock system

~ Rubber stoppers, 1 with a hole to use with the airlock system and one without

~ Rubber gasket

~ Glass fermenting weight

Once we received the Starter Kit in the mail and it was game on to figure out what exactly she would be making. She decided she wanted to make pickles so first up was to find a wide mouth mason jar because it is not included in the Starter Kit. I thought I had one here but it is MIA and we could only find small sized jars in the house. In a normal world, pre-Corona virus, we could just pop into the store and pick one up, but this is not the case now. We had the worst luck trying to find a jar and so we ended up improvising with and retrofitting a jar that we did have at home. Not the best option, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

To begin she washed and cleaned the carrots and cucumbers she was going to ferment while the water boiled on the stove to dissolve the Himalayan salt. Once the water cooled she poured the salt water brine solution over the veggies and added minced garlic, dill, and bay leaves. The glass weight from the starter kit is then placed on top to keep the food below the water line. Next place the rubber gasket and the rubber stopper on and seal the jar. Lastly add water to the water line and place the airlock system into the rubber stopper.

Now just place your jar in a cool, dark place for 5-7 days and wait for the magic to happen. Typically, fermented food is best after 6 months, but if you can’t wait that long you definitely can dive in sooner than that. Just check it after 4 days to see what’s happening but its best to let it sit and do its magic for awhile. You can also place your ferment into the refrigerator or store in a cool basement. The cold improves the taste as well as the time it is allowed to sit.

When she opened the jar after a week, it tasted...okay and extremely salty. I think it is most definitely user error on our part and not the actual Fermentools product. She is excited to try again once we do get our hands on some reasonably priced wide mouth mason jars. Madison also wants to try sauerkraut and more pickles to see if she can get it right.

Overall, this is a great product that will help you in your fermenting endeavors. I only wish we had the right type of jars on hand. You’re in luck, Fermentools is giving my readers a 15 % discount coupon so you can try your own hand at fermenting. The coupon is valid from now until June 30th. Use the coupon code Crew2020