Update: One of my readers left a comment about what to use for a Dunk’r. He suggests using the lid from a 10 oz. Anchor Hocking jar which can be found at Walmart. Link here to see.
If you are a faithful reader of this blog then you are probably wondering what I am talking about. This is truly random, however, I will be here tomorrow with a tour of Quilt Market.
Here’s a quick recap. During September and October, I’ve been studying how to anaerobically ferment to store fruits and veggies. This is the way our ancestors did it ~ using salt, not vinegar. Think vats of sauerkraut to hold you through the long Russian winter.
Fermenting foods this way insures I achieve a high concentration of lactic acid which will inhibit bacterial growth. Eating lacto-fermented foods can improve your health dramatically.
I ferment in Pickl-It jars to keep out the bad bacteria (salmonella, e-coli, botulism, etc.). These jars cost $$$$, so I figured out a way to make my own.
If you want to know more about anaerobic fermentation, visit Divine Health or Lisa’s Counter Culture. They are the experts, I am a remedial student.
However, I do have something to contribute to the conversation. I have hacked the system and figured out how to make a something that will work just as well as a Pickl-It and at a fraction of the cost.
SUPPLY LIST:
1. The Jars
You need to purchase Fido brand jars because they are lead-free and have a vulcanized rubber seal. They are available at Crate and Barrel or Amazon. I found mine at TJ Maxx. I have a friend who rounded up a bunch at Marshall’s. I’ve even seen them at Home Goods.
The most important thing to remember is that they are Fido brand jars.
My stash didn’t even cost me $50 (less than the cost of 2 Pickl It’s).
2. Hitachi 5/8” Diamond Coated Drill Bit
We purchased our bit at Lowes for $26.20. I will give more details about how the bit works below. Just stay with me.
I purchased these through a company called Grainger. The part number is 3MRR8 and they come 5/package for $9.26. If you have a Grainger’s in your city, they will ship for free and you can pick them up. FYI ~ They don’t usually keep them in stock.
4. 3-Piece Airlocks and Stoppers
2. Remove the baling wire from the Fido lid.
3. Using a fine point Sharpie, mark the center point on the lid.
Draw a 5/8” circle around the dot. We used an inexpensive template for this. You can get these at hardware stores for under $5.
4. Set up the drill by putting in the bit. Mr. SH has a drill press and this made the task very simple.
If you don’t have a drill press, you may want to see if a friend or neighbor has one.
It should still work with a hand-held drill. You will need make some adjustments, however.
UPDATE: I have just learned that Dremel makes a couple of tools that sell for plus/minus $50. These tools will convert your Dremel into a drill press. See them here and here.
5. Whatever drill type you use, you will need a way for the bit to pass through. A drill press has this; if using a hand-held drill, be sure to allow for this.
6. Line up the circle that you drew in #3 above with the drill bit. Place lid on the drill press surface (or whatever you have) with the lid flat side down.
9. Clap the lid in place over the cloth with the top of lid flat side down.
10. Pour some water into the lid. Mr. SH did not completely fill the lid, but there was plenty of water. The drill bit will not work without the water. This helps make a clean cut.
11. I made a short video of the drilling. Notice how the water drops through at the end as the drill finishes.
Reassembling the Jars
1. Before you reassemble the jars, you will need to carefully wash the lid. The residue is ground glass and you do not want this in any of your ferments.
I soaked mine first, then ran the lids through the dishwasher. I wasn’t taking any chances.
2. Notice how polished and smooth the hole is. Put the red rubber grommet into the opening.
3. Reattach the baling wire to the Fido lid.
4. Attach the vulcanized rubber seal to the lid.
7. Add the 3-piece airlock and you are ready to ferment.
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And they say it can’t be done without a 6-figure machine
Great job!
That’s awesome! Wish I had a drill like that! I was wanting to get some Pickl-its and this would save some money
Awesome.It is great help and you figured out the dimension, parts and process. I was searching on Internet for many weeks. I will make couple of jars for myself.
Thanks for the awesome instructions. I made my own pickl-its and saved a bundle. The lid from a 10 oz. Emma jar from Walmart makes a perfect dunk’r and they cost only $1.99 (discard the plastic seal; it pulls off with a little effort). Here a link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Anchor-Hocking-Emma-Jar-with-Glass-Lid/16504523?t=1&
The jar is made in the USA for food storage.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this about the glass lid. I’ve been wondering what to do about getting a dunk’r. I will update the post and add this in.
Thanks very much for this tutorial, it was exactly what I was looking for!
I wasn’t game to drill the glass myself, but a local glazier drilled the holes for me for $5 a lid.
I’m in Australia, so no walmarts close by ^^ but I found a thing in a kitchen shop called ‘the pot watcher’. It’s a little glass disk made of hardened heat resistant glass for putting in soups / boiling milk which rattles when it starts to boil, but it looks very much like the dunk’rs so hopefully they work!
http://from5ktomarathon.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/dsc_0335.jpg?w=480&h=318
A set of 2 x 1.5 litre pickl-its, 2 x 1 litre and 2 x 750ml costs about $285 here, so doing it this way has saved me almost $200!
Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks, David. I love how you found someone to do the drilling for you ~ that is a awesome tip. I’ve seen those ‘pot watchers’ before ~ excellent idea and thanks for sharing the picture. If anyone knows where to get one, please let me know and I will update the post with that information.
Hi Leslie,
Just as an update, the pot watchers fit perfectly inside the mouth of the fido jars.
You can buy them from amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-POT-WATCHER-GLASS-77258/dp/B0013V8S68) or I’ve seen two local specialty kitchen shops in the city here that stock them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a common item.
Thanks!
Thanks!
I am a bit confused – what is a dunk’r used for…
Thanks so much,,,
Thanks for this question. The Dunk’r is a disk used to help keep the vegetable ferments from floating to the surface of the jar ~ which would create problems with the fermentation process.
Thanks so much, this is a wonderful idea! However, I have one question, at what RPM did you drill the lids? Again, thank you!
I’m not sure about the RPM’s. I will look into it and update it once I know the answer.
UPDATE: Mr. SH says he set the drill press to the lowest speed, which is 620 rpm (whatever that means).
Thanks.
Very interesting post! I don’t have the equipment to do all this, but I think it’s great you’re making your own…these would make great gifts for fellow homesteading friends!
That’s such a great idea! I think the biggest hurdle would be finding someone with a drill press that would drill the holes – after that – it’s easy.
Hi Leslie,
This is great.
Are you happy for me to discuss this (crediting you and linking to you) in an upcoming blog post? Please let me know.
Thanks,
Dan
Thanks, that sounds great.
Hi Leslie,
I drilled five of the fido lids today and it went very well. I used a drill speed of 1100 RPM in the drill press. Thanks so much for the great instructions.
Mark
That sounds awesome, Mark! Thanks so much for sharing. I know my readers will really appreciate this.
Thanks so much for putting together this detailed tutorial, and a million thanks for figuring out the supply list — that made everything so much easier! Also, hats off to Steve for suggesting the Emma jar!!
The only trouble we ran into while making our first batch was chipping on the underside of the lids when we drilled the holes. Most of the lids are decent, but one looks like it may not be usable …
I’ve researched it, and it appears to be a common problem with drilling glass in general. The usual solution is to put something under the glass to stabilize it — for the next batch, I plan on using a sponge. Just curious if anyone else ran into this, and if so, how you solved it?
Thanks for sharing. The more we know about this process this process the more informed we will be and then can share with others. Did you use water when you drilled. My husband went very slow with the drill press. And, a big Thank You to Steve for figuring out the Dunk’r dilemma!
That’s a really good point — I can see how drilling too fast would make the glass chip. (I’m not sure how fast my husband went last time as I stayed in the house with our baby while he drilled in the garage.) It will probably be a while before I make the next batch, but when I do, I’ll keep that tip in mind and report back on how it goes!
Thanks for the update ~ looking forward to hearing how the next batch of jars turns out.
We finally did another batch of lids (8 per batch). This time, I consulted with my father, and he suggested we drill each hole halfway deep, flip the lid over, and drill the other side, meeting in the middle. This way, the drill bit wouldn’t have to pass through the glass. (He thought that a sponge wouldn’t apply enough pressure to be effective, and since the lid is curved, a piece of hardwood also wouldn’t work.)
In the end, the result was pretty much the same as the last batch: some came out great, most were okay, and one was “unusable,” by which I meant that it had a ridge that theoretically could continue to flake outwards. But after some thinking, I decided that maybe this standard was too high. After all, it would take a lot of pressure applied in the right place to flake the glass. It would be highly unlikely that this would ever happen by accident, and certainly not over the usual course of a ferment. So I’ve decided that, although not ideal, these two lids are fine for my purposes.
I’m not convinced that this result is inevitable — our drill press is not of the highest quality, and my poor husband, who is a programmer, is being asked to whip out handyman skills on a whim.
So I’m confident that this task could be done better. However, I’ve decided that I’m quite happy with my outcome, and I would definitely encourage others to try this tutorial if the Pickl-Its look too pricey!
Thanks for keeping us informed about your trials and successes. I’m fortunate that Mr. SH has some mad handyman skills. Keep us posted on the whole ‘flaking’ issue.
I am just beginning my discovery of the amazing fermented world of benefits. I have read and re-read the process of making your own pickl-it jars. I am a great grandma who so appreciates rolling with you youngsters who are so wise and innovative! OK, to my question..I don’t understand the the Dunk’r dilemna. I was folllowing well til I got to Steve’s wonderful discovery of the Emma jar at Wal-Mart. Would you mind explaining that a bit more as to what that means? If you use Fidos you don”t need the Emma tops?
Thanks for such a great question. The Emma tops is used as a weight. When you are using a fermentation vessel, you need to put a glass weight of some sort on top of whatever you are fermenting. This keeps things from floating to the top of the jar. Picture small pieces of cabbage all floating to the top of your fermentation jar once it starts bubbling. So, a glass weight is essential to weight down the veggies during the fermentation process. This glass weight is called a Dunk’r and you can purchase it through the Pickl It company for about $8 or you could go with the what Steve suggests, which is the top of an Emma jar found at Walmart. I have both and can barely tell the difference. The important thing to remember is you need to use a glass weight on top of your ferment.
Hi again! I found some #00 silicone stoppers that fit perfectly into the grommets, and I thought I would share the link if anyone was interested: http://www.widgetco.com/silicone-rubber-stoppers. I contacted the manufacturers and they are indeed food-safe.
Thanks for sharing:)
This is awesome,could David in Australia please contact me re the glazier, I am in NSW…
And also suppliers if the glass piece in Australia…
Shakti at theholisiticchef dot com dot au
Super fantastic article, I have the fido jars already just need the lids, why they don’t just sell,them mystifies me..
Thankyou x
Shakti
Shakti, I’ve sent David an email. Good luck.
The nice thing about doing this is also that you can swap the lids between jars – so you don’t really need the stoppers, just switch to an un-drilled lid when you move it to the fridge so you can start a new batch.
Also my husband brews beer and says that the brew shop has all the gaskets and different airlocks. So, I just need to find a couple of big Fido jars, swing by the glazier and the brew store and I could be rolling by tonight!
I occasionally switch out jar lids, too. Great suggestions ~ I get my airlocks at a brew shop ~ when I told them about my project, they were very intrigued.
I called one glass place and they were willing to drill – for $20 a hole. So, I will be patient until tomorrow night (haha) when I can have access to a friend’s drill press. I found a bit for $20 – it was the only brand at my little Ace Hardware. I got airlocks for $1.75 plus plugs and gaskets. The guy at the brew store did say that I needed a half inch bit for the airlocks. So we will see if that is correct.
I’m going to try both a Fido lid and a Le Parfait lid. I do prefer the sturdiness of the LeParfait but one may be easier than the other to drill.
Thanks again!
did the 1/2″ bit work? thanks!
We have never tried it. Our tools are packed because we are moving in a few weeks….
I am so excited about this post! I have been wanting some Pickle-It jars and just could not bring myself to spend so much money on them! Thank you for your detailed post and great pictures and tutorial! This is awesome! I’ve already started collecting all my gear and can’t wait to get started.
So glad I could help.
I found another supplier for the “pot watcher” as Dunk’r. They are MUCH cheaper than Amazon and advertise themselves as a “green” company. Let’s support small, “green” businesses!
http://www.bonafidegreengoods.com/product_detail.php?id=130038
Thanks for updating us on this. $3.00 is a great price.