What a Crock!
Once you've got your salty vegetable goods you need to put it in something and let it sit.
The Vessel
Some things to consider:
Different bacterias and organisms thrive in different conditions including different oxygen (aerobic vs. anaerobic), salt, pH, and temperature levels
You want to create beneficial conditions for bacteria that cause fermentation but not decay
You took one step towards this goal by creating a brine (whether the water came from the vegetable itself or another water source) which prevents the proliferation of the nasty bacteria
The fermenting process will reduce the pH further staving off decay and creating your sour flavor
HOWEVER the success of this depends on keeping the vegetables below the brine
A byproduct of fermentation is CO2
Your vessel set up should:
1) keep vegetables below brine level
2) keep vegetables away from air
3) allow CO2 to escape
Here is my favorite set up:
Mason jar
Cabbage leaf
Glass weight
Silicone airlock
Mason jar - non-toxic, easy to obtain, multi-functional, various sizes
Cabbage leaf floatie trapper- all those itty bitty pieces of vegetable that float to the
top and get exposed to air are held under and covered by a cabbage leaf. The leaf
does not leach chemicals and is easy to come by. The weight goes on top of this.
Glass weight - easy to clean, fits mason jars, weighs the vegetables down below brine
Silicone airlock - easier to use than other options, easy to clean, fits mason jars,
simple lid that covers your ferment but allows CO2 to escape.
Masontops is a great and easy-to-use brand.
If you look on Amazon you can find less pricey Chinese versions. However, if you like to shop local, homesteading shops often carry this one.
Other vessel options:
A traditional fermenting crock that comes with ceramic weights and has a water moat to serve as an airlock
A sealed Ziploc style bag filled with brine to serve as a floatie trapper and weight. TIP: Use brine inside the bag instead of water because if it springs a leak at least you won't dilute your fermentation brine. That said I don't love the idea of plastic sitting on my ferment and I try to avoid this choice.
A small jar (weight) within a large jar (vessel)
A different airlock system (such as used in alcohol fermentation). Google "airlock fermentation" and you will find a number of easy options that cover and protect your ferment but allow CO2 to escape.
The Waiting Game
Once you're all submerged and sealed, place your jar in a cool*, dark corner and wait. Regularly check your ferment stays below brine level. Refrigerate once it’s at desired pucker level.
* Too cold and nothing will happen because your fermentation bacteria will be too sleepy. Too hot can make some bacteria get going too quickly and the slower bacteria doesn't get its chance to add its special flavor profile. Also, yeasts can become too happy and while not harmful, also not tasty. 65-70 is good. Summer in CA is problematic and I need to cool it down. I bought a used mini-fridge off Craigslist for about $20 and attached an Inkbird temperature controller to it. The Inkbird externally modulates the refrigerator temperature so you can set it to 65F (or whatever)
