Product FAQ

Q: What are the most important factors to having a successful ferment?

A: There are a few that are greatly important

• You must Use clean equipment
• You must control the O2 contact with your ferment
• You must have correct brine for type ferment you are doing
• You must keep your contents under the brine

Q: Why is your product better than others?

A: The reasons are many and very easy to recognize once you read the information.

• Our parts are all FDA food grade and BPA free
• Nothing on the market can exert as much force on your fermented contents while keeping them under the brine level.
• While our system does 10X the work of other systems , it is priced similarly
• Having less floaties and exposed contents means less chance of mold. In the event of a harmless yeast "bloom", cleanup is a breeze with nothing in the way to prevent a through cleanup.

Q: Do I really need your product?

A: Nope........however .

• Using our products greatly increases your chance for a successful ferment
• Using our product greatly increases the shelf life of your fermented goods.


• Think of it like this... Do you really need a Harley Davidson when a moped will do?

Q: Are your products all made with FDA approved materials?

A: They are manufactured according to the requirements of each item's final usage.

• The airlocks are manufactured for us and they are food grade plastic. They can BOILED OR PLACED IN DISHWASHER!
• The silicone grommets are manufactured for us and are FDA food grade and BPA free silicone
• The jars are standard glass jars and are food grade and lead free.
• The gaskets are FDA food grade and BPA free silicon and manufactured for us
• The Pickle*Pusher is made from BPA free food grade silicone that is also acid, salt and heat resistant. Also uses 316 stainless steel food grade and is manufactured for us exclusively.
• Our lids are food grade plastic BPA free NOT TO BE BOILED OR PLACED IN DISHWASHER!

Q: I heard that steel and metal will kill the lacto bacteria and cause a ferment to fail.. Is this true!??

A: That is a good and frequently asked question ;)

• It has been the recommended practice in the brewing business since the 1960's when affordable stainless steel vessels were offered to industry. 316 stainless steel is non-reactive to acids and salts and bacteria will not grow on it. Though no one uses steel as a medium for a complete fermenting system for home use there are some who actively use them to make fermented drinks like Kombucha for commercial sale.
• Silver has micro bacterial destroying tendencies and is why it is used in filters etc. It is not safe for fermenting. Copper can leach out and is not used as well. Aluminum will deteriorate in an acid or salt environment.

Q: What does the Pickle Packing Probiotic Jar System actually do????

A: It does what all good fermenting kits and systems should do but it does it better and cheaper

• It keeps the vegetables compacted under the canning liquid. It generates 100's of times more downward power than some ordinary weights can.
• It also allows easy cleanup of your fermentation jar in the event mold or yeast does start to grow. There is nothing in the way when you remove the skim!
• when your jar is opened after processing it can be adjusted to continue compressing the contents as more and more are removed and eaten. This also helps prevent drying out of goods and prevention of food spoiling bacteria in the refrigerator
• The Pickle*Pusher is made from acid, salt and heat resistant material as well as being FDA food grade and BPA free
• The system offers 2 choices of airlocks. The traditional 3 piece airlock ans well as our new "waterless airlock".

Q: Will The Pickle*Pusher help in every type of fermentation?

A: No...... there is no need for our product in a ferment like kombucha or any mostly liquid ferment. There are no solids to keep below the brine surface. It will help in ferments like beet kvas(s) that spoil very easy from mold attack!

• Using our "water-less airlock" would benefit a user as it allows low profile storing on your cabinet top or pantry shelf, a drawer or in the refridgerator.

Q: Can the Pickle*Pusher absorb odor?

A: Yes. The Pickle*Pusher plunger parts can absorb some smell from a strong ferment.

• This is not harmful and is common in silicone and plastic products.
• To remove this odor from the silicone parts only, we find that boiling the silicone parts only in 1 tablespoon of baking soda , 3 tablespoons of vinegar and a quart of water followed by air drying effectively removes the odor. In stubborn cases soaking in vodka or Everclear is great.
• For the  lid  BOILING WATER IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THESE PARTS ARE NOT HEAT AND DISHWASHER SAFE. Soaking in the aforementioned ingredients produces good results.
• The airlock can be boiled .


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Q: I want to use a Fido jar for my fermentation kit. How can you help?

A: We offer a few items that can make a Fido jar into the most efficient system you will ever use!.

• AVAILABLE AFTER KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

  Using our "water-less airlock" would benefit a user as it allows low profile storing on your cabinet top or pantry shelf, a drawer or in the refrigerator. It will also allow you to open your jar without the hassle of removing the airlock as is done with the 3 piece airlock.
• Using the Pickle*Pusher will allow greater control of the contents in the jar and keep them under the brine in a way that is 100X's better than what ordinary weights and bowls can do.

• Q: Do you sell other than complete kits?

A: Yes as little as one of a kind and as many as we have in inventory and in any combination. Do not hesitate to contact us for special orders.

Q: Do you sell jars?

A: At the present we avoid stocking the more common jars due to postal breakage which is sad as we can offer great prices, We hand make our "Fido" system jars and hand pack them for retail shipping:

• Your local Dollar-Store is probably the best best to obtain jars

Q: Which is the best airlock system?

A: That depends on your preference. Both seem to work as well as the other but there are pro's and cons for either one

The 3 piece airlock:

• The water level needs to be monitored
• When the fermenting jar is chilled, water can actually be sucked into your ferment from the reservoir on the airlock by vacuum produced by the falling temperature of the ferment
• The airlock may get in your way when working or tending to your ferment as is the case with the "Fido" type jar.
• The airlock has a tall profile compared to the waterless version
• The airlock has more time closed than it has opened thus reducing possible contamination time.

The waterless Umbrella type airlock

• Low profile design allows storage in a drawer and makes stacking a very easy possibility
• No water to watch
• System is very efficient about not allowing air into fermenting jar during vacuum producing temperature changes
• No water to monitor
• The airlock has more time open than it has closed thus increasing possible contamination time. We have set our system to allow a slightly elevated release pressure to help discourage entry into system.
• Much harder to tell if the system failed. Usually if no leakage or "blowage" is evident on container lid, the unit is functioning correctly

Q: I want to send a complete system to a friend. Do you have different kits that would satisfy my needs?

A: Yes absolutely!:

• We have complete systems or kits. They are listed in the catalog ordering section of the website
• We can be contacted to put together any kit you would like to send or have sent
• WE ALSO WILL GIFT WRAP AND SHIP YOUR SELECTION IF NEEDED!!!!!

Q: How is shipping calculated?

A: Shipping is hard to calculate fairly without knowing what the actual weight and volume is for the total order:

• For small items we try to use the US Postal service "Flat Rate" boxes but again it is hard to tell. Shopping cart usually calculates a higher than actual shipping charge. Upon review by a representative here, it is very likely you will get a combined shipping refund. You can call before ordering and during business hours we will have an exact charge for you!.
• For our standard kits, we charge a flat rate based on what the package actually weights and where it is going. You can at ordering also decide to have the package wrapped as well!
• For International shipping other than to Canada, we can not offer refunds once items is shipped. ALSO note that some countries charge tariffs, taxes and duties on packages arriving from the USA. You as a buyer are responsible for paying those charges. Our shipping cart does not include these possible fees!
• For anything else please contact us during business hours

Q: What are your business hours?

A: We are a highly motivated startup company and for the time being we can be contacted from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM CST Sunday thru Saturday but we only ship weekdays and saturday till noon at the present. Hopefully as we grow we can extend the hours and would really like to go around 24/7 in the future.

Q: What days do you ship and what sort of handling charges are on an order?

A: We add cost of packaging to the shipping charge to calculate shipping. These are actual charges with no add-ons. We ship all days that the delivery services run. You may receive a notice saying your order has shipped and not be able to track due to the day being one of the days that a delivery service is not working and this just means that shipping label has been printed and has been attached to the package.