pickle crock fermenter

[George910]

New to the group here, and thank you for the warm welcome! I have made fermentations, including wine, for some time, but am tired of single use items: this is only for that...so here is my idea- my 5 gallon pickle crock has an old fashioned gutter around the edge that holds water, and functions like an air lock. Why not? five gallons of wine-vs-five gallons of pickles? I choose the latter. Any insight appreciated

George

 

[laredo7mm]

...five gallons of wine-vs-five gallons of pickles? I choose the latter...

Maybe the board needs a pickle sub-forumn if there isn't one already.

 

[Yooper]

Maybe the board needs a pickle sub-forumn if there isn't one already.

We do talk about fermented foods! It's there, in the cooking area.

The idea of a single use item is great- except for in the case where you don't want cross-contamination.

Pickles sourdough start, sauerkraut and kimchee are wonderful, and we have them constantly in our house. However, they are fermented by lactobacillus, the same type of bacteria used to start yogurt and other "sour" foods.

These are things you want FAR away from your wine and beer and cider.

You don't even want them in the same area in your house, let alone in the same vessel.

Also, with wine, after fermentation slows you want it in a carboy with an airlock (or a 1 gallon jug is fine if it's a small batch), so that there is no headspace to speak off, maybe just an inch across the narrowest opening of the carboy.

 

[bernardsmith]

Piggy-backing on Yooper's post, don't some pickles leave aromas etched into the pickling vessel? Not sure that grape or country wines benefit very much from flavors and aromas associated with pickled cabbage, daikon or cucumbers...

 

[George910]

Thanks for the cautions about cross contamination, and forgiving my former and latter mistake I guess my idea was that the type of simple airlock found on these crocks had to have an historical context. Bernardsmith, I have not seen etching in any of my containers for ferments, but they are well glazed, or glass.

I hope to enjoy learning from you all....George

 

[theDREWery]

I know my pickle crock holds a good amount of smell, especially the unglazed weights. I didn't notice any carry over between batches, like dill from a pickle ferment over to a kraut ferment. But that doesn't mean that it wont carry over to wine. The two big problems would be any residual bacteria in any cracks, and the large amount of headspace. I think it may work for a primary, if it's never been used for pickling, but buckets are much cheaper and easier to use.