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Fermenting is a science, and a bit of an art. It requires care in a few specific things, but doing it right is not particularly complicated. We provide instructions that are accurate to the best of our knowledge, and which are based on the methods we successfully practice ourselves. There are no guarantees of success or safety with fermented foods. While properly fermented foods are not only safe, but healthy to eat, it is up to you to follow instructions to ensure safety, and to trust your eyes and nose, and don't eat things that do not look or smell like food. We offer no guarantees of success with our product. We do warrant that it is as described, and will do what we say it will, but how you use it is your choice.

The government forbids me from exercising my right of free speech to answer that with a yes or no. But I can tell you what I believe, and what happened to me.

The digestive system affects every part of the body. When it breaks down, it can cause problems throughout every system – nerves, bones, circulatory, pulmonary, hormonal, reproductive, digestive, and mental. Everything is dependent upon access to good nutrient sources.

Many people are now having a wide range of symptoms, but nothing shows up on any blood tests. It is my belief that many of these vague and undiagnosed conditions can be traced to damage to the digestive tract.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s (bowel damage and auto-immune disease), and decided not to go the medical route. It has been very hard. But worth it. I no longer have the rampant auto-immune progression, but am still completing the last of the healing process. At this time, I no longer have Crohn’s Disease – I do not have auto-immune disease, and I do not have diagnosable bowel damage. At my worst, I was lactose intolerate, gluten intolerant, and intolerant to cooked milk proteins, beans, eggs, and all canned meats. Extreme heat, or prolonged heat does affect proteins, and makes them harder to digest.

I went from being able to tolerate exactly 13 foods (including things like plain butter, organic beef, bananas, apple juice made from cored and peeled apples, cooked peeled zucchini, brown rice, peeled potatoes, etc), to being back to a nearly full diet.

I am still very chemically sensitive, though my ability to handle accidental exposures has improved as I’ve healed. I know I will have to avoid chemical exposures in foods for the rest of my life. If I do not, I will gradually become ill again (exposures that I could not control have demonstrated this, even though I no longer have Crohn’s, if I am exposed to very much chemicalized food, I start to have more headaches, loss of energy, digestive upset, and other symptoms which increase until the offenders are eliminated). If I am not careful, I will simply push myself back into a situation where I DO have Crohn’s again (characterized by progressive auto-immune disease and significant bowel pain and dysfunction). It is my firm belief that Crohn’s (and many other diseases) are environmental diseases. My experience has persuaded me that Crohn’s was CAUSED in me, by consumption of foods containing chemicals, and devoid of complete nutrition. This conclusion was reached both by the results of elimination of chemicals in my diet, and by the results from subsequent exposures to them.

There are some key things which seem to really affect my health, and digestion in particular. These are things I tested individually – when I include them in my diet, I lose ground. When I eliminate them, I heal.

1. Chlorine. This is a biggie. I drink water without chlorine, and when possible, I do not bathe in it either, since it absorbs through the skin. I’ve known it was an issue for a long time, because when I drank municipal water I had more digestive problems. I became deathly allergic to it over the summer, so badly that I began reacting to table salt (sodium chloride – yeah, you can become so allergic to something that you react to its presence in NECESSARY nutrients). My face swells, I break out in hives, and my throat and lungs swell shut. Scary stuff. But controllable. Most people do not have reactions like that to it. But I believe they do suffer damage from it – it is a killer of fast growing cells (this is scientific fact). It does not just kill bacteria or viruses, it kills ALL fast growing cells with sufficient contact, and damages other cells. When you drink it, it passes through your intestines before it is absorbed into your bloodstream. The intestines are lined with fast growing cells (which is why chemo causes upset stomach and digestive issues). Chlorine eventually erodes the intestines, bit by bit, over time – logically, it couldn’t NOT do so… it is simply doing what it is selected to do. In addition, it kills the good bacteria and fungus that live in your gut and help your body stay in balance (this is why pro-biotics also help).

2. Preservatives. You can tolerate a little, but they are in EVERYTHING – just read ingredient lists. Even organics are beginning to have preservatives… they use “organic preservatives” (organic poison is still poison). I avoid processed foods as much as I am able, this makes a HUGE difference. They do exactly the same thing chlorine does to me, because they are scientifically designed to do the same thing.

3. Fruit and Veggie Wash. It is disinfectant – SOAP. It absorbs into the food. Does the same thing chlorine does, for the same reason (again, this is fact – it is what it was designed to do – kill microbes, which are fast growing cells). Now, some apples and sprouts, especially the organic ones, are already saturated with this stuff. You can smell it on it! If the produce tastes like chemicals or soap, I don’t eat it. It soaks all the way through. In general, organic apples that are LOOSE are likely to have this issue. Organic apples IN THE BAG are not.

4. Non-organic Potatoes are a biggie too. They are very often sprayed with a sprout inhibitor (Google “budnip”), which gives me noticeable problems – headaches, bowel pain. Some carrots, onions, and other root crops, plus some non-root crops are treated with this – Google it for the facts. Do the best you can, it is not always possible to avoid it, and potatoes in season are less likely to be sprayed than potatoes in the spring or summer. Foods treated with this stuff are NOT LABELED as being treated.

5. Rapid Cured Nitrates. This means pretty much all “fresh” poultry and pork (which have a nitrate solution injected… you know that label which says “may contain up to 10% of a solution? That stuff.), lunchmeats, hotdogs, bacon, ham, etc. Now, there ARE some types that are slow cured – usually they are Naturally Smoked (that is the best clue I’ve found so far). If they have “smoke flavoring”, I avoid them. Organic slow cured is best. I can tolerate Hillshire Farms ham, and I can tolerate Braum’s bacon.

6. Monosodium Glutamate. Nasty stuff. Affects me the same way that preservatives affect me. I watch for it in meats, processed foods, and condiments.

7. Alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is used as a PERMANENT preservative, which means it kills living cells. Now, lacto-fermented foods can develop alcohol – you can smell it if they do. I avoid using them unless I’ve heated out the alcohol so that I can no longer smell it. Lacto-fermented foods without alcohol continue to change (they are still living foods), and will eventually spoil. Alcohol preserved foods can last indefinitely, because they are no longer living foods. Alcohol is one item which even doctors have identified as having a direct harmful effect on digestive disease.

8. Anxiety. There are a series of chemical responses here, which result in actual damage to the intestines. Lower the anxiety, and the intestines heal. Increase it, and they degrade, due to the chemical and enzymatic changes caused by fear responses. It is complex stuff, and involves multiple issues. When you live with fear, things go wrong pretty fast. I use prayer, time in the woods, hugs, time out with friends, and some healthy distractions to control anxiety when it is an issue.

Things that helped me included most probiotic foods, eliminating the stuff above, eating LOTS of fresh veggies and fruits (if your gut is damaged you don’t absorb nutrients well, and you need foods with high nutrient density, so fresh stuff is best – again, this is a series of well known scientific facts, so there is no inappropriate counsel being given), fresh milled wheat flour (it has oils and nutrients that aged or refined flours do not), Kefir (I used Lifeway because that is what I could get), peppermint, and turmeric.

There was a specific event that turned things around for me, but it is a long and involved story, and I’m sure that the FDA would have a hissy fit if I told the story.

Anyway, my son also has Crohn’s. The thing that makes the biggest difference for him (besides avoiding things he knows are triggers), is Kefir. He uses 1/4 cup per day, and has to continue to use it, because there are some changes he is not ready to make yet. It stops the abdominal pain flare-ups. He is also starting to use more home-brined foods, and loves pickling his own vegetables.

The role of home cured foods is not just the probiotics, it is also that they are a living food, and the nutrient content is dense and complex. Foods are preserved without embalming them, so nutrients and enzymes are preserved as well. They are easier to digest, and you get more out of them, and they can aid in the digestion of other foods consumed at the same time, or shortly after.

This information is not intended as advice to cure or treat any disease or condition. It is simply a statement of my opinions, and my experiences, given as such, and protected by the First Amendment as such.

I do not offer nutritional advice, do not email me asking for it.

The ORIGINAL one-way valve fermenting airlock! Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery, and we have noticed that our product has been copied by other sellers of fermenting products. Remember, if you see someone else selling a one-way valve airlock for fermenting, THEY copied US, not the other way around! Fermenta Lock is still the only original invention, handmade in the US. If it isn't orange, it isn't the original!

We invented Fermenta Lock, Fermenta Free, and the valve used for Fermenta Fido and other Fermenta Airlock products. We invented Fermenta Dunk Extender. Patents are prohibitively expensive, and designed by the government not to protect the rights of individuals, but to provide another source of revenue and control for the government and lawyers. We are good at what we do. We have endless ideas and endless creativity, and competition does not scare us. Impatient thieves do not scare us - they are too busy taking shortcuts to make a success of it anyway, and they won't want to take the effort to actually MAKE a product and fill orders.

So if you want to copy our idea, go right ahead. If you want to market and sell a competing product, you are welcome to do so, as long as you do not patent our idea - we had it first, and our posts on FaceBook announcing the invention and launch of it will prove that. This idea is officially in the public domain, placed there by us. We will NOT release supply sources, or part names unless you want to buy them - we'll be happy to sell you an instruction kit. If you buy our product, or look at the images and figure it out for yourself, good on you. Compete with us if you like, just don't screw us, and we'll get along just fine. Big companies who might want to screw us may have more money, and more lawyers than we do, but we have more to gain by suing the pants off a big company, and believe me, we will be well motivated to do so if anyone patents our idea and claims it as their own - this is a free idea. Everybody now owns it.

Published June 23, 2012

Wholesale, Export, and Manufacture of this product by other companies is an option. International distributorships are available for those wishing to export. Please email us to inquire about access to our wholesale website, or in regards to manufacturing any of our products.

Business Building Services Are Available - If you are wanting to build a business like this, where you make things in the home and sell them direct to the customer, or if you want to build a business that you can sell to other people as a complete business package, Firelight Heritage Farm is now offering Cottage Industry Services to aid small business owners in building a successful product or service business from the home. Don't know what you want to do? We can help you figure that out too (something original, and just yours, not a canned business). You get the wisdom and uniquely successful perspective and experience of people who have been business, marketing, and website professionals for more than a dozen years. For more information, visit CottageIndustrialRevolution.com. Why copy someone else's business when you can do something uniquely you and enjoy it so much more?

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This website is only equipped to handle orders from US customers (International shipping must be calculated for each order). International Orders are now accepted BY EMAIL from UK, AU, CA, and shipped USPS (other countries will be considered if requested). Please email a list of the items you wish to order, using our Contact page, and we will give you a shipping quote, and then invoice you from PayPal for the total.
Uses of Fermenta Lock

Fermenta Lock is a compact airlock cap for mason jars, to help in making old fashioned brined pickles, and other lacto-fermented foods. Use Fermenta Lock for:

Pickles (all kinds)
Sauer Kraut
Milk Kefir
Salsa
Mustard
Ketchup
Mayo
Kimchi
Bean Paste/Hummus
Sourdough Starter (if started with culture or yeast)
Anything which needs gas release without a lot of air circulation.

Customer Comments

“Living down in Guatemala, we have quite a lot of dampness in our houses and mold is an ongoing battle. After a long dose of antibiotics due to a parasite, I absolutely required probiotics to get my gut back in order and I know homemade sauerkraut has more probiotic content than anything else I could find here. I wasn’t able to make my beloved sauerkraut or even Kombucha in my kitchen because mold would start growing immediately on the top. Your Fermenta Locks have literally been a lifesaver for me! No more mold, and PERFECT Kraut EVERY time!!! Thank you for creating such a wonderful product!!!”

A. Kratzert

“Oh how I wish I had found you first!! Too many experts and too many bucks later I discovered your “Lock” and the sheer elegance and simplicity of your system.Thank you for your help and affordability, it makes healthy food attainable.”

Bob

“I came back to order more FermentaCaps. A wonderful innovation. I have not lost a single batch of sauerkraut since I started using the original Fermenta Locks.”

Martha

“Please continue your good work on producing such a great product. I’ve tried lots of other kinds of airlocks- the 3 piece water lock, pickle pipes, fermilid, boss pickler, and I think yours is the best design and quality. I’d like to order another 100 of them right now, but I’ll have to wait a bit. I’ve had lifelong health challenges. I’m 38 and about 20 years ago my health was so bad I didn’t feel like living most of the time. Now my health is the best it’s ever been and it wouldn’t be possible without fermented vegetables, they have made a huge improvement in my health.”

Wesley

(Last names omitted to protect customer privacy.)