Vegetable fermenting kitchenware

Abstract

A kitchenware apparatus and container for producing fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut, comprising a screw top or Mason jar, a threaded jar lid with moat and an oblong top slot opening, an inverted cup that fits within the moat, a plunger sized to fit within the neck of the jar and having a keyed handle that extends up through the slot in the lid, and a compression spring. The lid moat and inverted cup comprise an airlock or one way valve that allows fermentation gases to escape but prevents outside air from entering. The screw lid, spring and plunger comprise a press that compresses the fermenting vegetables to press juice from the vegetables and to hold the vegetables under the liquid surface to prevent mold or other spoilage and to prevent browning.