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We get a lot of questions about fermenting by email.  Most of our customers are first time ferment-ers, and it can be an intimidating process when you're not sure what you're doing!  We love getting emails from customers and having a chance to interact.  Being an online business, we don't get a lot of direct communication with our customers, and enjoy the opportunity to help someone out! 

We will be taking time over the next few weeks here on the blog to share some of the most common questions we get via email.  We figure there are a lot more people out there with questions like these!

Does the Crock need to be full?

If you're fermenting for the first time, you might not want to invest in the prep time and ingredients to fill a full 5 or 10 liter fermenting crock.  And the great news is, you don't have to! 

You can absolutely do a smaller amount of ingredients as a sample run.  This is also a great way to try out a new recipe if you're more experienced.  Just make sure you have enough to cover the bottom of the crock at least 3" to make sure your ferment is fully submerged below the brine. 

Getting the ratio of salt right is the key, so be careful when adjusting the quantities to keep the ratio the same.  Temperature and salt have the most control over how long the fermentation process takes.  If you have too little salt, it won't kill the bad bacteria and the cabbage will rot instead of fermenting.  However, if you have too much salt it will kill the good bacteria too and it won't sour or ferment.  

Just remember that it's an experimentation process and each batch will be a little different.  And of course, have fun with it!

Remember, if you try something and it doesn't work out, you can always email me - emily@stonecreektrading.com - and we can troubleshoot together!

Our mission is to provide traditional kitchenware products like those that our ancestors used.  When we think back to the way our grandparents cooked, it was often a much simpler process.  They often cooked without recipes, instead creating delicious, healthy foods with an intuition that has unfortunately not been passed down to our generation.

They used simple, whole ingredients grown in their own garden or nearby.  They cooked with simple tools that worked well, many of those tools lasting their lifetimes, and beyond.  Modernization is a great thing, but in the process we have regrettably turned our back on many of the important lessons and tools that worked well.  We want to provide a place for you to find those lost traditional housewares that lasted generations.

And it seems like we aren't the only ones who think traditional food is a great thing!  Check out an excerpt from a recent article on Hungry for Change, 5 Traditional Foods That Everyone Should Be Eating -

"It seems our ancestors might have held more wisdom than they knew, especially when it comes to natural health. Discover 5 traditional food staples that have begun a modern revival for their remarkable health benefits."

And if you are interested in trying out #2 on the list - Sauerkraut - we have some great tools for you!  Both our fermenting crocks and cabbage shredders make the process quicker, easier and more straightforward!

We mostly use our fermenting crocks for making traditional Polish sauerkraut & pickles.  That's why we include recipes for both with every crock we sell.  However, we've been wanting to try kimchi for awhile now. 

We recently came across this recipe for "kraut-chi" from one of our customers!  She uses our 10L fermenting crock to make it, so the recipe quantities are made to fit.  If you have a 5L, you should be able to half the recipe to get the right amount. 

http://www.greendreamsdetroit.com/ferments-diy-kraut-chi/

We get a lot of questions about recipes sized to fit in our crocks, so this is a great one to try.  Let us know if you try the recipe and how it comes out!

Do you have a favorite recipe you make in your Stone Creek Trading Fermenting Crock?  We'd love to share it with our other customers here on the blog.  Just email emily@stonecreektrading.com for more information!

We hope that you are enjoying time with your family or loved ones during this special time of year.  Stone Creek Trading will be "closed" to spend time with our family on December 25, 26, & 27.  You will still be able to place orders during this time, however they will not ship until Monday, December 30. 

We will still be answering emails during this time.  However, our response time may be slower than usual. 

We look forward to continued growth & prosperity in the New Year!

Happy Holidays from Stone Creek Trading!

Emily, Kryz & Maggie

In order to receive your purchase by December 24, you must place your order before 8pm on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013. 

We want to make sure you get your order in plenty of time for the holidays.  We pack and ship orders within 1-2 business days, but depending on your location it can take up to 1 week for your order to arrive.  Please be aware that this is a very busy time of year and plan accordingly.  Make your purchases early to allow time for delivery.  We also stock a limited supply of each item and may run out of certain products before the shipping deadline.

So be sure to place your order before 8pm on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013!

Krzysztof, Maggie & Emily

In honor of Small Business Saturday, we wanted to give everyone a behind the scenes look at our small family business - Stone Creek Trading. 

Stone Creek Trading is run by myself, Emily and my husband Krzysztof, with a lot of "help" from our almost 4 year old daughter - Maggie.  We take care of everything here in the United States from researching new products, unloading shipments, and packing orders to customer service and managing the website.  We work closely with Kryz's father, Jacek, who takes care of things for us in Poland. 

Jacek and Kryz unloading an early shipment

Jacek works directly with the small businesses in Poland that create the products we sell.  He will often visit these companies in person to see their operations and meet the people who make the goods we offer.  He then helps to coordinate the shipments and make sure we are getting what our customers want.  Jacek also visits us occasionally in the States and helps out with unloading and packing orders.

Maggie is always looking for ways to help us as well.  She likes to be right in the middle of things, no matter what we are doing.  While making a recent batch of sauerkraut, she decided she needed to check the water in the rim on our fermenting crock.   

She is more helpful in some aspects of the business than others.  Her personal favorite was helping us test the first set of DABO blocks that we received this summer.  She isn't quite so excited about helping us pack orders.  So we set up a little area for her among the boxes to play.  She also thinks the maze of cardboard is a great place to play hide and go seek.

Emily, Maggie and Kryz at a French Market this summer

As we say in our About Us section, Maggie was the main reason we decided to start this business.  In our previous careers, we were spending far too much time away from her everyday.  It felt like we were living to work, instead of working to live.  Our family is our top priority, and with the number of hours we used to spend apart, our daily lives just weren't reflecting that. Now, with Stone Creek Trading, we've found a way to make our business a part of our family.

When we say that Stone Creek Trading is a small family business, we really mean it!  It's not just about the people who run it, it's about our whole philosophy.  When you support Stone Creek Trading, you also support our family and for that we are truly thankful. 

Today, in honor of Small Business Saturday, and to say thank you for supporting our small business we are offering a free starburst fruit bowl with every order over $20.  Enter "Small Business Saturday" in the Additional Comments box on the Shopping Cart Page and we will include the fruit bowl with your order (this way you can still use another discount code if you have one!).  This offer is good on all orders placed between now and midnight on Saturday, November 30, 2013. 

You can also show your support of our business by liking our Facebook Page and sharing it with your friends!

Thank you again for supporting our small family business and we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the story behind Stone Creek Trading!

Have you liked our Facebook page yet?  We just announced our first Facebook giveaway, so be sure to head over and like our page. 

One of our fans will win a wood mushroom nutcracker, but it can't be you unless you go like us right now!