we all know by now that kimmy is not the most sophisticated cook in the kitchen but who woulda known that pickling veggies was so easy??? if she can do it, you can too! coupled with a wide-mouth mason jar and a few of your favorite veggies, you can have a quick and delicious jar of probiotic filled pickles! we love this thing so much that sS has them for sale! pickling with it really is easy, and is so good for you. first, you want to get everything together. the perfect pickler, a wide-mouthed mason jar, some sea salt (preferably celtic salt, the moist gray kind), and your favorite veggies. you will want to make the brine now (just 1 TB salt and 1 QT water), mix well, and set that aside. when you sign up for perfectpickler.com's newsletter, you'll get an email each month with recipes for new ideas... like fermented fruit and breakfast pickles! for kimmy's first time making them, we decided to use onions, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, and garlic (all organic of course). : first step is always to wash your veggies: then, you cut your veggies into bite-size pieces: pack your veggies into the jar, fill with brine solution, and attach the perfect pickler cap onto the jar (make sure to get some water into the chambers to keep beneficial bacteria in, and non-beneficial bacteria out while the fermentation process starts): mark the bottle with the date, and leave it on your countertop for a few days. in 4 days (a few days longer if it's cold weather season, fermentation tends to take a bit longer in cooler climates), you will be eating your very own homemade pickles! acupuncturists suggest that people eat small amounts of different fermented vegetables with each meal, or at least in the morning and evening, to get the digestion going. by eating a variety of fermented veggies, you get a broader spectrum of vitamins each veggie has to offer! for those with very sensitive stomachs or have never tried fermented foods, we suggest starting slow, with very small amounts. say, 1 mini pepper, or a carrot slice, to see how your body reacts. then, slowly work up your quantities as your stomach can tolerate. we'd probably say a tablespoon or two of fermented veggies per serving, 2-3 servings a day, is good! for more detailed directions, check out perfectpickler.com's youtube video on the process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gdII9VTm0o&feature=player_embedded if you've picked up the perfect pickler, you've got to come by and let us sample your bounty :) or at the very least, comment and let us know what you've made and how it turned out!