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We recently introduced our new product, Luna Glass Crock Weights.  And so far, they have been a big hit!  We developed this product ourselves after seeing a void in the market for a non-pervious crock sized fermenting weight.  So we set about designing and prototyping one of our own! 

These weights are made to our spefications by a small manufacturer in Poland.  The Luna Glass Crock Weights are a unique Stone Creek Trading item, in fact we applied for a patent for them and they are currently US Patent Pending.

So what makes these weights so special?  Of course you can read all about them in the product listing, but here's a few brief points -

• Non-pervious means they don't absorb anything - mold, bacteria, smells or flavors
• Easy to clean
• Transparent so you can see whats happening below without removing
• 15% heavier than traditional ceramic weights

We currently offer the Luna Glass Crock Weights in ones size - 6.5" diameter for 5L Crocks.  You can buy the weights separately or with the 5L Brown Crock or 5L Olive Green Crock.  You also will receive the Luna Glass Crock Weights if you purchase a 5L Fermenting Kit. 

We wanted to test the market for the glass weights before we developed a 10L size weight, and I am happy to say our market test has been a success!  The 10L size Luna Glass Crock Weights have finished production and are now ready to be loaded and shipped to us.  We expect to have them in stock in April.  At that time they will be offered with all 10L crocks, the 10L Fermenting Kit and on their own.  And after many inquiries as to the small size of the 10L ceramic weights in comparison to the crock diameter, we did some experimentation and came up with a larger size that better fills the interior of the crock.  All around these weights will be far superior to the traditional ceramic weights.

We hope you are as excited as we are about these new weights.  The Luna Glass Crock Weights are a great way to upgrade your current fermenting set up, or to start out on the right path!  If you want to be notified when the 10L size is available, or you have a question about the weights, be sure to email me, emily@stonecreektrading.com!

As our business grows we are always evaluating how to best meet our customers needs.  Sometimes that means expanding into new products and sometimes it means focusing on certain areas over others.  In that vain, we have decided to closeout the DABO block sets and select styles of the Handmade Nativity. 

We love the DABO block sets, our family plays with them all the time!  But they don't reflect the core of our business, and therefore we have decided to stop offering them on our website.  We have already sold out of the Castle sets and we now have a few of the Farm and City block sets available.  Once we sell the last of these sets, we won't be restocking.  So if you've been waiting for a bargain to get these blocks, this is your last chance!  At only $30 each, they are a steal!

We also will not be restocking certain styles of the Nativity Creche/Mangers.  These styles are on closeout sale now, a bargain price ($15 - $22) and once they are sold you won't be able to find these outside of Poland.  The styles on sale are - Noel, Merry, Joy, Glory and Rejoice. 

You can find all of these great deals in one place in our On Sale Now area of the website.  If you have any questions about these closeout items, email emily@stonecreektrading.com.

With Christmas just a little over a month away (yikes!) we are all making sure to mark items off our endless lists.  When it comes to online shopping one of the most important factors is how long items will take to ship.  As always, we strive for fast efficient shipping.  We only offer products on our website which are in stock and ready to ship. 

So when do you need to order by to make sure you have it before Christmas?  This year's magic cutoff date is 12pm CST on December 17, 2014.  All orders place before that time will arrive by December 24, 2014.

As always, orders ship within 1-2 business days after your order is placed.  Orders placed after 5pm on Thursday through 5pm Sunday  will ship on Monday.  Shipping times vary based on your location.  We are located in the Chicago suburbs.  Small items are shipped USPS Priority Mail while larger items & orders are shipped via UPS Ground.  UPS does not deliver or accept packages on Saturday or Sunday. 

See below for typical shipping schedules.

Location           Processing Time      Shipping Time     Total Shipping/Processing

Midwest              1-2 days                     1-2 days               1-4 days

East Coast          1-2 days                     2-3 days               2-5 days

West Coast          1-2 days                    3-5 days                3-7 days

If you miss the cut off for holiday shipping or need your order sooner, email emily@stonecreektrading.com to discuss expedited shipping options including overnight and 2-day shipping.  Please be aware that expedited shipping on crocks is quite expensive ($50+) due to the weight of the crocks. 

And as always, you can email Emily with any questions or custom order requests.  As a small family business, we are happy to work with you when special circumstances arise!

Happy Holidays!

We are super excited that our Mushroom Nutcracker is included in this article in the New York Times! You can check out the online article or in the Home Section (pg D4) of today's paper! We are so honored that our simple little nutcracker made the list.

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We love giving back to our customers, and one way we do that is to sponsor blog giveaways!  We've got a great giveaway going on over on the popular fermenting blog phickle.com.  You can enter to win one of our 5L Fermenting Crocks!

Phickle.com is a great resource for fermenting recipes and tips and tricks.  It's a great community as well with active commenters that help each other out with even more information!  Amanda is also currently working on a cookbook, which we'll be sure to share information about once it's available as well.  We know our customers are always looking for more information about fermenting, and Phickle.com is a great place to find it!

So if you'd love a new 5L Fermenting Crock, go check out the giveaway!  There are lots of easy ways to enter, including liking our Facebook page and signing up for our newsletter.

A few of our popular products are now out of stock, including our cabbage shredders and Beginner's Fermenting Kits.  The good news is that these items are already on their way across the ocean to us!  We don't know the exact date we will have them back in stock, but it is looking like late November right now. 

If you have a specific item you are waiting for, email emily@stonecreektrading.com to be added to our contact list.  As soon as that item is back in stock and available for purchase on the website, you will receive an email letting you know!

Our new line of Rustic Fermenting Crocks has now sold out, but we will have more stock available once the new shipment arrives. 

We will also finally have our very popular Holy Night and Silent Night Nativity Sets available!  These handmade nativity scenes have very limited quantities as the couple who makes them only creates a set number each year.  Be sure to get on the contact list if you have been waiting for one!

We also only have a few Olive Green crocks remaining in stock, for both the 5L and 10L sizes.  We do have more coming, but if you want one now, order soon!  Our traditional brown 10L will soon be out of stock.  We do, however, have more of the 10L Round and 10L Egyptian available.

As always, we work hard to keep the website updated with current stock levels.  If you see the item available for purchase, we have it in stock and ready to ship!

I have received a few email questions from customers lately about "white stuff" in their finished ferments.  I've replied with our experiences with the "white stuff" - that this isn't a cause for concern.  It's always great to hear from other resources as well, so you can imagine I was happy to see a post by one of the leading bloggers on fermenting addressing just this issue!

"The most important thing to know is that, yes, pickles with cloudy stuff in the brine and whitish sediment at the bottom are perfectly fine and safe to eat. Both of those things are natural by-products of the fermentation process."

I'm sure there are others out there who have dealt with this issue, so be sure to check out the post What’s That White Stuff in My Ferment? over on phickle.com to read her take and see some photographic evidence!  There are lots of great fermenting recipes as well, so take some time to read through the site.  A great fermenting resource to add to your list.

Do you have any favorite fermenting blogs or resources that have helped you along the way?  Our customers are always looking for more information about fermenting and we'd love to hear about your favorites!