Re: Fermenting Vegetables
Originally Posted by
Azz
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They have been fine with my batches. There is a lot more air inside the huge fermenting crocks as you don't need to fill them to the top - the dos important thing is keeping the veg submerged under the juices
I agree. The large fermenting pots, for me, are not really any good, mostly because they are made of stone/ceramic and are not see-through. So you can not determine what is going on inside, whether there is mould developing etc and as a result you would need to open up the pot, take a look and fiddle around constantly. Even then you would have no idea at all if there was anything nasty growing further down in the pot.
An airlock of some kind is absolutely essential to prevent any oxygen entering the pot/jar and for me, glass is the only suitable container because you can see exactly what is going on at all times without opening the pot.
Considering the relatively cheap outlay for a few Sterilocks or airlocks that will last a long time, I don't see the investment case for any other less secure solution.
The jars with rubber seals you've mentioned I think are known as "Pickl-iT" jars in the US but I suspect are designed for pickles with vinegars which is a different process entirely. They may well allow gasses to escape but must also surely let oxygen in but I presume with the vinegar pickles you don't get the same spoilage/mould issues.