Switched from airlock lids to open crock fermentation...

Used to swear by those fancy airlock lids for my sauerkraut but they kept getting moldy under the rubber seal no matter how clean I was. After my third batch turned fuzzy in Chicago last winter, I grabbed a five-gallon Harsch crock from a garage sale for 20 bucks. Now I just weight the cabbage with the stones and check it once a week, way less fuss. Anyone else go back to old school methods after fighting with modern gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

blakem3727d ago

Man, you're making it sound like a whole saga. A little mold under a rubber seal isn't the end of the world, just wipe it down with vinegar and move on. And checking your kraut once a week seems like overkill too, I just let it sit for a month and crack the lid when I remember. People act like fermenting cabbage is brain surgery, but it's really just soggy salty cabbage in a jar.

the_piper27d ago

That "soggy salty cabbage in a jar" line is spot on, but I had the same mold issue with airlock lids and switching to a crock with real stones was a game changer for consistency. You ever try those crocks with the water channel?

thomas_martinez16d ago

Oh man, the water channel crocks are legit. I picked one up from a local pottery place after fighting with airlock lids for months (that film on the brine was driving me nuts). The water seal does a way better job of keeping out stray mold spores while letting gas bubble out, and the real stone weights sitting right on the cabbage make a huge difference in keeping everything submerged. Just gotta remember to top off the channel every few days when it gets low.