Had to pick between glass weights and airlocks for my new fermenter

I got a 5 gallon wide mouth jar last month and couldn't decide on keeping my kraut submerged. Glass weights were $15 for a set of four, but airlocks were only $8 each. I went with the glass weights because I figured airlocks are more for booze than veggies. Big mistake. My first batch of sauerkraut got mold on top after 3 days because the weights didn't seal tight enough. Lost about 4 pounds of cabbage and $10 worth of salt. Anyone else have better luck with one over the other for kraut specifically?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_perry909d ago

Right, I feel like the real issue is that glass weights just float around unless you pack your cabbage super tight and put them on at an angle. I switched to a spring-loaded airlock setup for my kraut and it creates way more consistent pressure across the top. Plus the airlock lets out gas without letting oxygen back in so I haven't seen mold since. You tried just piling extra brine on top of the weights?

the_nathan9d ago

Two years of mold battles and now I'm rethinking everything after reading this, seriously.