When I did a round up of pickling techniques a couple years back, I gently scoffed at those airlock gewgaws which sit on top of a wide mouth mason jar. But now I have a two-pack of FARMcurious mold-free airlock lids, thanks to a deal of the day on Amazon. The main drawback is that fermentation should be a hands-on experience and this device just makes it too easy because you don’t have to worry about mold and other impurities creeping in. The main benefit is… what I just said. Set and forget. I’m going on a short trip and will prep up some cabbage and cucumbers before I go and expect to see the jar happily bubbling away when I return.
My second new tool is a six-pack of giant half-gallon wide mouth mason jars… who knew? If you’re making sauerkraut using the airlock top, this is definitely the right size and I’ll also use it for my escabeche next time I whip up a batch. This, too, is available on Amazon though you might find them cheaper at a well-stocked local hardware store. (Be sure you buy the six-pack since the single jars are close to the same price.)
By the way, I originally learned about the airlock fermentation from the Pickle Me Too! blog, which advocates them for people with compromised immune systems. I checked it out just now and though the blog is not real active, there are some appealing recipes and (bonus) container gardening techniques.
