If you get an air-lock lid or one of the check valve lids I posted up thread, you won't need the glass weights anymore. I like the weights, but it was a challenge to make them work as I changed jar size(s). Especially the diameter. After getting the air-lock style lids, I doubt I'd ever really use my weights again.
With the airlock lids I don't worry about being below the water. Recently I haven't even added water to my daikon radish. I toss with salt, in the jar, airlock lid. I've never had any mold issue or whatnot. On the occasions I want more liquid, I'll add the water, push everything down nice and tight when filling, airlock lid and forget about it for a few days/weeks. I did get some kind of funky growth when I tried table radish, the typical red and white type. When I researched a bit to figure out why it didn't ferment correctly I read that some fruits and veggies get irradiated(?) and that kills off the bacteria we count on for the process. If you're getting icky stuff with the airlocks, maybe adjust the salt/water ratio?I use airlock lids. A couple different kinds. I started with the (expensive at the time) nipples, then over the past few years moved to the vacuum pump kind that I pictured above.
It is my understanding that you are supposed to keep the fermenting veggies under the surface of the brine. I don't know how you'd do that with fermentation bubbles continually pushing the veggies up above the brine?
.
Ball pickling spice is the bomb. I do add extra onion powder and pepper flakes though. I also add garlic bulbs and fresh onion. I just started pickling two summers a go. I never knew how easy it was. pickling any vegetable is pretty easy. My new fav way to extend the life of summer veggies for a while longer. Some above mentionEd pickling horse radish, that sounds exciting.The brine seems to make a lot of difference in taste/texture of months stored pickles.
Mine may be too salty for some? I do keto, and we like (need) our salt. For my taste a stronger brine also makes for a better pickle.There is plenty of info out there on brine concentrations. A lot of recommendations are 3% brine solution, mine's on the high end of 5%.
For brine I use 1/2c Redmond Real salt to 1/2 gallon Berkey filtered water. Simpler, 1c salt/1 gallon water, but a larger mix often makes for more leftover brine.
The rest is very simple for what I've done routinely. Appropriately sized fresh pickle cukes packed in 1/2 gallon jars along with a couple garlic cloves, a chopped fresh horseradish leaf (tannin for crisp pickles, along with mild horsey taste,) and a handful of fresh dill.
Last year my timing was bad on the late season pickle crop and I didn't have fresh dill. I used bought McCormick pickling spice instead along with a jar or two made with saved dill seeds. Jury's still out on the longer term taste of them.
Check out "Brewsy" !
Love to see your Kimchi recipe. We have made sauerkraut a few times with excess cabbage, but would love to try something new. We also did cider this fall for 1st time. New to tweak that a bit. May have left it go too long, or did not add enough extra honey - seemed to have a hint of vinegar when we were done.
