Warning: My kraut batch in the basement closet almost turned into a bomb

I had a 2-gallon ceramic crock going for about 5 days and the airlock got clogged with a tiny piece of cabbage. I came home from my shift and the lid was bulging up, like it was under serious pressure. I carefully burped it over the sink and a huge amount of gas shot out, it was honestly scary. Has anyone else had a specific veggie piece clog their airlock, and what's your fix to stop it?

2 comments

2 Comments

christophers279d ago

Honestly that pressure is a good sign, means your ferment is super active and healthy. Airlocks are basically a set it and forget it safety net, a clog is just a fluke. That tiny piece of cabbage did you a favor by showing how much gas was building up, a good ferment should have some serious power. The fix is to just clear the bit out and keep going, no need to overthink it or change your whole setup.

christophermurphy9d ago

But that's a huge mess waiting to happen. A clogged airlock isn't a fluke, it's a design flaw. What if that cabbage piece didn't pop out and the whole jar exploded? Seen it happen with peppers. @christophers27 calls it power, I call it a risk. That gas needs a clear path out, always. Relying on luck with a vegetable plug is how you end up cleaning kraut off the ceiling. A simple burp each day is safer than trusting a tiny hole.