no mold and no smell

[bowstrokes]

Description: <p>Harsch makes a crock with a water seal around the outside edge. This prevents the mold and smell when fermentation occurs. I figured I could create the same environment with any container and a common fermentation lock available from any wine making supplies store.&nbsp; It worked like a charm. Make a lid out of plexiglass or if you use wood, wrap it with food wrap. The first attempt ended up with some mold on the bottom of the painted wood lid.&nbsp; Weigting was a problem too. Since the lid on the jar was smaller than the diameter of the body of the jar, I made some semi circles out of plexiglass and put them in. I made four and put two pairs in crosswise with each other so they couldn&#39;t tip.&nbsp;I also made some rectangular pieces with a cut (a little wider than the thickness of the plastic)&nbsp;half way across in each piece. That lets you assemble a cross which is stood on edge to take up the space between the &quot;plate&quot; and the lid. I just tape the lid on with some box tape and of course the lid has a hole in it for the fermentation lock. The plexiglass is fairly cheap and easy to clean. A few different widths of plexiglass to take up different spaces between the product and the lid and you&#39;re all set up. No mold, no smell, no discoloration of the stuff at the top. I was grossed out by the mold on my first batches of sauerkraut. Regards, Tom