Good smell up close deteriorates with distance.

[Fourth Horse]

I've been using simple Mason jars to ferment cabbage until now using the original cap. That meant burping the jars or caps bent out of shape but which also kept the smell from embalming the whole house. The latter I did not notice actually until I started using the silicone caps that make the jar look like a nursing bottle. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07WFG ... UTF8&psc=1
While investigating its source we noticed something quite interesting, that the smell changes from quite pleasant, although unlike anything we ever encountered, when we put our noses next to the nipple to frankly fecal just a few inches away!
I am curious as to how that transformation comes about. Is it simple oxydation or bacterial activity near the tip of the jar?
Bad smell is a minor problem for us but potentially not for visitors. Which fermentation caps should we use to avoid it?
Thank you for your time.
Jean

[cerbu]

for a big jar I cover the mouth with a saucer than I tie a cellophane foil over , for smaller jars tubular water airlocks.

[irie1029]

Hi Jean,
I use a smaller weight and plastic ball lid loosely tightened for quart ferments. For a larger crock I had this custom made as a weight and then a towel over the top.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/659324866/ ... =shop_home

I never use any airlock for veggies just keep em under brine. As for your "smell" I think it really has to do with what critters take hold and grow and how fast they grow. All of my ferments taste/smell slightly different. A friend had some really nasty dirty sock ferment smell in her 5 gallon crock of kraut. While the taste was OK the aroma was really nasty and she was forced to toss it. Also, some people sense of smell varies. My wife hates the smell of kimchi but is fine with other ferments. As you know cilantro is really a good proof of that as some people abhor it and others love it. Oh also asparagus.... any way my 2 cents.

[Fourth Horse]

Thanks for sharing your experience with me.

for a big jar I cover the mouth with a saucer than I tie a cellophane foil over , for smaller jars tubular water airlocks.

Hummm... I think that I could easily make such a contraption using some silicone tubing that I have here, one end around the nipple and the other end plunged into some odour filtering solution.
Regards.

[Fourth Horse]

Hi Jean,
I use a smaller weight and plastic ball lid loosely tightened for quart ferments. For a larger crock I had this custom made as a weight and then a towel over the top.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/659324866/ ... =shop_home

I never use any airlock for veggies just keep em under brine. As for your "smell" I think it really has to do with what critters take hold and grow and how fast they grow. All of my ferments taste/smell slightly different. A friend had some really nasty dirty sock ferment smell in her 5 gallon crock of kraut. While the taste was OK the aroma was really nasty and she was forced to toss it. Also, some people sense of smell varies. My wife hates the smell of kimchi but is fine with other ferments. As you know cilantro is really a good proof of that as some people abhor it and others love it. Oh also asparagus.... any way my 2 cents.

I do not expect to make really large quantity of anything; we're doing a variety of ferment and the sum of it is enough to feed us up to the rim.
You may have read in my reply to Cerbu that I have the embryo of an idea that could take care of odours. Nevertheless I take good note of your point that smell can inform us on what's going on with our batches.
Thank you for the info.
Jean

[Fourth Horse]

Hello gang.
Yesterday I've started some more fermenting: ginger bug, turnip, sweet potatoes and carrots. My coleslaw still reeks in spite of having the jars wrapped inside two plastic bags. I used some baking soda in a shallow pan inside de cupboard to limit the damage and it works some.
Next I'll buy some tubing that can fit over the nipple of my silicone burper lids and sink the other end down in baking soda, activated charcoal, plain water... to see what works. If I were to start it over again I'd use those stainless stell lids with a hole and a grommet (for a straw to drink off the jar) and fit some aquarium tubing in it for a more flexible setup. It's just for fun since burping a standard lid outside or under a hood is simpler and most effective to keep the funk at bay.

Thanks again for your help.
Jean