Had to choose between a glass jar and a crock for my first sauerkraut batch

I went with the glass jar because I could see through it, but I think the crock would have kept it darker and maybe fermented more evenly. My batch came out okay but had some spotty mold near the top. Would a crock have prevented that, or is it just about keeping everything submerged better?

4 comments

4 Comments

rowanr8814d ago

Oh man, I've heard this exact story from a buddy who tried the same thing. He went glass jar too cause he thought it looked cool watching the bubbles, but he got the exact same spotty mold issue near the top. His batch turned out fine after he scooped the mold off, but he swore the crock his neighbor used had way less trouble. I think it's more about keeping everything pressed down tight under the brine than the container itself. A dark crock just helps block light that can mess with fermentation temps, but if your jar stuff is fully submerged you should be golden.

patricia_hill6014d ago

And I read somewhere that even the shape of the container can matter, like wide mouth jars give more surface area for mold to grab onto compared to narrow crocks. My aunt always uses a regular pickle crock and she says the narrow top helps keep things snug under the brine. So between that and blocking light, it seems like the crock just makes it easier to avoid the trouble spots.

lilyt2314d ago

Yeah, @patricia_hill60 you're totally right about the narrow top thing. I had a wide mouth jar once and got that gross fuzzy stuff on the surface way more than when I switched to a smaller opening. I finally just got a cheap crock at a yard sale and honestly it's been so much easier. The shape keeps everything packed in tight without me having to mess with weights as much. Plus the dark walls do help with light, but I think the narrow top is the real secret.

aaronroberts13d ago

Right, cause staring at bubbles is definitely worth scraping mold off your kraut.