Can I add to lacto-ferment jars as I harvest?
Last year I made lacto-fermented jalapenos from my garden and they were great! I took what was left at the end of the season plus I added some local peppers from the farmer's market in a mason jar and added my brine. This year my jalapeno plants are about ready for their first harvest. However, it isn't enough to "fill" my mason jar in one shot.
So my question is - can I start a lacto-ferment with the peppers I have on hand now, and then add additional peppers as they are harvested throughout the summer? I know that will mean I will have peppers at different stages of the process in the jar at the same time. Would I have to wait until all the peppers are fermented before eating or could I start taking out the "earlier" peppers as needed? Is this a valid approach or should I just suck it up and do smaller jars?
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Does the fermenting jar need to be full?
It is also important to have the Jar at least \u2154 full, so that there is sufficient carbon dioxide released by the desirable microbes (LAB) to force the lighter oxygen out of the jar.Can you open a jar while fermenting?
In a tightly sealed jar, these gases will build up pressure, and if left alone, the lid could pop open, or in an extreme case, a jar could burst. This is really no worry if you burp your jar once or twice a day. Simply untwist the lid and hear the \u201cpffftt\u201d of carbon dioxide escaping.Can you reuse pickle jars for fermenting?
Any glass jar will do. For larger batches, I use recycled, gallon-size pickle jars.Can you open lid during fermentation of vegetables?
Once we put the vegetables into jars, we screw the lid on. Fermentation will create carbon dioxide gas (CO\u2082). This is normal, but we don't want our jar to explode! So we want to let it out.The Guide to Lacto-Fermentation: How To Ferment Nearly Anything
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Images: Anna Shvets, Ann H, Tima Miroshnichenko, Mikhail Nilov