Assembling the Jar, Closing, & The Airlock
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Place the gasket on the lid, hook the lid onto the hinge of the Jar with the D-ring securing the lower band in place. Before locking the lid in place, fill the Airlock about half way with water (about two tablespoons), add the dome bubbler, and snap on the cap. Wet the tip of the Airlock, and using twisting motions gently insert it into the grommet. The tip of the Airlock should poke past the inside of the lid about ¼” (but no further), and the grommet should not turn easily in the lid, to ensure an airtight seal. Do not use other brands of Airlocks; they are not all exactly the same size and may not create a seal. Use the Airlock that came with your Jar. We have engineered the opening to the exact specifications to perfectly fit our Airlocks.
It is important not to open the jar during the room temperature phase, unless you cannot avoid it due to the gas pushing the vegetables or brine up into the Airlock. The Brine Bowl will help prevent most of this issue by creating a ceiling in the jar upon which the vegetables will be pushed, at which point additional pressure will usually cause the gasses to escape the vegetables and trickle up along the sloped sides of the Brine Bowl, and bubble out thru the Airlock.
If my vegetables started poking out during this phase, I would most likely not disturb them, and would wait to carefully remove them from the jar just before transferring the Jar to cool or cold storage.
Occasionally, brine may overflow into the Brine Bowl. If the brine both fills it up and starts up the Airlock, you will need to open the Jar and remedy the situation as soon as possible. See our Handling Overflows Video.
It is important not to open the jar during the room temperature phase, unless you cannot avoid it due to the gas pushing the vegetables or brine up into the Airlock. The Brine Bowl will help prevent most of this issue by creating a ceiling in the jar upon which the vegetables will be pushed, at which point additional pressure will usually cause the gasses to escape the vegetables and trickle up along the sloped sides of the Brine Bowl, and bubble out thru the Airlock.
If my vegetables started poking out during this phase, I would most likely not disturb them, and would wait to carefully remove them from the jar just before transferring the Jar to cool or cold storage.
Occasionally, brine may overflow into the Brine Bowl. If the brine both fills it up and starts up the Airlock, you will need to open the Jar and remedy the situation as soon as possible. See our Handling Overflows Video.
