My sauerkraut volcano erupted all over the kitchen ceiling

I was making a big batch of red cabbage kraut in a three-gallon crock two days ago. I guess I packed it too tight, because the airlock got clogged and the whole thing blew its lid off overnight. I woke up to find purple brine and cabbage bits sprayed across the ceiling and upper cabinets. It took me a solid hour to clean up the sticky mess. Has anyone else had a ferment explode like that, and how do you stop it from happening again?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordant6918h ago

My two-gallon kimchi jar did the same thing last winter. I had it in the pantry and the lid shot off like a rocket, hitting the shelf above. Learned to leave way more headspace and burp it twice a day for the first week, no matter what the airlock says.

gonzalez.wesley16h ago

Forgot to burp a two gallon jar once. Had kimchi lava dripping from my kitchen ceiling for a week. Your lid hitting a shelf is getting off easy.