Pro tip: Check your airlock water level before you leave town

I had a batch of hot sauce going in my basement in Portland, left for a weekend trip, and came back to a sticky explosion. The airlock dried out, pressure built up, and the lid blew off a 2-gallon jar. It smelled like vinegar and peppers for days. I had to scrub everything with baking soda and start over. Anyone else have a ferment go nuclear like that?

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3 Comments

jamie_garcia256mo ago

Ugh, feel your pain. Did the same thing with a batch of sauerkraut last fall. Found cabbage on the ceiling.

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grant.jade6mo ago

Found cabbage on the ceiling" is why I stopped thinking fermenting was easy.

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patkelly4mo ago

Wait, wait, hold on. "Found cabbage on the ceiling"? I had to read that twice. I've had some messy ferments before but how do you get produce up there? That's not just a pop, that's like a little explosion. I'm trying to picture the force needed to launch a piece of cabbage that high and I just can't wrap my head around it. That sounds like a science fair experiment gone totally wrong, not a normal kitchen mess.

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