Great observation rrmolo!rrmolo wrote:Maria, I suggest you look at yours. I checked mine today and so glad I did as I had to pour a lot of brine out of the holding container and put my jar in a bigger holding container. I had used up all my cabbage and maybe filled the jar a little too full. Lots to learn!
Filling our containers too full does indeed leave little room for the rise in brine that occurs during the first week or two. A good rule of thumb is to leave 2 to 4 inches of space above your kraut to accommodate the increase in brine. Your holding container did it's job by catching the overflow and not creating a mess. Some vegetables create more brine than others. A couple of years ago I made a carrot kraut and overfilled my jars. My "pickle pipe" air lock groaned, bulged and eventually released a huge shower of brine all over my ceiling and cabinets. What a mess and a good lesson to help me realize the importance of leaving room for the brine to develop.