floating veggie problem

[joyrises]

pretty self-explanatory. My pretty garden things tend to float in their brine (esp. the squash, but other things too). Two batches got slimy/outright moldy on top, I think b/c of this air exposure. I do push them down or shake a little while they're fermenting, but wonder if it might be a good idea to put something on top of them in the jar (clean stone?). Anyone have experience with this?

[ltlmrs]

You can put a clean plate with a weight on top if it will fit, or maybe a small jar lid.

[tanyalynn]

I push my veggies down twice a day (very warm kitchen) and I skim the scum off the top once a day. That's been sufficient for my ferments, but I don't know if it would be for everyone's.

Have you seen pics of old-fashioned fermenting crocks? The ones I've seen have a round disk that just fits into the top and pushes the veggies under the level of the water but allows bubbles to continue to rise around the edges. I've read of people using drinking glasses or smaller mason jars for a similar purpose. You may still want to skim off the scum that builds up on top though.

[joyrises]

thank you, that's helpful! I'll see if I can find or improvise something like that.

[Magelet]

I find beer bottles fit just perfectly inside a wide mouth mason jar to hold stuff down. you can't put a lid on, but if you cover it with a cloth it works fine. you want enough water in the beer bottle to hold the veggies down but not so much that they get really squished.

[Metasequoia]

What are you fermenting in? I use jars - quart jars & gallon jars, not widemouth. I get a huge cuke or zucchini & slice into 1/2-3/4" rounds & shove it down just below the neck of the jar so the brine rises above but not the veggies. Works like a charm.