Tips on how to avoid tiny debris floating to the top and molding.
Hi everyone! Long time fermenter and lurker here. I had a question I'm hoping the collection here could give me an idea for.
I make batch pickles in these 8 qt buckets, I pretty much recreate the bubbies brand (minus the spice my gf doesn't like it) and I regularly get little bits of dill and other debris floating to the top and start to mold.
THIS IS NOT AN IS IT MOLD POST, I'm aware it is, but it's a white mold. I usually filter it out with a fine mesh strainer. And my brine is strong enough I'm not worried about it being an issue further down. So no issues.
I've covered the top with a plastic layer to prevent air getting in, and I use a glass weight to keep mostly everything below the brine line. But I still get some debris on the side of the container that sometimes mold and I'm trying to think of a more efficient way to prevent it. I get a little annoyed every time I have to fish a speck of dill off the top.
My current plan is to get, like a mesh screen? That's form fitting to place on top to catch every little bit but that seems like overkill. Any suggestions? Even up the production line, would bundling the dill and other flavors like garlic in a sachet be smarter?
Would love any suggestions just to make the process smoother. Been making these for months now and I love them just the molding debris is annoying to deal with.
Thank you!