Anja
At day 4 I decided to take the cover off this giant crock I made them in. I noticed the bubbling had died down when I moved it to a slightly cooler location, so I wondered if maybe it was ready. So far so good - they are actually really nice, but my boyfriend & I both tasted them (I made him go first!), and we don't think they're "done" yet. They are sour, but not really tangy, and are still very crunchy. I hope I have not ruined it by exposing it to oxygen. I put the weighting stones back and the lid, and thought I would leave it a few more days at room temp and check again. I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and stick them in the frigde, instead, though, and just plan not to eat them for another month or so.
Any thoughts/recommendations?
I'm excited if this works, because it offers the opportunity to get really creative with ingredients! I'm not sure how much more economical it is, though, than buying them ready-made by the time you factor in the cost of the organic veggies and the starter cultures (plus shipping!). And there's the issue of my precious time...