Mold, mold, mold. WHY?
I am fermenting pickles in "Bormioli Rocco Quattro Stagioni" glass jars through the following process:
- I wash all components with soap and rinse with water.
- I place the glass jars, silicone covers, and glass weights in the oven at 130°C for 1 hour. Then let them cool for about two hours with the oven lid half-opened.
- I cut the cucumbers at both ends and check for any problematic ones. I use baby cucumbers.
- I fill the jars with the cucumbers, some garlic, and black pepper, filling up to the top but leaving enough space for the glass weights.
- I prepare a brine with room temperature coconut-filtered tap water and 3% salt, about 21 grams of salt for 700ml of water, mix it, then pour it into the jars. The cucumbers weigh about 350 grams, and so the water is left with about 350 ml.
- I add the glass weights, ensuring the water covers them.
- I seal the jars with "Fermentaholics Silicone Fermentation Stretch Lids" and secure them tightly with two rubber bands. The little metal balls inside the lids seem to sit correctly.
- I leave the jars at room temperature for 7 days.
After this period, I open the lids to check the fermenting process. However, in the past five attempts, about 80% of the jars developed mold. Some of it was in the brine itself, some in the inner part of the silicone lids. I don't understand what I’m doing wrong and need help understanding the cause.
Thank you.