As you know, I am a big fan of fermented foods. I make sauerkraut, pickles, dilly carrots, fermented garlic, and kefir on a regular basis. One of the most annoying things for me about fermenting is keeping track of what I fermented in what jar. I do not like for my kefir to taste like garlic! I have tried labeling my jars but even this hasn’t helped because my Fido jars have many pieces…and that garlic stink can really sneak up on you!
Yesterday I tried something pretty awesome which I knew I had to share with you! I filled up an empty (and stinky) mason jar that had been full of sauerkraut with soapy water and then I dropped in 2-3 drops of Purification essential oil or Lemon essential oil. I stirred it up and let it sit there for an hour or so. When I poured it out and rinsed it – voila! Absolutely no trace of any sauerkraut stink! Soapy water alone (and even a run through my dishwasher) didn’t take out the stink but lemon oil did!
Now I will no longer have an accidental batch of garlic tasting kefir ever again!
Have any of you ever tried this?
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to try it now that it’s getting colder. I usually just let them sit outside in the sun for a few hours, and that seems to kill the smell, but now that winter is comming, this sounds like a bteer approach.
I tend to have the most problems with the lids! I wonder if this might also help with that portion.
I have pretty good luck using about a tablespoon of lemon juice and water. Works great on plastic storage containers too.