They are a fermented pickle and gases are produced when fermenting. By keeping the lid tightly closed you allowed pressure to build up so the bulging lid and the bubbles were normal, assuming the fermentation is happening properly. You should "burp" the jars once a day or as necessary by loosening the lid just enough to allow the pressure to escape (you don't want the liquid to overflow out when the jar is opened and you definitely don't want a lid to blow off or jar bust).

Rodney

Ah, you put lids on them, yes? You need to use cheesecloth or muslin to let the fermenting gases escape. That would explain the "soda bottle" effect.

And, no, I probably wouldn't eat them.

Unlike that recipe I can only hope you used tested and approved recipes for the other pickles you made. You are fortunate that jar didn't explode.

Ans no I wouldn't eat them either. Since they weren't allowed to ferment properly there is a high likely hood of pathogenic bacteria formation inside that jar.

I'd strongly suggest some reading on the various types of pickling processes, how they work, and what is needed to make them safe for consumption. See the link below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Pickling

Thank you. I made another batch the same way on Saturday, and opened them today. If I burp them daily from now on, can I eat those? And if I made more but burped them daily, or covered them in cheesecloth instead, those would be ok?

Well, I bend the "rules" a bit more than digdirt, but I've been making fermented pickles for years. The NPR recipe is not out of the realm of what I would try. Frankly, I just put the salt brine in a big bucket (OK, I do draw the line at using food-grade plastic), throw in the dill, garlic and some mustard seed and/or pickling spice for flavor, the cucumbers, and cover it with a muslin towel (yep, the same one my grandmother used for her pickles) or cheesecloth. Do try to keep them submerged under the brine (i use a glass plate and weigh it down). I take a taste after, eh, maybe three days. I think the longest I've fermented my grandmother's recipe is about 7 days.

Keep tasting and smelling - rely on your senses to tell you when they are done enough for you or if something is "not quite right". DH and I have different pickle tastes, so I let his go longer 'til he says they're "done" and steal a few for myself a day or so earlier.

I should have noted in my response above "I probably wouldn't eat them" and added "besides, they already don't taste good".

I made another batch the same way on Saturday, and opened them today. If I burp them daily from now on, can I eat those? And if I made more but burped them daily, or covered them in cheesecloth instead, those would be ok?

Like malna I do bend the rules more with fermenting because when done correctly it is inherently safe. The problem here is your weren't done correctly. Had you followed the instructions in the recipe they would probably be ok although it is a somewhat questionable recipe IMO.

But yours were sealed instead of left open as they must be for fermentation to take place. That sealing creates a semi-anaerobic environment that encourages the growth of harmful bacteria, CO2 and bacterial by-products that can proliferate within 24-48 hours.

And there simply is no way to know if the good lacto-baccillus did or could develop fast enough to overcome the pathogens. So the natural safety mechanism of fermenting was lost.

So no, I wouldn't consider them safe to eat but the choice is yours.

If you do future batches and use that recipe then do as it instructs with the small jar or use the plastic glove technique or the baggie full of brine technique or the inverted lid with no band or cover the jars with cheese cloth - lots of ways to do it - but do NOT seal the jars closed.

It is very important to understand the difference between fermented pickles and quick-pack pickles which is why I included the link above. The two processes are not interchangeable nor can they be combined as you have tried to do.

Dave

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, lacto-fermentation IS an anaerobic process. People ferment things under an airlock in jars and Harsch type crocks have a water moat, both of which prevents gasses from going in but lets them out. And the food is supposed to be kept under the brine which also prevents contact with oxygen. Keeping the jars with the lids on while "burping" them achieves the same thing. Does it not? (I'm just trying to understand here, not trying to be a pest. Some things I've read have said that a lidded jar that is burped is an acceptable way to ferment.)

Rodney

Nah you are right Rodney. I should have been more clear above. Fermenting is a semi-anaerobic process as some air exchange is possible during the process. As opposed to a fully anaerobic process as when sealed in a permanent or long standing vacuum that can be created when fully sealing a jar.

Burping a jar is ok but not ideal IMO simply because it requires us to remember to do it. Plus there is the risk of explosion if the gases are allowed to build up in the jar. If you want to ferment in individual jars then the inverted lid (rubber seal up) with a very loose band set in place on to help hold it in place works better as it can self-burp. :)

Does that clarify?

Dave

I've fermented in quart jars with a brine bag pushed into the neck - works fine. Just put the jar on a plate or in a bowl in case of overflow.