This is the schedule I'll be using for curing courtesy of Msquared. The only difference is that I have these 62% humidipaks that I will throw in after they get close to 65% or so in the jar for 6-8 hours.:
open air from 48 to 60hrs - depends on temp/humidity
sealem up for 12hrs
open air from 24 to 36hrs - depends on temp/humidity
sealem up for 6hrs - with this one I then put a hydrometer in there with them so I can get a good reading - I take notes at the beginning and then again at the end.
open air from 12 to 24hrs depending on last reading from hydrometer
sealem up from 3 to 6hrs to watch humidity if good then leave in jars and burp until humidity becomes stable and then jar them for the rest of their lives which never amounts to much time as they are soooo gooood! LOL
I then like to ultimately let them cure for at least a couple weeks checking on humidity and burping as necessary to keep a stable humidity so below is what I use as my humidity guidelines:
+70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending.
65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours.
60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing
55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure.
Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet.
open air from 48 to 60hrs - depends on temp/humidity
sealem up for 12hrs
open air from 24 to 36hrs - depends on temp/humidity
sealem up for 6hrs - with this one I then put a hydrometer in there with them so I can get a good reading - I take notes at the beginning and then again at the end.
open air from 12 to 24hrs depending on last reading from hydrometer
sealem up from 3 to 6hrs to watch humidity if good then leave in jars and burp until humidity becomes stable and then jar them for the rest of their lives which never amounts to much time as they are soooo gooood! LOL
I then like to ultimately let them cure for at least a couple weeks checking on humidity and burping as necessary to keep a stable humidity so below is what I use as my humidity guidelines:
+70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending.
65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours.
60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing
55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure.
Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet.
