> The whole idea about having a bag of water is to create *a air lock. * and
> prevent skimming. every time you remove it it gets a fresh shot of air,
> totally defeating the purpose of the air lock . * If you must peek , wait
> at least a week.
> *by that time it should be actively fermenting

The problem I have is that one or two little shreds of cabbage or
whatever inevitably float around the edge of the baggie, and then
those bits start to rot. It's hard to establish an airtight seal when
there's gas coming out from the fermenting veggies. In fact, if you
had an airtight seal, like just putting all the veggies and brine
inside a baggie and squeezing all the air out, I assume the build-up
of gases would make the bag pop. Or at least you'd see a bunch of gas
inside the baggie, and the veggies would come in contact with it.

I'll try to leave the bag in for longer periods and see if it changes
the flavor, but I'm going to have a hard time with those little shreds
floating around the edges and rotting.