My top three tips to keep everything below the brine and avoid mold are: 1- I use a piece of food dehydrator screen cut to the shape of the inside of the jar to hold down the cucumbers 2- I wrap up my pickling spice in a fine cheesecloth mesh packet (2 per jar) to keep any of the spices from floating and attracting mold 3- I use a glass fermentation weight for extra insurance to hold down the mesh screening and everything below it Happy pickle making! #fermentation #pickles #cucumbers #pickling