The 49-cent one didn't have a lid. :roll:
The first batch that I made some time ago .. I left the jar out. The liquid evaporated in a few days and the jar became coated with what looked like dried clay. Hmmm. I left it out. On a windowsill as one might expose brewed tea to sunlight. Nothing further became obvious. So I added some water and the clay turned back into liquid. It sat out .. dried out. I threw it out. (Clearly, it had not been adequately filtered for tobacco particulates!)
The next batch I put in a sealed Mason jar like is used for storing homemade jelly. And immediately put it in the refrigerator, as I would other cooked plant items.
I really don't know how long it might take for the liquid to start bacterial growth at room temperature -- and I surely don't want to find out. That's why it stays refrigerated until I can mix it and use it. Think of it as you would a cooked vegetable. Would anyone leave some green beans and the cooking liquid on the counter for days and NOT expect a bacterial cesspool?
All of this is experimentation, so if you left some out, later use it and become violently ill, have your next of kin let us know! :mrgreen:
One mo' thing: If anyone has knowledge of the various purification methods, please post for all of us. Purity of the final liquid is essential -- and we surely hope the commercial stuff is always contamination-free. But we who make it at home need to adhere to strict standards, too. When I think of bacteria, I remember Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and how it was a bacterial lung infection that killed him.
