Welcome to the world of fermenting!
I have some rather strong opinions on airlock system (
mostly on how you don't need one) but you don't really need to hear about that right now. I put the link there in case you want to do some reading at a future date.
I like the look of your jar, it's a lot like what I've been using lately. A heavy glass lid but no proper seal. I weigh the veggies down so that they stay under the brine (this is really the only important thing), then lay a cloth on top, then the glass lid. There's
enough airflow that no dangerous buildup of gas happens. I find if I don't use a cloth, however, the fruit flies often wiggle their way in.
You could make a
water seal if you want, but it isn't strictly necessary and may cause problems (drying out frequently, wicking out your ferment liquid, &c).
If I can recommend one book - Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz
Your
local library
should have it, and if they don't then they SHOULD have it and feel free to tell them I said so. Katz talks about different fermentation methods and containers.
For future reference: If you do go with an airtight system and 'burp' it once a day, there are some issues that can occur. One thing is that different conditions make the build up of gas happen at different speeds - aka, sometimes it explodes for no reason even if you remember to burp it.
Also, burping an air tight system, goes against the whole reason for having an airtight system. Most people who use an airlock do so because they believe that the higher ratio of air-hating invisible beasties to air-loving invisible beasties is important. Burping the system creates an environment that encourages some air loving invisible beasties (I may be dumbing this down a bit), which does not fulfill the original goal and produces more work. An open vat, or 'cover with a cloth' system creates the same result with far less effort. Open vat systems are also far more common throughout history - ie, up to a couple of years ago.
Please let us know how it goes.
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