c/fermentation-station

13

gavin_kelly91•19d ago

My first batch of kombucha hit 14 days and tasted like sour vinegar

I followed the starter kit instructions to the letter and left it fermenting for the full two weeks in my pantry. Around day 10 I got curious and tasted it, and it was already getting that tangy flavor. By day 14 it was undrinkable, like straight up vinegar with a weird floaty thing on top. Has anyone else had a batch go way too sour because they left it too long, or is my kitchen just too warm?

2

brian_rivera59•20d ago

Spent 3 days fighting with my sauerkraut brine ratio

I kept getting mushy kraut and finally figured out it was because I wasn't using enough salt. Took me three straight days of Googling and tossing bad batches before I realized my kitchen scale was off by 5 grams. Checked it with a nickel and boom, total fix. Anyone else had a tool throw off their ferment like that?

13

gavin_hill27•20d ago

Looked up the salt ratio for basic sauerkraut and my mind is blown

I've been making sauerkraut for about a year now, just eyeballing the salt and hoping for the best. Last week my batch came out looking slimy so I finally looked up the actual recommended salt percentage. Apparently it's 2% of the cabbage weight. That little fact blew my mind because I'd been using maybe half that. No wonder my batches always turned out soft and funky after a couple weeks. Now I finally understand why some people's kraut stays crunchy for months. My last batch with the proper salt ratio is already smelling way cleaner. Has anyone else realized they were way off on the basics after just checking one number?

16

the_laura•23d ago

My kimchi turned into a science experiment after 5 days

I started my first batch of kimchi last Tuesday using a Napa cabbage from the farmers market. I left it on the counter for 5 days and the brine got all cloudy and bubbles started pushing the lid up. The smell was way stronger than any store bought kimchi I've had. Did I push the fermentation too long or is this normal for first timers?

15

jakel36•24d ago

Finally got my first good ferment after 3 years of trying

I started a new batch of sauerkraut 2 weeks ago using a mason jar from my mom's kitchen (the one with the weird blue lid). After checking it today, it actually bubbled right and smelled tangy instead of like old socks. Has anyone else had a ferment finally click after a bunch of failed attempts?

12

lilykelly•27d ago

Visited the new fermentation popup in Boulder and didn't get the hype

I checked out that trendy fermented foods place on Pearl Street last weekend. Everyone was raving about their kimchi, but it tasted like they forgot the salt and let it sit for maybe 2 days. Has anyone else had a disappointing batch from a place that's supposed to be an expert?

12

mila_flores8•27d ago

My first ferment went wrong after I ignored the airlock for 4 days

Last week I set up my first batch of hot sauce with habaneros and garlic from my garden in Austin. I followed the recipe from a friend but I got busy and forgot to check the airlock for 4 days. When I finally looked at the jar, the brine had gone cloudy and there was a thin white film on top. I panicked and threw it out, then texted my friend who said it was probably just kahm yeast and still fine. Now I wish I had taken a picture and asked around before tossing the whole batch. Has anyone else dealt with that white film and kept their ferment going?

16

hall.nina•28d ago

Can we talk about the old guy at the farmers market who taught me to stir my kraut with a specific stick?

He pulled a hickory branch from his truck, handed it to me, and said "this wood keeps the bad spirits out of the jar" and now I can't use anything else even though my wife thinks I'm nuts, has anyone else had a weird tool or ritual that actually worked for them?

12

eric723•28d ago

Visited a local hot sauce maker's setup last weekend

Went to this tiny spot in Austin called Pepper Patch. Guy had 15 different crocks bubbling away. He said his habanero pineapple batch hit 9% alcohol after 8 weeks. Made me want to try fermenting my own fruit mash. Anyone here tried adding fruit to a pepper ferment?

14

lilykelly•29d ago

Salt percentage fight - 2% vs 3% for sauerkraut

Been making sauerkraut for about 4 years now. Every recipe I see online says 2% salt by weight. But my grandma always did 3%. I followed the internet recipe once and got this weird soft kraut after 3 weeks. Mold on top too. Went back to 3% and it's crisp every time, lasts months in the fridge. I think the extra salt gives the good bacteria a better chance against the bad stuff. But everyone in this group swears by 2% and says 3% is too salty to eat. Has anyone else tested both percentages side by side and noticed a difference in texture?

0

the_charlie•29d ago

Tried a $15 heating mat from Amazon for my kraut and thought it was snake oil

Been making sauerkraut for 3 years in my cold basement and it always took 6 weeks to get tangy. Grabbed a cheap seedling mat last month and hit that same sour level in 11 days flat. Anyone else have a fermentation tool they ignored for way too long?

2

adam_adams•29d ago

Burped my krausen all over the ceiling after a starter mishap

I was trying a new yeast strain from Imperial and pitched it straight into a 5 gallon batch of NEIPA at 68 degrees. The blowoff tube clogged around hour 36 and I woke up to beer dripping from the light fixture in my basement. Anyone else switch to Fermcap-S after a similar disaster or just me?

29

mia748•1mo ago

My sauerkraut took 6 months to stop being slimy

I started a batch of sauerkraut back in January in my tiny Brooklyn apartment and it stayed disgustingly slimy for 4 whole months. Turned out my salt ratio was off by about 0.5% because I was using a cheap scale that couldn't handle small weights right. Got a proper digital scale for $25 from Target and now my kraut is perfect in 3 weeks flat. Anyone else wasted months on a dumb equipment issue before figuring it out?

18

the_fiona•1mo ago

Clear brine turned into a science experiment on my counter

I was trying a 3% salt solution for my first batch of pickles last Tuesday and forgot about it for two days. The whole jar got this weird white film on top and I thought it was ruined, but someone said it might just be kahm yeast. Has anyone else scraped that off and still ate the pickles, or is that asking for trouble?

15

casey_harris•1mo ago

Burping jars daily is a sign your airlock setup is wrong

If you're opening your jars to release pressure every day, you're letting in oxygen and risking mold. Get proper airlocks or self-burping lids they're $15 for a set and stop messing with the seal. Anyone else ditch the daily burp routine and see better results?

24

fiona_young•1mo ago

Switched from airlock lids to open crock fermentation...

Used to swear by those fancy airlock lids for my sauerkraut but they kept getting moldy under the rubber seal no matter how clean I was. After my third batch turned fuzzy in Chicago last winter, I grabbed a five-gallon Harsch crock from a garage sale for 20 bucks. Now I just weight the cabbage with the stones and check it once a week, way less fuss. Anyone else go back to old school methods after fighting with modern gear?

21

kim693•1mo ago

Just nailed my first batch of sauerkraut after 3 fails

I finally figured out why my sauerkraut kept turning out mushy and gross. Turns out I was packing the cabbage way too loose in the jar. I watched a video from some lady in Ohio and she said you gotta really cram it down so no air pockets get trapped. I did that this time and after 2 weeks it came out crispy and sour just right. Also learned the hard way that too much salt kills the ferment so stick to 2% of the cabbage weight. The store bought stuff tastes like nothing compared to this. Has anyone else dealt with a batch going slimy for the same reason?

17

the_robin•1mo ago

My first batch of kimchi smelled like garbage for 3 days, then turned into the best thing I ever made

I started a kimchi ferment last Monday. Day 1 and 2 it just smelled like spicy cabbage. Day 3 I opened the jar and it hit me like rotten trash. Almost dumped it. My wife said wait a day. Day 4 the smell mellowed and it tasted amazing. Now I know that funky phase is normal. Anyone else almost toss a batch during that first week?

17

finley729•1mo ago

Warning: my first kimchi batch hit 75F and exploded everywhere

I started a batch of kimchi last monday and left it on the counter. I checked the temp after 2 days and it was 75F. The lid popped off overnight and there was cabbage juice all over my kitchen. I read on a fermentation blog that ideal temp is 60-65F. Has anyone else had a blowup from getting the temp wrong?

15

derek994•1mo ago

Update: I saw a fermentation station at a brewery in Asheville that changed my mind about temperature control.

They had a dozen carboys in a climate-controlled room kept at exactly 68 degrees, and the head brewer said it cut their souring time by a third. Anyone else run a setup that precise for home ferments?

10

sage_ramirez42•1mo ago

My sauerkraut brine evaporated completely and I didn't notice for a week.

I had to rehydrate the whole batch with a salt solution, which took about five days to get the flavor back on track. Has anyone else salvaged a dry ferment like that?

11

derek994•1mo ago

My kraut turned into a fizzy pink mess and I'm not even mad

This was about a month ago, I was doing my usual cabbage ferment in a big old crock. I usually just do plain, but I had a beet that was getting soft so I chopped it up and threw it in on a whim. Forgot about it for a solid two weeks. When I lifted the weight, it was like opening a soda bottle. It fizzed over the edge, this bright pink foam everywhere. The whole kitchen smelled like a weird, earthy pickle. It looked wild, but I tasted it and it was actually really good, kind of sweet and sharp. Has anyone else had a ferment go totally off-script but turn out great? What was your weirdest happy accident?

-1

shane655•1mo ago

The week my hot sauce ferment grew a weird fuzzy mold cap

Everyone online says to just skim off the kahm yeast and keep going, but I had a batch of habanero mango ferment last summer that grew this thick white fuzzy layer on top. I mean it looked like a fuzzy sweater sitting on top of my brine. I posted in a Facebook group and half the people said toss it, other half said skim it and taste. I ended up tossing the whole thing because the smell was off, like old gym socks mixed with vinegar. Lost about $35 in peppers and mangoes plus 3 weeks of waiting. Made me realize that not every mold is salvageable and that trusting random internet advice over my nose was a mistake. Has anyone else here tossed a whole batch based on smell alone even when the photos looked borderline okay?

23

henrycooper•1mo ago

Warning: I thought burping jars was the only way to go for sauerkraut

My last batch in a regular mason jar kept overflowing and got moldy after about 5 days. A friend in Portland told me to just use a ziplock bag filled with salt water as a weight and airlock instead. I put a small bag right on top of the cabbage inside the jar, filled it with brine, and sealed the jar lid over it. It created a perfect seal, no burping needed, and the batch came out crisp after 3 weeks. Has anyone else tried this bag trick with different ferments?

6

mila_flores8•1mo ago

My old way of making kimchi gave me a bad batch every time

For years I just threw the salt on the cabbage and let it sit for an hour. Last fall, a friend in Seattle watched me do it and said, "You need to weigh it down with a plate and a jar of water." I started using a 5% brine by weight and pressing it under that plate for a full day. Now my kimchi ferments evenly and never gets mushy. Anyone have a different weight they use for their brine?