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Serious question, has anyone else had a sauerkraut batch go sweet instead of sour?
I followed my usual method with green cabbage and 2% salt by weight, packed it tight in my crock from Ohio Stoneware. After the usual two week ferment in my cool basement, I opened it up and got a weird, almost fruity sweetness instead of the sharp tang I expected. No mold, just a strange flavor. I think the problem was the cabbage itself, a new organic variety from the farm stand that felt softer than normal. Everyone says the microbes do the work, but the starting veg clearly matters more than we talk about. Has anyone run into this with a specific type of cabbage before?
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quinnr406mo ago
I read a fermentation blog last year that talked about cabbage sugar content. Some newer, sweeter varieties like Early Jersey Wakefield or certain Danish ballhead types can have more natural sugars. That extra food can sometimes push the ferment toward a different set of bacteria first, the ones that make more of that fruity smell before the real sour kicks in. Your soft organic cabbage might have been one of those types. Maybe try a denser, older storage cabbage next time and see if that changes the result.
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cora9756mo ago
Makes sense, try a tougher cabbage.
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graceblack6mo ago
Honestly, it's just fermented cabbage.
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