c/fermentation-station

Talked to a brewer at a garage sale who made me rethink my brine ratios

He said his sauerkraut used 1.5% salt instead of 2% and it came out way less mushy, so has anyone else experimented with cutting salt that low without messing up fermentation?

2 comments

the_reese•1d ago

Was tracking my sauerkraut pH and got a weird surprise on day 4

I started a new batch of sauerkraut last week and decided to actually track the pH every day instead of just winging it like I usually do. I picked up one of those digital pH meters from Amazon for about 30 bucks and figured I'd see how things really go. So day 1 it was around 6.2, day 2 dropped to 5.1, day 3 it got to 4.3, pretty normal right? Then day 4 it jumped back up to 4.8 and I panicked thinking something was wrong. I read on a fermentation forum that sometimes the good bacteria hit a growth phase where they produce things that temporarily raise pH before it drops again. Never heard that anywhere in any recipe book or video I've watched. Has anyone else seen this happen or was my meter just acting up?

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hugog43•3d ago

TIL my sauerkraut ferment almost exploded because I forgot to burp it for 4 days

I was making a 5-gallon batch of kraut in my basement in Pittsburgh last month, and I forgot to check the airlock for almost a whole week. When I finally opened the bucket, the lid shot up like a rocket and sprayed brine all over my laundry pile. Has anyone else had a close call with a too-active ferment that got way too pressurized?

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the_barbara•4d ago

Overheard someone at the farmers market say salt kills all the good bacteria in kraut

I was picking up some peppers for a hot sauce batch last Saturday when this guy in front of me told the vendor he never adds salt to his sauerkraut because it 'kills the culture.' I almost choked on my coffee. In my experience, salt is what keeps the bad bacteria at bay while the good lactobacillus does its thing. I've been making kraut for about 4 years now, and without that 2% salt ratio, I ended up with a slimy mess that smelled like old gym socks. The vendor just nodded politely, but I couldn't help but pipe up and explain how salt actually encourages the right fermentation by creating an environment where only the tough lactic acid bacteria survive. Has anyone else run into folks who think salt is somehow the enemy of fermentation?

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hayden720•18d ago

A canning expert at the state fair told me my pickles failed because I was using tap water with too much chlorine

I switched to filtered water for my next batch of dill pickles and the difference in crunch and clarity was night and day, has anyone else had their water chemistry mess with fermentation results?

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wendygarcia•21d ago

Finally cracked a 3.5% brine after six failed attempts

I used to just dump salt in by eye and hope for the best with my pickles, but last month I bought a $15 scale and started weighing everything. Now my kraut turns out crunchy and sour every time instead of mushy. Anyone else have a breakthrough after switching to precise measurements?

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grant130•22d ago

That 5 minute video changed how I think about salt ratios in ferments

I was scrolling YouTube last night and this old timer from some fermentation channel was explaining how people used to just go by feel and smell instead of weighing everything out. He said his grandmother never touched a scale in 50 years of making sauerkraut. Got me thinking about all the times I stressed over hitting exactly 2.5% salt when really the veggies would have been fine. I still weigh mine out but maybe I relax a little now. Anyone else ever wonder if we overcomplicate this stuff?

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pat_perry•23d ago

Had a butcher in Denver tell me my starter was too wet for 6 months

He grabbed my jar at the farmers market and said "this isn't sourdough, it's paste." Cut my hydration from 120% to 75% and suddenly I got real bubbles. Anyone else get a reality check from a random pro?

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avery_fox93•26d ago

Was told my kimchi was too salty - made me rethink everything

My buddy Jeff tried my last batch of kimchi and said it tasted like a salt lick. I used to just eyeball the salt ratio for years and thought it was fine. Went from about 3 tablespoons of salt per napa cabbage down to 2 and let it brine for only 4 hours instead of 6. Now the baechu comes out way more balanced and the ferment actually lasts longer in the fridge. Anyone else get knocked down a peg by a friend's honest feedback?

2 comments

the_hugo•26d ago

Sauerkraut took me 4 tries before I got the salt ratio right

I was pretty skeptical about all the fuss with exact salt measurements in fermentation. First batch I just guessed and ended up with mushy, nasty stuff after 2 weeks. Second try I used too much salt and nothing fermented at all. Third batch I followed a recipe from a book but still got mold on top. Finally on batch four I weighed everything precisely at 2% salt by weight of cabbage and it came out perfect after 21 days. The crunch and tangy flavor really convinced me that the details matter. Has anyone else had to fail a few times before finding their sweet spot with salt ratios?

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wendy_murphy16•27d ago

Hit 50 batches of hot sauce this weekend and it snuck up on me

I just finished jar number 50 on Saturday and had to count twice to believe it. Started doing small pepper ferments three years ago after a bumper crop of habaneros from my garden and now I've got a shelf full of sauces. Anyone else lose track of their batch count and get surprised by how much time has passed?

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morgan.joseph•28d ago

Tried open crock fermentation vs airlock jars with my last batch of hot sauce

The open crock gave me way deeper flavor in just 2 weeks, but I had to skim mold off the top 3 times. The airlock jars were cleaner but the result was flat - anyone else notice a big taste difference between the two methods?

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lucas63•29d ago

Hot take: most people don't let their krausen drop before bottling their beer

I was at a homebrew meetup in Portland last Saturday and tasted 5 different IPAs from different guys. All of them had that weird green apple taste from acetaldehyde. I asked each one how long they waited after fermentation stopped, and three of them said they bottled within 48 hours. I learned the hard way after rushing a batch of pale ale back in March, now I always give it at least 10-14 days after the krausen falls to let the yeast clean up. Has anyone else noticed this off flavor in their early bottled batches?

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jordan464•1mo ago

My brine ratio took me 6 months to get right

I kept getting mushy pickles and couldn't figure out why. Turns out I was using a 2% brine when I needed 3.5% for crunchy cucumbers. It took me half a year of trial and error before I found a fermentation forum post that explained the difference. Now I measure everything by weight instead of volume and it's night and day. Has anyone else dealt with soggy veg from getting the salt wrong?

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reese_thompson74•1mo ago

I finally learned why my hot sauce was turning brown

A guy on the fermentation subreddit told me I was exposing my mash to too much oxygen. He said I needed to keep it fully submerged and stop peeking every day. I started weighing it down with a glass weight and now my last batch of habanero sauce stayed bright orange the whole 3 weeks. Anyone else fight with oxidation or am I the only one?

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kim_sanchez19•1mo ago

Spent 3 days fighting a bad batch of kimchi before realizing the issue

I made a big batch of napa cabbage kimchi last Saturday and after day 2 it smelled kinda off, not the usual tangy ferment smell. Turns out my jar lid was cracked letting air in, which I only caught after pulling everything apart and starting over. Has anyone else wasted a whole ferment on something this dumb?

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ramirez.caleb•1mo ago

Rant: My sourdough starter went from amazing to dead in one weekend

I've been feeding this starter for about 6 months. It was doubling in 4 hours, perfect bubbles, great smell. Then I left town for 3 days and forgot to feed it before I left. Came back to a layer of brown liquid on top and no activity at all. Tried feeding it twice a day for a week now and it barely moves. Anyone else ever kill a starter this fast and manage to bring it back?

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kaimiller•1mo ago

Hit 50 quarts of kimchi this month without even planning it

I was just making my usual napa cabbage batch (you know, the weekend project kind) and counted my jars yesterday. 50 quarts total, which is way more than I’ve ever done in a single month. I guess it’s because I kept tweaking my brine ratios after that first batch came out too salty back in early January. Has anyone else accidentally blown past their own fermentation goals like that?

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the_mary•1mo ago

Caught my first batch of kraut with mold after 6 months of doing it wrong

So I've been making sauerkraut for about 6 months now, just following some random YouTube videos. Last week I opened a crock that I was so proud of and it had this fuzzy white mold on top. I thought I was doing everything right - salt ratio, weight on top, all that. Turns out I wasn't checking the pH at all. My buddy who's been fermenting for 10 years came over and tested it with strips. Said my brine was way too weak this whole time. I was using like 1.5% salt instead of 2-3%. No wonder stuff kept going off. Anyone else skip the basics and learn the hard way?

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jordanr89•1mo ago

Rant: My friend in Austin said my kimchi was too fizzy and I think he's just wrong.

Last week I opened a jar after only 3 days of fermenting in my cool basement, and the aggressive bubbles made a huge mess, but I just scooped it out, pressed it down, and it's now my favorite batch yet, tangy and perfect on eggs.

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harper_owens•1mo ago

My friend in Portland called my sauerkraut 'too salty' and I finally listened

I was doing 2 tablespoons of salt per head of cabbage, but after his comment I dropped it to 1.5 and the texture is way better now. Anyone else adjust their salt ratio after getting a specific critique?

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fiona_webb•1mo ago

Vent: My cousin in Austin swore by airlocks for kraut, but I saw his setup

I visited him last month and he had three big jars of cabbage fermenting on his kitchen counter. He pointed at them and said, 'See, no fancy gear needed, just a cloth and a rubber band.' His kraut looked perfect, no mold at all. I always thought you had to buy special airlocks to keep things safe. Now I'm wondering if I wasted money on all that equipment. Has anyone else made great kraut with just a basic cloth cover?

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murray.troy•1mo ago

Can we talk about how a comment from my neighbor wrecked my whole kombucha process?

She saw my SCOBY hotel and said, 'You know, keeping that many just makes them all weak,' and now I'm questioning my last 3 batches. Has anyone else heard this or is she just messing with me?

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derekcarr•1mo ago

PSA: I was fermenting my hot sauce in a sealed jar for months before a friend in Boise pointed out the lid.

He saw my setup and said, 'Dude, you're gonna make a bomb,' which made me realize I'd been trapping all the gas without a proper airlock for over six months.

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emma_murray49•1mo ago

My uncle swore by a 2% salt brine for sauerkraut, but my friend from Asheville said to just wing it

I tried my uncle's exact method on a batch of red cabbage last month and it came out perfect, super crisp. But when I tried my friend's 'just salt it until it tastes right' advice, the whole jar got mushy and weird after about a week. I mean, maybe it's just me but I feel like the exact measurement really matters here. Has anyone else had a batch go wrong from not measuring the salt?

2 comments