c/fermentation-station

16

sageburns•17h ago

Burped my kimchi jar and got a face full of brine

I've been making kimchi for about 6 months now and always wondered why it came out flat tasting. Last weekend I opened a 2 week old jar and the lid shot off like a rocket, spraying red goo all over my kitchen ceiling. Turns out I was screwing the lid on way too tight and not burping it daily. My neighbor heard me scream and came over to find me covered in cabbage and chili flakes. Has anyone else learned this lesson the hard way or am I the only one who made it through a dozen batches without a proper burp?

13

avery_foster31•19h ago

My sauerkraut crock cracked right down the middle last night

I had a 5 gallon batch of cabbage going for 3 weeks and heard this loud pop around midnight. Had to scramble to salvage what I could into mason jars, think I lost about 2 pounds of it. Anyone had luck patching a stoneware crock or should I just replace it?

27

quinns20•1d ago

The thing about salt in lacto-ferments really caught me off guard

I've been messing around with fermentation for maybe 6 months now, just doing hot sauces and pickles. But I read this article on a food science blog last week that said most people use way too little salt for safe fermentation, especially in warmer climates. They had a chart showing that below 2% salt by weight, bad bacteria can actually outcompete the good lactobacillus. I live in Florida where it's hot year round, so I always just eyeballed it with a tablespoon or so. Turns out my last batch of pepper mash was only at 1.8% because I didn't account for the water weight in the veggies. I checked it with a scale after reading that and felt dumb. Anyone else ever mess up their brine ratios because they were guessing instead of weighing?

16

aaronlee•18d ago

Kombucha took a weird turn after 10 days

Left my batch for 10 days thinking it'd get more tangy. Came back and it smelled like straight vinegar with a thin layer of mold on top. Learned that 7 days is my sweet spot for flavor balance. Anyone else push fermentation too long?

18

lindaw12•19d ago

My first batch of sauerkraut went fuzzy after 10 days

I tried making sauerkraut last month with just cabbage and salt from a recipe online. After 10 days in the jar, I opened it up and saw fuzzy white and green patches on top. Turns out I didn't push the cabbage down enough under the brine, so air got in. Has anyone else had a batch go bad from not keeping stuff submerged?

15

julia_carter•20d ago

I finally stopped worrying about my starter smelling like acetone

Read a comment from someone in Portland who said their starter smells like nail polish remover every winter and it's totally normal. Has anyone else noticed their starter gets more sour smelling when it's cold out?

16

jennifersmith•21d ago

Picked up a used water bath canner at an estate sale in Des Moines for $15

Been wanting to get into canning for a while but was put off by the cost of new equipment. Found this old Presto canner at an estate sale last Saturday, barely looks used. Set up my first batch of salsa verde yesterday and it sealed perfectly on all 8 jars. Anyone else find good fermentation gear secondhand and save a bunch?

6

julia_carter•25d ago

Okay so who actually sanitizes their fermentation weights between batches

I was at a homebrew meetup in Portland last month and this old guy said he never washes his glass weights. Just wipes them off and tosses them back in. Another guy said he boils his for 10 minutes every single time. I do a quick vinegar soak but maybe that's not enough. What's the real deal here are we being too careful or not careful enough?

30

chen.luna•29d ago

Vent: I used to wing it with brine ratios and wasted a lot of food

For like two years I was just guessing on salt for my hot sauce ferments. I'd throw peppers in a jar, sprinkle some salt on top, and hope for the best. Ended up with moldy batches three times in a row last summer. A buddy at a farmers market in Austin finally told me to use a kitchen scale and stick to 2% salt by weight of water plus veggies. I thought he was being extra at first, but now I weigh everything down to the gram. No mold since I switched back in September. Has anyone else had to trash a whole jar of habaneros because they got slimy?

5

chen.luna•1mo ago

Kombucha from my grandma's recipe went moldy after 3 weeks

I was so sure I had everything clean and right. My kitchen counter has been covered with jars for a month. But after 3 weeks, that weird fuzzy patch showed up on top. I dumped the whole thing and started over with a fresh SCOPE from the local brew shop. Has anyone else had success saving a batch that early or is it always a total loss?

26

aaronlee•1mo ago

My grandma's old crock cracked mid-ferment and I lost a whole batch of kraut

I was using this vintage 3 gallon crock my grandma gave me, had a batch of sauerkraut going for 2 weeks, and then a hairline crack turned into a full split overnight. The brine leaked everywhere and the cabbage got moldy on top, what a mess. Has anyone else had an old crock fail on them and switched to those modern airlock lids instead?

19

jennifersmith•1mo ago

Am I the only one who fermented hot sauce for 3 years before realizing I needed to weigh down the peppers?

I've been making fermented hot sauce since 2020 and always ended up with mold on top. Last week I was scrubbing out my jar and it hit me like a brick - I never used a glass weight or anything to keep the peppers below the brine. I felt so dumb but now my latest batch of habanero sauce is mold-free and actually tastes clean. Has anyone else missed something that basic for way too long?

2

fionagibson•1mo ago

My pressure canner gauge cracked right in the middle of a big batch of beans

Was doing up 10 quarts of pinto beans last Sunday and the pressure gauge just popped off with a loud hiss. Had to pull everything out of the canner and toss it into the fridge at 9pm. No idea if the beans are safe now since they never finished processing. Anyone had a gauge fail like this mid-batch? I'm looking at getting an All American this time around.

0

the_sarah•1mo ago

Spent 3 weeks chasing a sourdough starter that wouldn't bubble

Turns out my tap water had too much chlorine. Switched to filtered water and it finally took off after 2 days. Has anyone else dealt with city water messing up their ferments?

24

alicecooper•1mo ago

Gave up my glass weights for a plastic airlock and almost lost a batch of hot sauce

I switched from a clamped glass weight to a standard plastic airlock on my last batch of habanero ferment, thinking it would be less hassle. Two days later I found mold growing on the surface because the airlock let too much oxygen in. Has anyone else had better luck with the glass weights keeping things fully submerged?

9

chen.luna•1mo ago

Chat with a neighbor about fish sauce changed my approach

Old guy next door saw me tossing out shrimp shells. He said "You're throwing away gold." Made me try fermenting them instead of just buying fish sauce from the store. Two weeks in and my kitchen smells wild but the liquid is already dark and funky. Anyone else tried making their own fish sauce from scraps?

17

leobrown•1mo ago

My neighbor in Cincinnati said my kimchi smelled like a 'chemical spill' and told me to throw it out.

I'm debating whether to tell him it's just a really active ferment or if I should move my crock to the basement to keep the peace, what would you do?

5

karenhenderson•1mo ago

My sauerkraut brine evaporated completely and I had to fix it

Left a crock in the basement for three days. Came back to find the cabbage above the liquid line, starting to get that weird pink color. Took me over an hour to figure out the right salt ratio for a fresh brine to top it off without ruining the batch. Had to dissolve the salt in boiled, cooled water and weigh everything. Anyone else had a ferment go dry on them?

6

allen.amy•1mo ago

Honestly, I read that kimchi can have over 1000 types of bacteria after fermenting

Found this in a research paper from Seoul National University while looking up gut health stuff. Ngl, I always figured it was just a few kinds, not a whole ecosystem in a jar. Does anyone know if that number changes based on how long you let it go?

6

davidwright•1mo ago

My cousin tried my kimchi and asked if I was trying to 'pickle cabbage with ghosts' because of the bubbles.

He stared at the jar on my counter in Chicago for a full minute, then said 'It's breathing, man,' and refused to try it again for six months.

17

dakotab13•1mo ago

My sauerkraut bubbled over and I had to choose between a mess or losing the batch

Had a 2-liter jar of cabbage going for 8 days. Came home and the brine was all over my counter. I could either take off the airlock and clean it, risking bad stuff getting in, or just let it keep making a mess. I chose to quickly wipe the rim, swap in a fresh airlock, and hope for the best. It worked out, the kraut is fine, but I lost about a cup of brine. Anyone have a good trick for stopping a really active ferment from making a break for it?

1

susansingh•1mo ago

My sauerkraut volcano erupted all over the kitchen ceiling

I was making a big batch of red cabbage kraut in a three-gallon crock two days ago. I guess I packed it too tight, because the airlock got clogged and the whole thing blew its lid off overnight. I woke up to find purple brine and cabbage bits sprayed across the ceiling and upper cabinets. It took me a solid hour to clean up the sticky mess. Has anyone else had a ferment explode like that, and how do you stop it from happening again?

17

kellyr18•1mo ago

Update: I just found out most home ferments don't actually need an airlock

I was reading a research paper from the University of Wisconsin's food science department last night. They said for things like sauerkraut and kimchi, the CO2 produced creates a natural barrier and a simple jar with a loose lid is fine. I've been buying and fussing with airlocks for every single batch for three years. It feels like everyone in this hobby pushes them as an absolute must-have. Has anyone else switched to simpler setups and seen the same results?

1

grayh60•1mo ago

My airlock shot off like a rocket during a ginger bug ferment

I was trying to get a ginger bug going for some homemade root beer in my kitchen last Thursday. The jar was on the counter and I must have added too much sugar, because the pressure built up so fast it popped the plastic airlock right off. It hit the ceiling and left a sticky ginger spot up there. Anyone have a good rule for how much sugar to use per cup of water to avoid this mess?

25

margaret99•1mo ago

I was wrong about leaving my sauerkraut jar open to the air

My neighbor, who's been fermenting for a decade, saw my setup and said, 'You're inviting fruit flies and mold with that cloth cover, you need a proper airlock.' I switched to a simple water-seal lid I got for about $8 online. My last batch of red cabbage came out perfect with no weird film on top. Has anyone else found a specific cover that works better than others?