My kimchi batch took a month to stop smelling like feet

I followed a recipe that said it would be ready in two weeks, but it had this weird, off-putting smell for almost 30 days. I kept it in my basement at 65 degrees, which I think was too cold for the initial ferment. What's the longest you've had to wait for a ferment to finally taste right?

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jamie_price7mo ago

Oh man, a MONTH of foot smell? That's a real test of will. My longest was a sauerkraut that tasted like a swamp for a solid three weeks before it finally decided to be food. Your basement was probably way too cold, that slows everything down to a crawl. Next time just shove it in a closet upstairs and check it every few days.

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ellis.casey7mo ago

Wait, you actually ate that swamp kraut? I would have dumped it after the first bad taste. That's some serious dedication to fermented food right there.

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anna_carter536mo ago

Yeah swamp kraut is a real thing, @ellis.casey. Been there with a batch that tasted like old gym socks for way too long. It's a brutal wait.

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