Storage and Troubleshooting
Now that you’re well on your way to mastering the processes of basic fermentation, there are a few more things you may be wondering about. How long and what’s the best way to store your creations? What if something looks like it’s going wrong? And what if, along the way, you still have unanswered questions? You’ll find answers in this chapter.
In this section you’ll find out how long you should store your ferments and get tips on the best way to keep and prolong the life of your creations, both in the fridge and out.
Because sell-by dates appear on most products, this is a common question. The answer is not straightforward — it depends. The developed acidity is what preserves the vegetables. Sometimes people eat very “young” ferments as a quick pickle or slightly fermented salad. These crisp, slightly sour ferments may not be at 4.6 pH. When storing ferments you will want to make sure they are fully soured. If you’re not confident that you can tell the proper acidity by taste, use pH strips to test your ferment.
The most important thing to remember here is that fermented vegetables are a live food, so the rules are different than for, say, a jar of home-canned strawberries. The strawberries sit sealed and relatively stable on the shelf until opened, when the enzyme action toward spoiling is once again set into motion. Fermented vegetables are always changing; even when the jar is sealed in the refrigerator, the bacteria are ever so slowly continuing to acidify your food. This doesn’t mean it’s spoiling or going bad, so you have to change your idea of what is no longer fit to eat — as long as it still tastes fresh and crunchy, it is good.
Any ferment contaminated by mold or yeast should not be eaten, but as a general rule of thumb, fermented vegetables will keep for 6 to 12 months. Keep in mind that we have certainly thrown out things that have gotten soft early in the storage period, and there is no reason to toss something out at year’s end if it is still tasty and viable. We have containers of Sweet Pepper Salsa that are two years old and more delicious than ever. The shelf life on dehydrated krauts (for use as seasonings) is 6 months at room temperature. The lower the temperature, the longer the shelf life. Refrigerate or freeze all ferments in airtight containers for long-term storage.
Don’t forget that fermented vegetables can vary from batch to batch because of the season, the crop, unknown forces at play in your kitchen, whatever. It’s not always predictable, but that is what makes it fun. We just have to reclaim our own judgment skills: observation and taste have served humans well for a long time.
There are a few ferments in this book that are “quick ferments” meant for consumption within a few weeks, and these are noted in the recipes.
We choose to store our ferments in the fridge to capture the bounty of each season and preserve the flavor at its peak, for both the short and long term. For us it means having a second refrigerator standing by. This may seem extravagant, but we have found over the long haul that it not only has proven a thrifty measure but has also enhanced our family’s diet in priceless ways.
That said, this is a pre-refrigeration preservation technique after all, right? If you’re interested in long-term storage without refrigeration, see the sidebar on the facing page. Otherwise, here are some storage tips.
Here are some thoughts for those who want to preserve their ferments “old school”:
Because fermented vegetables are a live food with all the quirks and personality of any live being, there can be many variations of normal. Often the fermentista (even one with years of experience) will look into a crock and wonder, “What in the heck?”
And if something looks especially dubious, do consult the scum appendix, where we’ve compiled mug shots of the most common culprits of the crock.
This section has grown from the hours we spent teaching fermentation, standing at sample tables with sauerkraut, or answering phone calls, e-mails, and Facebook messages. As we wrote this book, each time we got a query we had not thought of, this section grew. We are sure there are many more questions out there, but this is a list of the most common issues faced by fermentistas who are teaching themselves this skill.
Our children have grown up with fermentation in the kitchen, as have many young people. However, collectively as a society we do not yet have a shared story of fermenting with our grandmothers. We will, but until then we must all share our experiences as we rediscover and reinvent this culinary art. Remember: Be brave and trust your gut. If it truly feels, tastes, and seems wrong, take it to the compost to build soil, and try again.
Should I sterilize my crocks and jars?
It’s not necessary to sterilize by boiling your jars, as you would in canning. However, good hygiene is always important. You will avoid chances of yeast and other contaminants just by making sure your work surfaces, implements, jars, and vegetables are clean. However, do not wash your vegetables with antimicrobial soap, extract, or any of the commercial vegetable washes on the market. These products remove the good bacteria along with the bad, essentially throwing out the baby with the bathwater, which could ruin the fermentation process.
Oops! I’ve over-salted the kraut.
It happens. This is probably the most common problem. Take the portion you plan to eat from the briny kraut and soak it in clear, cold water. Pour this off. Repeat this process until enough of the salt has been washed away. Let it sit in a stainless steel or plastic strainer for about half an hour. We honestly haven’t done the lab work required to know whether all the probiotic benefits go down the drain with the salt, but more than likely some of the advantages of fermented food do stay intact.
Another use for over-salty kraut is to make a stew and, instead of adding salt, add some of the salty kraut near the end of the cooking time. Think of it as adding a bouillon cube to enhance flavor.
Sometimes after trying these suggestions you’ll realize there’s no hope. We encourage you to release your guilt and liberate the offending kraut. Find a weedy spot in your yard and dump it there. It may not be aesthetically pleasing, but you will be freed from the briny torment and the weeds will be killed, too. Salting the fields was an ancient practice that seemed to work for oppressors . . . just ask the Romans.
As we have said, ultimately the best way to make sure this does not happen is to taste your ferment as you make it. If it is too salty, add more vegetable matter, instead of trying to rinse the salt out once the process has started; you risk washing out too many of the active organisms and causing an improper ferment.
The kraut tastes too sour.
This is a matter of personal preference. If it is too sour, it has probably fermented too long. Taste the next batch sooner and more frequently during the curing time; that way you will know when you like it best.
The kraut tastes bad and weird.
Unwanted bacteria may have found their way in. Trust your gut. If it tastes bad, compost it, and don’t be discouraged from trying again.
What if my brine is too thick or gelatinous?
Sometimes brine can be viscous or stringy. In our experience the slime often disappears when the ferment is allowed to age longer. We have also experienced this when temperatures have been too high. As long as all other signs are fine — it smells good and the veggies are crisp — try giving your ferment a little more time in a cool spot. We have seen a gluey kraut turn around with a month in the refrigerator.
The kraut isn’t sour enough.
Repack and re-weight your ferment and continue to ferment outside of the refrigerator. Check again in a few days. If you like things “super sauer” you can add a touch of sugar to your ferment as you are making it — 1⁄2 teaspoon for 2 pounds of vegetables should do it.
There’s mold!
Believe it or not, greenish or grayish mold on the top layer of ferments is relatively normal. Just scrape off the moldy layer. But if the mold is black, pink, or orange, or your ferment smells or tastes off, then send it to the compost pile.
The jar won’t open.
There are two possibilities: 1. Active ferments can continue to build up CO2 pressure that can make them a challenge to open. 2. Salt can cause corrosion that makes the jar band stick. In either case run the lid under a bit of warm water. Try again with a cloth for traction. Corroded bands are difficult to remove but generally don’t affect the contents of the jar. If you are faced with a corroded lid, use your best judgment as to the whether the ferment is edible. For example, a small spot of rust on the bottom of the lid has likely not done anything to taint the ferment.
The kraut is too dry.
Maybe it seems all your brine went away when you put it in the refrigerator. The brine doesn’t go anywhere, but as the ferment chills, it contracts. Just compress the kraut. As you eat kraut from your jars, always tamp back to a tight pack. You can always add a little fermented brine from another batch, but remember not to add water.
The kraut is too soft.
The fermentation may have happened too quickly, or the salt strength was insufficient, or the salt was not evenly distributed. Soft kraut can also result from kraut that was not packed properly, leaving air pockets. Air pockets can develop when the weight atop the ferment is not heavy enough to keep the brine in the vegetables during the most active stages of fermentation.
If your kraut is soft but otherwise fine, you can still eat it. If you don’t find soft kraut pleasing, you can use it to cook with: in a frittata, a chocolate cake, and any long-simmered soups and stews.
The pickles got soft in storage.
This means they were exposed to air. Remove soft pickles from brine or toss everything into the compost if the whole batch is soft. To avoid this, keep the pickles covered and safe from oxygen exposure to reduce spoilage. Add a bit of brine to top off the jar, seal tightly, and return it to the refrigerator. This should stabilize and last for months. As you eat, the amount of liquid decreases, or the balance of veggie to brine is upset. But your refrigerated pickled veggies will survive out of the brine for the few weeks it takes to eat the jar.
The kraut is a funny color.
Over a period of time, kraut will darken. It will also turn dark if the storage temperature is too warm. With a young kraut, a dark color could indicate uneven salting, elevated curing temperature, or merely that the cabbage was not trimmed completely, leaving the darker outer leaves. Pink? Some spices and vegetables will give the kraut a pink hue, for example shiso. Otherwise, pink is yeast. Surface pinkness indicates that the ferment has not had enough covering or weight. Remove the discolored kraut, or compost the whole batch if it occurs throughout.
The refrigerated jars pop and fizz when I open them.
That is okay. This is a live food and the CO2 is escaping. The microculture is just continuing its natural cycle. Pressure increases when carbon dioxide builds in a jar without an escape route. Even when a ferment is technically done, as defined by correct acidity and good flavor, it can still be quite active, which can cause a ferment literally to bubble and climb out of the jar. Here’s where we tell you: All of this is okay. Your loved ones won’t get sick from eating this food. (Rest assured even when your jar is quiet, it is still full of live cultures.)
When you realize you’re opening a hissing, fizzing jar, clamp the jar down and then open it over a clean bowl so that if the brine bubbles out you will be able to rescue it and pour it back into the ferment.
Why are some ferments more alive and effervescent than others? Here’s what’s happening in the crock: In the early stages of fermentation, called the heterofermentative stage, the microbes produce a lot of lactic acid and significant amounts of carbon dioxide. These early colonizing species of lactobacilli that move in are very active. They are also a little more heat sensitive and less tolerant of the lower acid levels they are producing. This sends the ferment on to the next wave of microbes that continue to produce lactic acid and carbon dioxide, though at much lower levels. This is called the homofermentative stage.
The kraut smells like dirty socks.
When this comes up, our first question is: Does it smell putrid? Putrid is an unmistakably awful odor. Putrid can smell like rotting potatoes. Putrid can make your eyes water and your stomach turn. Other indicators, like a slimy texture, mold growth, or an off-color, often accompany this kind of stench. If it’s not slimy, moldy, and putrefied, chances are it is just the perfume, fragrance, bouquet, or stink, if you will, of the fermenting vegetables. This is subjective.
There are three ferment perpetrators that can cause the offending odor. These are naturally occurring fatty acids. For reasons unknown, some batches produce one or more of these acids in quantities that affect the smell. (Don’t forget: vegetable ferments also experience what the wine world calls terroir — the flavor and mood is affected by season and place.) These acids are present in other foods and, in many cases, used in the food and flavor industry. You can be assured their presence does not make your kraut unsafe.
The first is n-propionic acid, a fatty acid produced naturally by Propionibacterium during in the fermentation process. (It is a member of this family that causes the holes in Swiss cheese.) These bacteria break down the lactic acid and are often described as smelling like human sweat or dirty socks. The good news is that propionic acid has antimicrobial properties, which is why it is also used in bread making.
The second offender on this list is n-caproic acid. This fatty acid smells like goats, so much so that it was named after the Latin word for goats, caper.
The last in our list of most common stinkers is n-butyric acid. This fatty acid smells like rancid butter. Again, it is harmless, and from the scientific research that we consulted — the kind where everything is done under intense scrutiny in sterile laboratory conditions — it is unclear to scientists why some batches develop this compound.
If the ferment smells of sulfur, these are different compounds that will dissipate in the steam when the kraut is heated to 158°F. Our guess is that this is why many traditional recipes are cooked.
I have to go away — what then?
Sometimes things come up that won’t allow you to tend to your curing ferment. If your ferment is immature and needs babysitting, taste it before you leave; if it is not ready but you are afraid it will bubble away the brine or be overly sour, you can put it in the refrigerator for a week or two — followers, weight, and all. It will slow way down (think suspended animation), and when you come back you can put it back on the counter. As it warms up, it will also wake up and continue fermenting.