Fermentation Pro Tips. Clarity, Effervescence, Yeast and Mold

[@senseofpi]

I am so thankful I found your video, I was worried I had spoilt the fermentation of my cucumbers

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Glad I could help!

[@rochelles.8387]

I am attempting to ferment beets. I sterilized the jar and based the salt on the weight of the water and beets. The first few days there were a few bubbles but now there are none. I tasted it a few days ago (no mold or growth or color change and they tasted just like beets. I recapped it and it is about 7 days now. I just opened the lid and there are still no bubbles and no strange growth or change in color. What should I do? Can they be eaten even if they didn't ferment? Can I add more salt and see if that will help?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

interesting, I think you are right on that the yeast is probably dead. I'm assuming you are fermenting them in a room that is above 65F...so here are some other questions....what brine % did you use? i like 2%.. did you use regular tap water? city tap water generally has sterilization agents in it (like bleach) and that can kill yeast. Where did you get the beets? did you peel them? generally you want to use veg that has not been washed (rinsed is ok) and organic (no pestacides or anti-spouting agents) if the beets were regular beets from the grocery then they most likely have had all the natural yeast washed off of them and even potentilly sprayed so the won't go bad in the grocery store. The best beets to use would be those you grew yourself or farmers market... skin on (that's where the yeast lives) though some people say you can peel them. If you do peel them you need to get yeast from the air so you'd need to loosely cover to allow natural yeast in. Finally what type of salt did you use? Salt with iodine can sometimes kill yeast too.

[@rochelles.8387]

@@OldSchoolPrepperI used organic peppers. I washed them with a fruit and veg wash and peeled them. I used 2% salt and used reverse osmosis water. I live in Wisconsin so there are no fresh beets now. I did not leave the cover loose as the video I followed said to tightly cap it. I found that unusual since I don't tightly cap Kim Chi or when I used to make Kombucha. I used Himalayan pink salt. Can I add more salt now and loosely cover it to see if it will ferment? If not, are they safe to eat since there is no growth on top?

[@shelleynix243]

You explained exactly what I needed today. I am at the 2 week mark with my first 4 ferments and was wondering if this looked right. Im am so excited!!! Also I am doing a cabbage head today as well for my first Sauerkraut.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

You got this! let me know if you run into any questions!

[@MichaelR58]

Great information , I was unsure about the cloudiness , thanks for sharing , stay safe , God bless !

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

thanks for watching Michael

[@nursesheris8777]

I scooped off a layer of bluish green mold off the top of my sauerkraut and underneath was a beautiful clean sauerkraut smelled good and tasted good !! So I bagged it up and froze it I know I will lose the good bacteria but I want the sauerkraut more, we did eat a bunch before freezing, I was going to can it but I had the freezer space so it’s all good!!

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

yummy! mold is tuff some people say you can remove mold from the top of sauerkraut and others say if there is any mold then you have to toss it. I'm kind of in the middle on sauerkraut, case by case. Any other veg I'd toss but sauerkraut I might try and save. hope you enjoy! ☮️

[@PreppingWithSarge]

Had heard of the burping thing. Never done this before. Appreciate the tips

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

fermented food is awesome, it's the only way to have a real Kosher Dill Pickle and the only way to have real Sauerkraut....the others are fakes! ;)

[@emmaschauer5409]

Thank you so much! I thought the cloudiness in my pickles was OK since it passed the skiff test, but it is so great to have confirmation!

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

yup, all good. most of my ferments have some level of cloudiness....

[@willowroseyt]

Im fermenting some peppers for the first time. Hoping to turn it into hot sauce.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

fermented peppers makes excellent hot sauce!

[@joejojo5966]

My pickled stuff didn't get cloudy is that okay??

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Are u fermenting? It is ok not to get cloudy but they usually do...what are fermenting and how many days so far?

[@joejojo5966]

@@OldSchoolPrepper cucumbers, carrots and there was a cucumber and green onion mix lol. They've been in my fridge like a week or so

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@joejojo5966 did u ferment on the counter first? If not then your ferments are moving so slowly (in the fridge) that you haven't had any lactobacteria die off yet...it just takes a lot longer

[@joejojo5966]

@@OldSchoolPrepper boiled vinegar with other ingredients on stovetop, poured over jars with ingredients and waited till cool, put lids on and then into the fridge

[@joejojo5966]

@@OldSchoolPrepper i just wanted to taste all natural pickles XD this is so difficult even tho its not LOL

[@dianaamloyan1049]

Hi Iam a newbie, i fermented cabbage with beet root after a few days I noticed mold floating on top of my water (the veggies were all submerged), why is that happening ? Thank you for your help!

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

are you sure it's mold? (is it black/grey/pink? is it fuzzy?) or is it white? if it's white it's probably Kham yeast (tho sometimes mold can be white it's pretty unsusal for it to be only white) Kham yeast often occurs in ferments, it doesn't bother me. Check this out for more info and pictures: fermentools.com/mold-or-yeast-how-to-tell-the-difference/

[@dianaamloyan1049]

@@OldSchoolPrepper it was white fuzz, no color.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@dianaamloyan1049 usually fuzz is indicative of mold not Kham yeast. so let's say it's mold. no matter what others say if there is mold you need to toss it. Some peopl say you can scrape off the mold and eat what's underneath but I think cabbage is cheap and fermentation is easy so why chance it. Why did it happen? could have been several things. 1) something wasn't clean when you started 2) something wasn't clean which was used to poke around inside the ferment (like tongs, fingers, chopstick etc) or the weight wasn't clean. 3) someone stuck their hand in the ferment (or fingers) it's the perfect and easiest way to contaminate a ferment 4) your brine wasn't salty enough (or too salty) I like 2% for cabbage. I'd also suggest until you get fermentation down, stick to easy to ferment foods (Beet is nutoriously tricky)....cabbage, peppers, cucumber etc. of course there is also the possbility that it wasn' mold but was Kham yeast....i can't see it so I can't help you guess. so toss everything and start over. make a 2% ... you may want to give this a watch, it's step by step for cabbage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3PFoKRnbqx9gLc

[@dianaamloyan1049]

@@OldSchoolPrepper I think my brine wasn’t salty enough, my other ferments came out perfect , this time my salt was definitely off. Thank you for your help, I will try again:)

[@greatjuankenobi217]

How can I easily tell if fermented pickles have gone bad? First timer here.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

really the only way the pickles go bad is if they mold. you might see an all white film on top of the liquid (that is often Kham yeast and can be scraped off) but if there is any black, grey, pink or blue (all mold colors) then it's bad and the whole thing needs to be tossed. If you use old or incorrect cucumbers for the pickles they might get soft but that won't make you sick, it just won't taste good. Just remember to keep everythiing in the jar below the surface of the brine. Make sure you figure out your brine % by weighing all the ingrediants (don't use tablespoon amount, weigh in grams). If I haven't answered your questions tell me what yours tastes like. Oh and with the cold weather it takes longer to ferment this time of year (in the Northern part of the world). If can take 2 weeks or even more to ferment.

[@greatjuankenobi217]

@@OldSchoolPrepper Awesome explanation. Tomorrow I will taste test a pickle. I see alot of white film around the pickles and at the bottom of the jar. Is this normal. Maybe I can do a quick video and upload it.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@greatjuankenobi217 I know what you are talking about, it's almost like there is snow inside the brine. This is all part of the fermentation process and is perfectly normal, eat up! what that white stuff is is the dead bacteria which have fermented and then died. I know it's kind of gross when you think about it so don't! Just eat.

[@greatjuankenobi217]

@@OldSchoolPrepper Awesome 😎. I’ve been fermenting them now for about 6 days inside my house. And just put them in my fridge. Thanks a bunch for the feed back. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽💯

[@greatjuankenobi217]

What should the brine taste like ??? If it’s good I mean.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Salty water when you first make it. After a while, when it's started bubbling and working you'll still taste the salt but it will start to taste like there is vinegar in the brine. In the end the brine will be salty, vinegary (but won't have vinegar in it), it will also taste like the spices you add (if any) like garlic, dill, pepper etc. If you are lucky (IMHO) you might have your brine get a bit fizzy (like soda pop) I love it when the pickles get a bit effervecent. Anyway, let me know if you need more info.

[@greatjuankenobi217]

@@OldSchoolPrepper Thanks 🙏🏽

[@mcanultymichelle]

Wow what good timing this video is. I had some beans l flamented,I opened them up and noticed a little bit of white stuff. I thought it was mold and threw it out.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

that yeast is the same kind you want to make apple cider vinegar or catch for bread yeast....it's good news for you!

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

i forgot to stay if that happens again, take a pic and send it to me and I'll take a peek ... of there are lots of facebook fermentation groups that could look too. it is scary the first few times but really if it's mostly white and like a cob web (or little dots) it's usually fine. Just some good yeast!

[@mcanultymichelle]

@@OldSchoolPrepper cool, I make sourdough bread but every now and again to restart the starter I've had a few failures. Nice to know I can put a little bit of that white fluff in the mixture to help it.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@mcanultymichelle hi Michelle, i'm not sure you can just move one kind of Kham yeast from pickles into bread or into apple water to make vinegar. I have never tried it. I wasn't very clear, i mean that you have natural yeast in your home (or wherever you are making your pickles) so you should easily be able to capture yeast for other types of things. That said, it would be a very interesting experiment to try that. Let me know if you do try and what happens! would make a great video.

[@mcanultymichelle]

@@OldSchoolPrepper lol that's funny you meant the in the home. I'm just getting ready to can a whole bunch off burger meat. I'm addicted to canning.

[@carolinaazca9328]

So if it's White or cream colored and smells like bread basically it's yeast and represents no problem eating it, so glad for learning all this, less food waste on my house. Thanks, God bless

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

You got it!

[@elisabethjones4917]

I fully opened my first jar. Unintentionally, but I cracked it open so much the brine started to bubble out if it. So I have a few QUESTIONS. (Asparagus) 1. The one that over flowed, I made more brine topped it off, and closed it back up. Can I still store it that way? 2. Once all i the bubbles are let out, what do I do? Right now the taste is a bit sparkly, but its a great flavor! The asparagus still has a soft crunch. I hesrdbthat pickled/fermented food will last for months in the shelf. But im unsure if I leave it in its current jar or not. I dont want the taste or texture to change much ...

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Elisabth, i am SOOOO jealous. I love the effervecent fermented products best. I sometimes get it and sometimes don't. It's that fizzy taste you are talking about my favorite. 1) Yes, you did perfect, just make more of the same brine and top it off....good thing you opened up the jar otherwise such pressure can happen that the lids pop off and you have a mess...so keep burping (opening up the jar) often. The more you do it the less fizzy the end product will be so you'll need to figure out what works best for you. 2) fermented products will last longer than a month on the shelf, the problem is that they continue to ferment and break down so if you want to keep the crunch as is then pop into a cooler environment. A root cellar/basement or fridge. Good work girl!

[@2008reggie]

would it be better when doing pickles to use those lids for fermentation that they have out now in the market? by ball brand. its just a lid that comes with a coil spring that you put in first then scew down the lid, its used for making kroute i think other stuff too like mini pickles or anything pickled to keep it under the brine. but could i use those same lids on my pickles. the cloudiness freaked me out too at first lol hubby and i jst made a bunch of pickles in one half gallon jar, but why doesnt this happen when we make our mini pickles though? is it because their slices instead of whole pickles?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

the cloudiness is the bacteria that has worked it's magic and fermented your pickles and has died. why you have more in one batch than another is anyone's guess. Maybe it was colder or warmer that day, maybe the cucumbers had more bacteria on them, etc etc. Just know it won't hurt you. You can buy some of the fermentation lids if you want. It won't change how cloudy something is, but it will allow you to forget about your ferment for a while...if you use a regular lid you have to 'burp' the ferment every day...if you use a fermentation lid you don't have too so you can just come back to it a week or so later and all is well. So it's up to you. Lately I've gone back to tightening the lids on the jars, during the ferment, so I can get more effervescent pickles...but you really have to baby sit those and burp them a couple times a day.

[@nursesheris8777]

I opened a jar of store bought pickles that was in my fridge and it was effervescent I tasted it but didn’t like it, I only like my kombucha to be effervescent

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

☮️

[@BerryBurgerMeister]

I used kosher salt Morton’s and am fermenting peppers in jars that were sterilized. I have noticed in one jar there is some white/pinkish/light brown sediment on the bottom. Is this okay? The peppers are red so I though maybe the sediment color was because of this? All answers online only mention the sediment being white. It smells fine no mold on top.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Hi Max....well, I truthfully have no idea. I've never seen red or light brown sediment but I have't fermented a lot of peppers either. I don't want to steer you wrong so I can't answer your question. There is a great FB group called: Fermentation: Recipes, Ideas, Inspiration. perhaps ask them, they have more pepper experience than I do. That said if it smells good and tastes good it's probably just fine. is the brine turining red too? I would think (as you do) that the red and light brown is simply from the peppers but I can't confirm....thanks for the question, sorry I'm not more helpful.

[@BerryBurgerMeister]

@@OldSchoolPrepper you are fine! I want to thank you for the reply and I will follow up with those folks!

[@voidremoved]

the white layer on mine looked like it would peel off, but when I tried to remove it with a chopstick, the stick passed through it. So I tried to use a spoon to skim it off but it just seemed to dissipate when I disturbed the brine. That is not bad? There was some solid little bits. At first I thought it smelled like a urinal, but a second sniff it smells like dogfood. I don't know what to do with it. So I put a lid on it and put it in the fridge. It is probably fine, but I will wait a few days or a week and see if anything forms on top or grows mold. It doesnt smell bad, but it doesnt really smell good either. It did not seem like any mold I have seen before. Mold would not likely be a thin, smooth layer just on the surface?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

mold can grow like that but it will start to turn grey or black. If it is still 100% white then i'd say it's yeast (Google Kham Yeast) and is probably fine....it does not stick together (like you are describing) and is often a part of fermentation. It it doesn't smell right don't eat it but i would taste a litte bit, even if it is mold a tiny bit won't hurt you (as long as you aren't immune compromised) I would say if it smelled like urine then it probably has ammonia in it and should be tossed.

[@nursesheris8777]

Good that makes me feel better about my sauerkraut being cloudy

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

☮️ i love homemade sauerkraut!

[@standefler6488]

wow! i never realized that i was so easy to ferment

[@aneeshaashraf7882]

Is black floating substance is harmful? Can we skim off it and use it?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

black? Black, gray, pink, and/or fuzzy are all bad...it's generally mold and once I see it, I dump it. Some people will say you can just skim off mold but I think that mold doesn't just grow on top of things, I think it invades the whole product and is everywhere...so not good, yes it's harmful, not don't skim it just toss it and start over.

[@aneeshaashraf7882]

@@OldSchoolPrepper Thanks for the reply.

[@kickuprumpus]

I got some kham on my apple cider vinegar. Does this mean thatthr vinegar will never taste good? Can a mother form if kham has started before a mother has formed?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

your vinegar should be fine even with Kham yeast. I would just leave it alone, or you could remove the Kham...if you are sure it's Kham. It might be an early mother as well...either way as long as it's not mold you are good to go. Leave it alone for another week or two. Keep tasting and watching. take a look at this article with pics: steemit.com/food/@lily-da-vine/apple-cider-vinegar-adventures-first-fermentation-finished-thoughts-and-photos

[@kickuprumpus]

@@OldSchoolPrepper thanks for the reply. I am still hoping to have vinegar that good in the end as I want it for eating not cleaning. Fingers crossed!!

[@Sozo_inc]

Do all Ferments create yeast & / or fungi and mold?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

by definition ferments are yeast and yeast is part of the fungi kingdom...so there is no way around that. Many ferments won't have Kaham yeast on top but some will...not an issue...what is problematic is the mold; not good, you'd need to toss out anything with mold so no not all ferments get mold (only the bad ones).

[@HuplesCat]

So this is rotting food in a jar? :-) Great explanation for us novices OSP. Thanks

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

love me some good food rot!

[@Jo_mommah]

What if we’ve fermented something with anthocyanins like red onions? Would that make it harder to tell? I’m not saying I’m going to take the chance, I’m just wondering what your thoughts are! It looks like a yeast film on the top, but I feel like I see a pinkish tint.. Idk if my eyes are just playing tricks on me lol 😅

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

pinkish tint (on any growth) is definitely a sign of mold....bleh, dump and start over. even if you ferment something that is reddish in color any Kham yeast will still be white and the mold will look like regular mold. I don't think the color effects the ferment at all. anthocyanins can effect the pH levels however The pH level runs the gamut in anthocyanins, the lower the pH level, the redder the pigments get...so that's something to watch out for and (of course) they can be bitter tasting. There are a lot of good recipies for fermented Red Onions out there, should be fairly straight forward. Good Luck!

[@sufficientlyrandom8184]

I thought all of the vegetables being fermented needed to be below water???

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

they should be below the surface while the ferment is active (on your counter) once it goes into your fridge it's not as important but you don't want it to mold. Are you referring to when we looked at the cucumber/pickles? those just came loose during filming... I pushed them back down once I put it back into the fridge.

[@kimberlywood3903]

I fermented radish and i have the top covered in what looks like a cotton ball, it doesn't look like the kahm yeast from the pics i have seen but really looked like a cotton ball and came out in one piece, is it safe to eat the radish under it?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

hi Kimberly, without seeing it myself I can't say for sure....usually kham isn't fluffy. I'd dump it myself.

[@zhippidydoodah]

Question for anyone who might see this :) My half sours are on day 3, good effervescence, but the top of the brine looks like it's covered in soap bubbles. I've never seen it like that before. I am using salt brine (Redmond's salt, 3tbsp to 3c water), grape leaves (3) from my vines, dill from garden and peppercorns, and of course, cucumbers (from garden). I started it with just a coffee filter cover x24 hrs and transferred to a re-cap fermentation lid. Any ideas about the soap bubble look? They don't smell bad, but definitely don't smell as I would have expected. They are almost weak in scent.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

it maybe Kham yeast on the top of the ferment which is trapping the gas being released while your ferment is giving off gas. Does it look like this? (if so then it's Kham yeast and nothing to worry about, just scrape off) i.pinimg.com/originals/18/0e/64/180e640b5b7bee0ca86f9e9cba540e6a.jpg

[@zhippidydoodah]

@@OldSchoolPrepper The kham yeast looked to have been settled down on the cucumbers. The bubbles turned fuzzy :( It sort of looks like your picture, with the lumps, but they are fuzzy. My only change up from last time I made them was a coffee filter cover for one day.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@zhippidydoodah fizzy is fine...actually I prefer it to regular crisp pickles....kind of like champagne! so Kham yeast does not drop under the brine surface...what you most likely have is lactic acid bacteria (the bacteria which is makes the ferment ferment aka LAB) and it is fine to eat. Mold kind of sticks to things or floats it won't be below the surface. Here is more on LAB: www.eatortoss.com/cloudy-pickle-brine/

[@jayfromtexas6718]

My cauliflower is cloudy. Will it clear up?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

well, it depends on why it's cloudy. What kind of salt did you use (does it have iodine in it) and what was the brine %....and did you weigh the water and salt or did you use liquid measurments like teaspoons and quarts? most ferements are cloudy and usually don't clear until they are placed in the fridge (to slow the ferement) and allowed to settle.

[@littledrabbitry9410]

Hello! New to fermenting. I did garlic pickles and they have been fermenting now for 4 weeks (due to a vacation). I have on the top of the water and on some of my veggies a cloudy whitish gel (slime) like substance. What is this? There is no bad smell, but not sure if we should eat the pickles. It's not white speckles like you showed. It's a gel.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Sounds like Kaham yeast if it's only on the top...if it's on the bottom too it is leftover bacteria that made the fermentation and is now dead...either way it is fine to eat. Mold is usually pretty obvious and smells...the problem with mold is that it gets thru out the whole fermentation and ruins it...again its pretty obvious. Take care, as long as it smells good and doesn't have any black or grey then I'd eat it!

[@silvaqubrusi1920]

I have a question. I make pickles for a long time. But sometimes the weather gets MOISTy. Do you know why

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

hi Silva, I don't understand your question. Are you asking about air humidity? I don't understand "sometimes the weather gets moisty" which in engish means sometimes the weather is moist or wet....can you be more clear? I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

[@silvaqubrusi1920]

@@OldSchoolPrepper The water for the pickles gets very thick and moist. I wish I can send you a picture

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@silvaqubrusi1920 something is very wrong if the pickle fluid gets thick (like syrup?). I would not eat them. Dump them and start over following my directions here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaDVfoWEqtGAapY if you don't want the watch the whole video, you can find the directions link in the description. Good luck!

[@Dad0u24]

Hello there ! Thank you so much for this great video ! I tried my first lactofermentation last week. 1 with purple radish and 1 with carrots and cabbage. They were both very filled with the vegetable's water (made by maxing them with salt before putting in jar) First days I saw few bubble in the carrots jar and some water went out. But this morning, so 6 days later, I just realized that my carrots jar isn't filled with water anymore !! It's like the water has evaporated! I don't know what to do as the fermented process should be 2 weeks minimum normally. Is it okay? Is something bad ? Please can you give me your feedback in this issue 🙏🥺 Thanks so much in advance Bye

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

hi Delphine, I have a few questions. Did you shred the cabbage and the carrots? what % of brine did you use? did you measure by weight or did you do cups of water and tablespoons of salt (personally I weigh everything in grams and get exact measurments). what are you using for a weight or fermentation lid (if any at all)....so here are my primary thoughts...You MUST have more fluid in the jars than veg so your cabbage/carrot mixture needs to have brine added right away so that the veg is UNDER the brine or it will mold and the whole thing will be garbage. So i'd mix up a 2% salt water solution and pour over the carrots/cabbage (if they are shredded). When the ferment is at it's bubbliest the brine will often overflow the jar which is what I think probably happened with yours. If you don't see any mold yet add in more salt water and weigh the veg down to stay under the top of the brine aka under the water surface. Do you have weights? you can use most anything a very clean rock will even work.

[@donnapotee2419]

I had tried to ferment some pickles. I did not boil the brine for it and I believe that is what caused a really foul smelling mold/yeast to come on the top? I am totally not sure what I had but just opened it right before I saw the video and that's what led me to your video actually! But no I am not willing to take the chance to eat them even after taking the white stuff off the top because even after rinsing the cucumbers they smell bad. I was trying out a new contraption: Mortimer Pilon

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

if they smell bad then it's probably mold and not yeast.. TOSS THEM...just like you thought. I have never boiled a brine in my life. Try following this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaDVfoWEqtGAapY

[@خواطر-ض5ض]

What do you mean about Kham yeast??

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

I don't understand your post...do you want me to explain what Kham is?

[@Hhmhenry7941]

Thanks my first time.... thought mine was going bad

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

enjoy!

[@utsukushiijinsei1727]

Hi Could you please share how do u calculate how much salt do you usually use when you make your brine? I have seen people said 2.5% times water weight equals the amount of salt you should put in but other people say they put 2.5% times the total weight of water AND produce combined I am so confused what to do now. How do you usually calculate how much salt you put in please? Do I include the weight of produce too? Tysm in advance

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

hi! yes it is confusing especially since people do it incorrectly. I weigh the water AND the produce together and do a brine based on that weight. Some people do it on the size of the container (e.g. quart = xyz salt) but that is wrong. To get it more exact I weigh in grams. My steps: weigh the empty container. Then fill container with produce and water and weigh again. Then I take away the weight of just the container and multiply the end result by my %. TADA! you have how much salt you need. Gread Quesion.

[@utsukushiijinsei1727]

@@OldSchoolPrepper thank you so so much for answering !!

[@PalmettoPrepared]

I like effervescent products... Speaking of which, i need a carboy

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

let the brewing begin!

[@titanharper7184]

Day 2 of fermenting pickles they are all submerged but has an off smell to it.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

when in doubt toss it out. let's try to figure out what's wrong..so, let me ask some questions... What kind of cucumbers did you use? (pickling or English or Peruvian? the regular one's from the grocery?) where did you get them? what was your salt brine ratio (the %)? and did you weigh the salt and water/cukes or did you use water and tablespoon method? It could be as simple as someone reaching unclean hands into the jar to taste or poke at a cucuber (kids do this alot) or they are the wrong type of cucumber.. I know it sounds complicated but once we figure it out we can fix it for next time. But there is no saving this batch if it smells off. toss it. :(

[@titanharper7184]

@@OldSchoolPrepper its a regular American/slicer cucumber I did 32 oz of water with 2 tablespoons of salt

[@twilightgarrison3671]

My cucumbers have a white substance on them I might throw them out since I heard of yeast on the top but I never seen a white substance coating the cucumbers before. Sucks because they smell great and look great.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

do some more checking before you toss....if it is white it's probably Kham yeast (on top) or dead lactobacillus bacteria (harmless).....mold is often grey or black and easy to see. I bet it's fine but check around a bit more before you toss it. Those jars you see in my video were crystal clear before the bacteria started doing its job

[@confidentialfollowme5406]

I was about to throw away because of the cloudy water 5 days in. Until i saw this video 😅. Thanks 😊

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Glad I could help! I bet is tastes great if you have some cloudy water. I have some sauerkraut on the counter right now which is starting to bubble away. ☮

[@confidentialfollowme5406]

@@OldSchoolPrepper It’s 6 days now. I opened yesterday as the jar started to make weird sounds. Due to bubbles inside, it was going to burst otherwise. I just tasted the dil leaf on top and it tasted nice. What am I supposed to do with the white thing ? Eat it normally or it’ll disappear eventually?

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@confidentialfollowme5406 is the white stuff only on top (which means it's yeast and can be removed) or is it inside the ferment like snow, in which case it's bacteria bodies and just eat as normal. neither will hurt you.

[@confidentialfollowme5406]

@@OldSchoolPrepper it’s at the bottom. The cucumbers looks exactly like pickles just this white thing at the bottom. I’m sure if i shake the bottle, it’ll start mixing or something.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

@@confidentialfollowme5406 no problem, eat away...it sounds gross it is dead Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) a natural part of fermentation. I just ignore it and munch away. go for it!

[@NaturallyUnbridled]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

You're welcome! hit me up with any questions

[@jeffcampbell9279]

Thank you very educational

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Thank you!

[@خواطر-ض5ض]

Candida mean candida utilis??

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

not candida yeast, fermentum (Latin) this is a different type of bacteria which occurs during fermentation. Any of many anaerobic biochemical reactions in which an enzyme (or several enzymes produced by a microorganism) catalyses the conversion of one substance into another; especially the conversion (using yeast) of sugars to alcohol or acetic acid with the evolution of carbon dioxide

[@she_sings_delightful_things]

New sub! Love it

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

welcome! love me some ferments for sure~

[@CorsairTrainers]

“In a gray area” hahaha

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

i seem to live in a gray zone in a black and white world.

[@خواطر-ض5ض]

If we examine yeast with a microscope, we will find Candida؟؟

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Candida albicans is the yeast species that most often causes candidiasis. This species of yeastis normally present in the body in small concentrations, but various factors - antibiotic use, hormonal imbalances, stress or a weakened immune system - can cause it to grow rapidly, resulting in an infection. If Candida yeast gets into the bloodstream, it can spread throughout the body and cause fever, chills and even death. This infection is called invasive candidiasis, or candidemia, and is the fourth most-common bloodstream infection in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several common yeasts are also beneficial and important to the food and beverage industry. Bakers use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a leavening agent to lighten and soften baked goods. In a process called fermentation, these fungi convert the sugars present in dough into carbon dioxide gas, which forms pockets in the dough, causing it to expand. This process also produces small amounts of alcohol, but baking burns it off (and kills the yeasts). S. cerevisiae and various other yeasts are also important for producing alcoholic beverages. For example, through fermentation, the microbes turn fruit juices into wine and turn wort (the sweet liquid produced by mashing grains) into beer. Yeast also has industrial applications in biofuels and bioremediation (a waste management technique that relies on microorganisms).

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

not all yeast is Candida...Candida is more generally the type of yeast which causes problems for people. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is what is used for wines and fermentation. You may find this article interesting: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161019173108.htm