MOLD on FERMENTED VEGETABLES (Is it safe? How to remove it with examples)

[@GrapplingMadeSimple]

Made my first batch of pickles following your video. Used the ziploc filled with water for a weight and developed a small white fuzzy bit of mold on the top of the ziploc. Pulled the baggie out and didn’t find any mold on the brine or pickles below.

[@annalynn9325]

What a relief! My ferment was salvageable

[@arthurk99]

You are my mentor in fermenting and because of you, I have had several successful ferments with pickles and peppers. My latest is 14 days in and has developed a white looking sediment on the pickles throughout the jar (not on the surface) . It sort of looks like a light “snowfall” in there. I have hot banana peppers, garlic and cucumbers in a water seal jar with a 2.5% salt brine. Thanks for the quality and the quantity of your tutorials!!

[@CleanFoodLiving]

The sediment is normal and ok, eventually I'll make a video on it.👍

[@watdew1502]

I've been making kraut for a few years, started kimchi last year and this year did some cukes and okra from my garden. Lots of fun. Thanks for this great video series. Also, your hair is very nice, like the mane of a unicorn. I have to just assume this is from your Clean Food Living lifestyle, great job!

[@socialmediainfo-um6hw]

This helps! On my 6 days cucumbers and yeast are forming because of the temp was up and down from 60-75 degrees.

[@sabineroach5486]

Such a good video😊 I agree completely and treat molds in the same way.

[@richardjohnson7019]

Thank you for all the good information. I have been making Pickles for a while and now it's time to try more things. 👍👍

[@chrisb6823]

I like your description " fermentation funk "

[@alwaysbeclosing6790]

How old is this beautiful person. she looks like shes 35 but I think shes a bit older. And this is a good sign of her advice works.

[@AlvaroFierroGodTank]

She is 36.

[@MrVipulLal]

Comprehensive series. Many thanks!

[@stig]

This video is perfect. I needed this info.

[@moritaagishta6190]

Excellent video I thank you very very much for sharing.

[@sarahlanglois5114]

My top leaf went brown. I just took it off and ate the rest. It probably wasn’t quite ready but it tasted good. I think my stone might have been porous. I used kilner jars and maybe they let too much air in. Next time I will use a coffee filter before putting the top on

[@JamesDannySheives]

Should have come here BEFORE I just put 2 jars down the disposal. I'm a newbie and my first 2 jars of cabbage did great. Then I did some cauliflower and green beans and both had funk, but only on the surface above the glass weights, not on the veggies. I guess I could have saved them.

[@lostoffgrid8927]

I really enjoy your matter-of-fact and to the point videos. They are getting me back into fermentation after giving up previously. One thing I really appreciate is you don't always have a personal introduction or sponsor at the start of your videos.

[@MataH1]

Yeah I wouldn't keep it either generally, as it is more than we can see, you do need to dig deep when you get rid of the top and indeed carefully dry wipe the glass around the veggies.

[@kg-Whatthehelliseventhat]

Thank you 4 all your advice. Now there is always fermented pickles in my fridge. Since my operation I must add salt and few other things. Do you know of a juice mix that adds potassium? Also a juice that up's the hemoglobin. Please let me know and note I only have access to things local to Japan. Thank you so much in advance.

[@MalcomMalediction]

the illustrations of the mold really do help us know what to look out for.

[@organicindia8569]

Goodmorning mm mukesh from india thanks for knowladge for bigeners

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Ty for this explanation!

[@rockyreyna4806]

Would it be beneficial, and could I even bake the jar and pickling weight to kill any remaining funk prior to use for ferment pickling?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

If you want to go the extra mile, you could boil instead of baking👍🙂

[@ahabgaddis7277]

How do you clean jars and lids that have had mold growing on top? Do you just boil them in water?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Yes they will need to be sterilized..

[@nubiasista9709]

I would boil them in water and then do a vinegar rinse.

[@truthseeker3967]

Thank you for this demo. I removed the white fuzzy mold from my cucumber pickle ferment on day 6. I switched out the brine and doubled the salt- The recipe I used had only 1 tbsp salt per quart of brine. I ditched that and made a new brine with 2 tbsp salt and then put the pickles in their new brine in the fridge. Is switching the brine out okay? Will there still be probiotics with the new brine that went straight to the fridge?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Switching the brine is not recommended because new brine has a ph of 6-7. Fermented brine has a ph below 4.5 which is in the safety zone, plus most of the probiotics were dumped down the drain with the old brine. New brine is just salt and water, it's not fermented and has no probiotics present. Since the fermented pickles were directly placed in the fridge with the new brine, they'll be okay for about 2 weeks. Go ahead and eat them within that time. The pickles themselves will still have some probiotics, just no longer the brine.

[@truthseeker3967]

@@CleanFoodLiving thank you.

[@myathehappy_1]

So glad I found your vid! I made 4 large jars of fermented hot and bell peppers to make hot sauce, but had to leave my home fast and was gone for about a week came back and found green and white mold at the very top not touching the peppers as theyre weighted down so I cleaned the jar the lid and the weight refilled with more salt water and put the lids back on threw it in the fridge until I can get it processed. I tried one piece and it tasted great so I'm not so worried.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Glad this video helped!

[@donnor6551]

Does clear sharp green mold with surrounding white rings around it. Looks like green eye. Is that pkay to scoop out and use vinegar

[@unicorngalaxy7347]

Agree. Mold produce mycotoxins

[@Damselfly54315]

okay, question...Im doing fermented apple juice to make ACV, yesterday I had a small dot of green on the frothy bubbles from the previous 24 hr period, I scooped of the tiny green Speck before stirring my 5 day old ACV ferment, WHY did it have a green Speck suspended in the bubbles on top, I stirred it the day before but on day 5 I had a LOT of frothy bubbling on top, it smells like pure yeast, is this normal and is my gallon of fermenting juice still safe? I stirred it after removing that green Speck and recovered with cloth and rubber band, its about time today to check and stir my apple juice, but is what I described normal and is my fermenting juice STILL SAFE???

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Hi Judi, smells of yeast and/or alcohol are normal and to be expected. Lots of bubbles are good at this point. The green spec was probably a mold spore that landed on the surface and had an opportunity to bloom between stirrings. It's a natural thing in the air and can happen. That's why stirring daily like you are is a good thing since you can catch it right away and remove it as you did. If not stirred and watched, that spec could've eventually grown over the entire surface area. Good job nipping it in the bud! The fermentation is still safe and it has a long way to go from here... the batch sounds healthy and normal thus far.🙂👍

[@Damselfly54315]

@@CleanFoodLiving Yay, THANK YOU!!! I'm so careful when it comes to my family's health, and being BRAND new to fermenting I'm doing the best I can to learn AS MUCH as I can...so ever vigilant when it comes to ALL of this, my family are my greatest treasure in life and what they consume truly matters to me! SOOO thank you, I just didn't know, I stirred it today, still frothy bubbles but NO green socks today, thank you Lord! its doing what I assumed it should, but the reassuring response is very appreciated 💗

[@Damselfly54315]

@@CleanFoodLiving its doing good, no more spots only good fermenting going on, and I'm relieved still LOTS of bubbling, and such but no mold, YAY...its looking great, so far so good, thank you for ur comments

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Thanks for the update!

[@AMN320]

​@@Damselfly54315 please forgive the stupidity of a beginner. But if we stir won't we be distributing the mold in the entire batch. Even if we removed the mold patch, won't some of the mold remain and be distributed when we stir?

[@typower9]

I have made my first fermented red onions. There was a bit of blue black mould on the neck of the jar but not in the brine. Most of the onion in the jar looks ok but in some places ther are strips of onion starting to turn black. All this is under the brine. I am torn between saving what looks ok, maybe rinsing it and then putting it in new jars with fresh brine ; tossing tge whole thing; or cooking with the onion that looks and smells ok. Since this is the first time eating fermented onions I of course don't know how they should ideally taste and smell but I can of course recognise bad taste and BAD smell. I would be extremely grateful for advice on this matter, as soon as possible since I need to decide tonight. It is now 20.30 UK time. Thank you in advance!

[@typower9]

Sorry., it's really grey underneath the brine (not black), a few ends of tge onione shreds.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Doesn't sound right to me, sorry... I dont think I'd keep it.

[@typower9]

@@CleanFoodLiving Thank you so much for answering and so promptly. I put it in the fridge last night to give me more time. Last night, I tasted some slivers (in total equivalent to a full slice of onion) together with camembert cheese on homemade wholemeal sourdough bread and raw strips of courgette. I didn't put the onion together with the cheese etc but, after smelling it, put it in my mouth first, separately and chewed so I could guage if it was ok or not. Most of the strips were ok. The few that weren't, I spat out. I finished off with a half medium-sized clove of raw garlic (as insurance...:-)) then some homemade kefir and organic oats. I felt fine afterwards and slept well and feel ok now. The ferment initially went well although it felt painfully slow compared to an instruction video I had watched from a warm US state. It is much cooler where I am in Europe. I checked on it often (made the process time seem even slower I suppose but I was excited to be doing this for the first time. (I had recentently made my first ever vegetable ferment, a half full litre jar of sauerkraut your way, the non spicy version, which had worked fine but took 2 weeks.) Since it takes longer to ferment veg in this climate, especially in the winter, with the onions I made a FULL jar, the very same one I had used for the sauerkraut. At two weeks it looked just about right but looked as if a bit more colour could still infuse the brine so I gave it more time and became rather too relaxed about checking on it and then kept postponjng transferring it to ther jars. When I was finally ready to do it I think too much brine had evaporated, allowing mould to form around the neck of the jar in some places. If I were somewhere where the fermentation would be faster, I would have made a smaller amount to start with. I think however that the main problem was that over time I got too 'relaxed' about tending to my ferment, since initially it went perfectly, just what seemed painfully slow. In hindsight I think, at the 2 week stage I should just have put the jar in the fridge for a few more days or put the ferment in smaller jars and into the fridge there and then. The sauerkraut had been ready at two weeks but only just. It got less salty and milder over time in the fridge. It lasted about two weeks since I ate some most days but usually only about a tablespoonful and at one meal. I wanted to make it last as long as possible since I only had a small amount. It tasted so much better than any I had eaten from shops which I had never really liked much. With the onions, I have learnt a lesson. I hope my lesson will help others not make the same mistake. Thank you again for all your great guidance and support!

[@CleanFoodLiving]

@@typower9 Yes, I've learned the hard way too... exactly too much brine evaporated and mold developed. I've switched to putting a regular lid on top, loosely on - not tightly screwed, and that has helped a lot with keeping the brine from evaporating.

[@typower9]

@@CleanFoodLiving Thank you!

[@davidjacksonjackson3212]

I have had the problem of my brine evaporating, perhaps it is my fault for not checking it and topping it up with fresh brine, there was a bit of mould on the top which I took off, but the krout smelled and tasted fine, but did give me the trots, but I may have eaten to much.

[@ordi5497]

Thank you!

[@RickFarris]

Hi. I had a question about my overnight oats. I like mine to be served warm, so I've been warming mine up in my sous vide. Because I have home-made yogurt in my overnight oats, I'm pretty sure that I need to not warm my oats more than around 115 degrees without killing off my probiotics. Can you tell me exactly what that temperature is? Can I warm it up to 120 degrees? I can be pretty precise with the sous vide. Will the lacto-bacteria begin to ferment during the warm-up? I think I would like that. (Sorry about posting this here, but I wasn't sure you would see something as old as a comment on an old overnight oats video.)

[@CleanFoodLiving]

You are correct with the temperatures. 104 is perfect, 115 is max.. by 120 they're dead. Homemade yogurt is wonderful, great to hear you make it!

[@RickFarris]

@@CleanFoodLiving Thank you very much. I think my next project is to make some yogurt with L. reuteri and some L. gasseri.

[@truthseeker3967]

I noticed that the coriander seeds and other seasonings float to the top and are unable to stay below the weight, such that I am thinking of eliminating all small seeds- and just do salt and cucumbers to avoid little pieces that can't remain submerged. What are your thoughts?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

You can but you'll be missing out on flavor!... you can check the fermentation daily and just lift out with a spoon any floaters that arise the first week to eliminate any potential of mold development.

[@martijnhendrikx5108]

maybe a strange reaction coming from me, but why not just make smaller portions? smaller portions are faster in consuming and can not become contaminated from scoopping the good stuff out?

[@planetaryPoem9]

how do you store the fermented vegetables properly if you want to transfer them to smaller jars in the fridge?

[@texasceechelle]

I watched both videos in this series. Very helpful as I am fermenting habanero peppers. But my mold or yeast ? is beneath the surface and white, about 3” long and kind of ghost looking. Wish I could add a photo. It’s 2 weeks old and I was going to make sauce. I can take a photo if someone could help. There doesn’t seem to be any activity. It’s just clear liquid. Thanks.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Send me the photo(s) to [e-mail]

[@texasceechelle]

@@CleanFoodLiving Thanks, i sent one from texasceechelle

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

i had mold on top layer brine bit ph is low at 3.4 and rest was fine. Is it safe to use?

[@tony_estrella]

I can't avoid watching you using a rock as fermentation weight that's such a creative way to use a rock LOL What's the cleaning and sterilization process to use a rock as fermentation weight?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

I don't use or recommend rocks anymore, but here's a video I made for other diy weight ideas kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqS2YqpnqJKEn6c 🙂

[@tony_estrella]

@@CleanFoodLiving I like the option with the plastic bag and the marbles, definitely I'm gonna try it and I recently discover your channel and your advices are just great, thanks!

[@lesleylock5769]

Do you use a stone you found outside to submerge the vegetables?

[@twistertruecrime]

You didn't talk about the type that I have. A ten day old ferment of jalapenos, and serrano Chiles. I washed the peppers and remove the seeds. Sliced them in quarters, and sprinkled everything with kosher salt . After a short time, I rinsed off most of the salt, and covered the peppers with pure water. I sat the big jar in a semi- dark, cool area ..and left it alone. Now, 10 days later, there is a large whitish-grey fluffy fuzzy 2 inch puffball mold floating on top. There is also a very thin pale white film floating on the surface. There looks to be white yeast waste settled down on the bottom ? ANY THOUGHTS ? Please.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Do you often ferment this way? The part that caught my attention was that you rinsed the salt off and covered the peppers with pure water (minus the salt!) Salt is critical in keeping a fermentation safe. I think that's where it went wrong. A properly proportioned salt % to water brine needs to be made for the peppers to ferment in.

[@robertturtle]

My dad is convinced that mold is good to eat, because penicillin comes from mold, so he would eat cheese with mold on it. He also eat raw beef. Perhaps that's why I am vegetarian. Anyhow he's close to 83 yrs and still in reasonable health.

[@sierraa5510]

I did some fermented pickles and I didn’t have a weight… is it okay if I cut the top and eat the rest? It has a bit of white and blue mold

[@melissafeds1344]

My top layer of oil on beetroot developed a black fungus. Can I cook the whole thing?

[@deerPG]

Im looking for information,why is red kraud commonly see with gray mold.on othe others I can't see this type of mold .question is why on red?!

[@usnva5638]

When you said the brine for vegetable fermentation must contain a minimum of 2% salt, is that by weight or volume?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

2% volume is sufficient. I did that for years with my sauerkraut with successful fermentations. But I do believe by weight to be better.

[@kathysoltys3104]

Question. My cabbage ferment had enough liquid.. I pulled the leaves and placed in fridge.. it tasted fine.. the one with dill.. I don't care for the ginger.. anyway...after 7 days on counter, than in fridge 3 days, the liquid is gone. Did I not let it brine on the counter long enough?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Sauerkraut brine tends to disappear once placed in the fridge. You didn't do anything wrong 🙂 Its still ok to eat and because the cabbage is acidified.👍🙂

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Awesome vid series TYTY!!

[@jmurphy6767]

It might be helpful to hear from people who made bad choices.

[@jaym9846]

How much blue cheese do I need to eat to keel over?

[@mikelwalters6505]

Hello, I'm new to fermenting I just fermented a qt and half jar of cabbage. For the weight I used several cabbage leaves to keep the cabbage submerged. I put a led on it but i didn't tighten the led. It burped a few days after that it stopped. I don't see any indication of mold . It smells like sour kraut, its been 15 days is it ready to eat . thanks

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Sounds like it's good to go!

[@mikelwalters6505]

@@CleanFoodLiving Thanks so much for responding. I don't think I put enough salt in it is it ok to add more salt? It is very crunchy. Can you ferment okra, do you have a video for fermenting okra. God bless.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

@@mikelwalters6505 I wouldn't at this point in time since it would disrupt the ecology going on in the jar. You can let it ferment longer... up to 30 days. Sorry, no fermented okra video but I've seen others on YT that have videos on it. 😊

[@mikelwalters6505]

@@CleanFoodLiving Hello, sorry I don't know your name, I was wondering if I could use pickling salt for fermenting. Thanks God bless.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

@@mikelwalters6505 Hi there, yes you can so long as it doesn't have anticaking agents added... simply read the ingredients to find out. Added chemicals to the salt can sometimes bugger a fermentation. If says salt and only salt, you're good to go.

[@sufiyagouri-ul6kf]

I am making apple cider vinegar but after 3 weeks of fermentation it get a mold on top of it and its look like a very thin cotting of cream just like on a milk . But i mix it in the apple cider vinegar is it bad for it or my batch of apple cider vinegar is ruined . Can you tell me please

[@aleirbag914]

what was that below the black mold? The whole black surface is mold on that jar?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Purple kraut. Not the sauerkrauts fault. A certain type of lid causes mold like that (will be covered in future video)

[@michellelindholm2100]

Ho about mold in cheeses like Gorgonzola and blue?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

That was covered in the video.

[@lynnw1449]

My fermented green bell peppers were fully submerged under a cabbage leaf and glass weight. I do see small white mold circles floating above the cabbage leaf. I’m so torn on what to do!

[@lynnw1449]

I also see small white specks floating in the jar.

[@CleanFoodLiving]

I'd scoop it out asap before the situation advances. Then end the fermentation by removing the weight and cabbage, put a tight lid on and keep in the refrigerator.

[@lynnw1449]

It’s hard to determine if The white “floating” specks are kalm yeast or mold….after watching your kalm yeast video it could be that…..

[@1622steve]

Cheese: I had read that mold on soft cheese - throw it out. Mold on hard, dry, aged cheese, cut it off. I like aged cheeses and cut it off. I've never been sickened. Note: I'm NOT a health professional. If you have known mold or antibiotic allergies, throw it out!

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

I always just cut it off For 57 yrs now lol

[@RawVeganDancerVeraKundalini]

Thanks a lot 🌸🌸🌸🙏🌸🌸🌸

[@shaneashby5890]

I watched your video on Kahm yeast but I’m still confused on how do I prevent kahm yeast from forming in the first place?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

I explained in this video that I will do a prevention video once I cover a couple more variants of fermentation funk.

[@vivekkumar-ei7vz]

why not just completely submerge the whole vegetables in brime? few inches above the height of the vegetables should all be brime.And the best option is there are fermentation glass jars with special weights which doesn't allow any air ,just buy them

[@TL50-r9f]

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Who r the two polar opposite fermenting experts? Is one Sandor? What does he say?

[@CleanFoodLiving]

Sandor Katz has the more relaxed approach. I reference both his books, Wild Fermentation & The Art of Fermentation.

[@Mrsmetamorphosis2012]

Those who r new at this should dump. Experienced go by smell too after these tips first.

[@danthelambboy]

Those who are old at this who do this don't know any different if they just continue to dump it

[@ramblinrozz2242]

I came here to see if my salsa ferment was going to kill me after scraping the mold and eating a spoonful as guinea pig. Will check back tomorrow if still here. 😁😁😁

[@loribraten8297]

Your comment was hilarious 😁

[@ramblinrozz2242]

@@loribraten8297 I'm still alive, 😂😂😂

[@vapingnewfie6562]

Great to have this information, god love youtube videos.

[@booswalia]

I've thrown out every ferment I've done. LOL

[@joankelley3772]

I'm allergic to mold so I would throw it out.

[@kingxander5480]

Removing the mold does not actually remove the mold. The mold that you see is the fruiting body - similarly to mushrooms. The mushroom you see is just the reproductive organ for it to release it’s spores. Beneath it is tons of mold that’s just not visible to the naked eye… Therefore if you see visible mold it should be assumed there is mold everywhere on the item that is not visible to the eye. Throw the whole thing away.

[@debbybrady1246]

Bummer, I just threw out a whole jar of dill pickles. 😑

[@sofilove...20]

I see legs orange legs maybe this is cute something on wall ?huh u are cute women absolutely...

[@mn-lw5qv]

Having had food poisoning this year from old meat , I’d reccomend just avoiding it all together haha trust me you don’t want to wind up in the hospital like I did

[@alihammadshah]

Damn cabbage leaves won't stay down