Showerthought: my neighbor said his sauerkraut smelled 'like victory' after a week in the crock

Stella Johnson · 2026-04-04T06:50:05.53186+00:00

It made me realize my own fear of a funky smell was holding back my ferments. How do you know when a weird smell is good weird versus bad weird?

angelab625mo ago

That "good weird vs bad weird" thing is real. My buddy had a batch of pickles that smelled like old gym socks, but he let it ride and they were amazing. The bad weird smells are usually more like straight up rot or chemicals.

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morgan.joseph5mo ago

Old gym socks is actually a classic sign of a yeast problem, not a good ferment. That batch was probably saved by the salt and acidity winning out in the end.

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caseywest3mo ago

That first batch anxiety is real. Totally feel you, and @angelab62 nailed it with the rot vs funk distinction.

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