TIL my ferment needed less air to turn out right

I had this jar of pickles going for a week and they tasted kind of weird, not sour enough. I mean, I left the lid loose like I always do for other stuff. But then I read that some ferments do better with almost no air getting in. So I switched to a tight lid with just a tiny hole poked in it, and after a few days, the flavor changed completely. Idk, maybe it's just me, but I never thought air could mess it up that much. Now I keep it sealed tighter and check it every couple of days. My last try came out perfect, tangy and crisp. It's crazy how a small change fixed everything.

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

stella2797mo ago

My friend Mark lost a whole batch of sauerkraut last month, same issue as nancy_green. He was using a cloth cover and it just went slimy. Told him to get a proper lid with an airlock and his next try was perfect.

6

tessahall7mo ago

Yeah I read somewhere that the good bacteria for sour pickles hate oxygen. They're called anaerobic, so they work best when you push the air out. An airlock or a tight lid with a burp does that. If too much air gets in, other stuff grows and gives it that weird taste lol. It makes total sense why sealing it tighter worked for you.

4

nancy_green7mo ago

I ruined three jars of cucumbers before I learned about anaerobic bacteria. I kept using loose lids because I was scared they'd explode, but that just let the bad stuff in. What was your biggest fermentation mistake at the start?

9