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

3 Comments

stella27920d 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.

tessahall1mo 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.

nancy_green1mo 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?