F
24

Rant: My sauerkraut turned to mush because I forgot about it in the back of the pantry

I started a big batch of red cabbage kraut about six weeks ago, using my usual 2% salt ratio. Life got busy and I just left the jar sitting in a dark corner. Checked it yesterday and the texture was completely gone, just a slimy pink mess. I think the temperature in that spot must have spiked during a hot week last month. Has anyone else had a ferment go bad from a simple storage mistake like that?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
maxf33
maxf3318d ago
But how do you even know it was the heat and not just time? Six weeks is a long ferment for kraut, even at a cool temp. Did you taste it at all before it went mushy, or was it a total loss from the start?
7
nathan100
nathan10018d ago
Actually that sounds like a classic case of not enough salt to me. A 2% ratio can be too low for some veggies, especially in a warm spot. Red cabbage is pretty sturdy, but heat makes everything ferment faster and wilder. Might want to bump it to 2.5% next time if your pantry runs hot, that extra bit makes a huge difference for texture.
1
faith_hart20
Ever tried a 3% brine for total control?
6