Hi all,
There is slime in my few-days-old sauerkrauts and after refering to other posts on this forum I discovered that it may be dextran. However! the cirucmstances of my ferment don't seem to match those described for what can cause this, i.e. too much sugar. I would like to figure out if this is different from dextran and if it will be safe to eat.
I have made several successful krauts before, however the two differences this time are that (1) I added brocolli, and (2) I used stones from the garden to weigh the cabbage down. After researching the two topics of kraut and slime/dextran it doesn't seem likely that introducing brocolli, a cruciferous veg, would cause this. However I wonder if it is related to the addition of the stones. To prepare the stones I scrubbed them with natural soap and then boiled them for over five minutes, then rinsed them in filtered water and let them cool. Only then did I put them in the freshly prepared kraut. However, I am aware that even with scrubbing because the stones surfaces are not entirely silky-smooth, it would probably be impossible for me to get every particle of dirt out from the miniscule crevices.
Relevant information:
- The kraut is made of only Napa (sui choi) cabbage, brocolli, salt and it's own juices
- There is no added sugar or sugary veggies
- They are each submerged under their liquid and held down by a sui choi leaf and a stone
- the slime seems to be on the surface and is very slippery and thin (I don't think that it would come off in one string like some other members have experienced)
Could this be an unhealthy slime caused by my garden stones? are there unhealthy bacterias that can cause slime?
Thank you,
Angel