6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

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6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby Seeddropper on Thu Dec 29, 2016 4:17 pm

Hello Veggie Fer"mentors",

I just joined today and received a helpful reply from Christopher Weeks who recommended that I toss the question I inserted into my introduction over here, to get everyone's input.

Below my question is Christopher's reply.

I hope everyone will forgive me for doing this, but I have a situation that is perplexing..... This past July I harvested the balance of my spring cabbage (Stonehead) and started a 5 gallon batch of cabbage/brine to begin the fermenting process. Well, due to circumstances I have just now opened the bucket which I had all but given up hope on thinking I had let it go too long. I had it in an air tight bucket with a Gamma lid and a bubbler which I believe did let some air in because the lid ring spun while trying to turn off the lid ( I assume the seal in the ring was not making sufficient contact with the rim on the bucket). In either case, when I took off the lid, the kraut was still 1 inch below the level of the brine. There was no mold, the liquid had a slight brown tinge to it, and the top 2-3 inches of kraut was slightly brown too. After removing the discolored kraut the rest was bright and tasty looking. My wife even grabbed a bit and tasted it before I could stop her. She said; try it it's good, just very salty. I declined, then asked her who is going to take care of you if we are both sick! That was a several hours ago and so far so good. My question is this; is there any way to salvage the 3 1/2 gallons of bright delicious smelling kraut or is it a lost cause? So far we have drained the kraut, replaced the brine and are heating it up on the stove to hot pack/water bath it. Waiting hopefully Larry

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Re: Introduction and question

Unread postby Christopher Weeks on Thu Dec 29, 2016 2:57 pm
Welcome, Larry.

I have every reason to believe your kraut will be fine. I keep vegetable ferments in room temperature brine for years with no problem. If you want to talk more about it, try posting over in the Veggie Ferments board.

(And a lot of us here will be sad that you're killing your culture by canning it. You could just keep it in the barrel and eat it out of there!)

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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby khoomeizhi on Thu Dec 29, 2016 6:16 pm

if it's stayed under the brine, and there isn't any kind of obvious mold growth of any kind, there's no reason to expect it to be dangerous. you say you started with brine - what concentration?
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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby Seeddropper on Thu Dec 29, 2016 6:37 pm

Hello khoomeizhi,


Again, it was indeed under the brine, and there was no mold, but the brine had turned slightly brown. Is that okay?

As far as the concentration of salt....I am embarassed to say that I did not keep good records, but I do remember going heavy on the salt.

I just started making wine this past fall and now recognize the importance of accurate measurements and records.

My wife commented that it was "VERY" salty, so, I guess I did go heavy.

Thanks
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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby Seeddropper on Sat Dec 31, 2016 3:39 pm

To add a follow on; From Christopher's reply I gather that what I have read about only 6 weeks fermenting and then either can or refrigerate is too conservative.

What would be the best indicator to toss the batch? The mold, smell, color? And is it reasonable to keep fermented veggies at room temperature?


Thank You

Larry
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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby jdinid on Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:51 pm

I wouldn't be too concerned about the brown. My kraut last year turned brown after four weeks. This year, it stayed a bright ivory color. I've even had some develop a pink tinge.
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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby Christopher Weeks on Tue Jan 03, 2017 9:17 am

There is nothing wrong with six-week old kraut and I even start eating it before that sometimes. It's just that there's also nothing wrong with properly kept six-month (or two year, if you don't mind loss of texture) kraut.

Also, refrigerating is going to maintain your kraut more like it is now (when you put it in the fridge) than keeping it down-cellar, which will keep it better than keeping it in the kitchen. But none of those are wrong.

My krauts tend to go brown with exposure to oxygen. I don't know if that's the only thing that causes that (probably not).

I get rid of mold with extreme prejudice, but I don't usually toss a batch if there's just a little. Once it's cleaned up, I sniff it a little. If it smells good, I take a deep sniff. If it still smells good, I take a little bite. If it tastes good, I take a bigger bite. If I'm still worried, I wait 48 hours for incubation in my gut before serving to friends and family. I've never gotten sick.
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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby Seeddropper on Sun Jan 08, 2017 10:30 am

Thanks jdinid and Christopher.

I am gaining confidence in fermentation for long term storage/usage. It is a bit unnerving using your own gut for a test though. What if anything are you looking for as a "gut feedback" abbreviations welcome! Also if you get a reaction do you have a recovery protocol?

Larry
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Re: 6 month old kraut still in the bucket at room temp

Postby Christopher Weeks on Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:45 am

Food poisoning normally takes the form of vomiting, diarrhea, etc. That's the stuff I'm looking for when testing in my gut.
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