how long will veggie ferments last in the fridge?

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how long will veggie ferments last in the fridge?

Postby sheenacv on Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:43 am

While on holiday, I did some sauerkraut and loved it, which got me on a bit of a veggie fermentation kick, but with not enough jars (and a little digging online), I made up a bunch of different vacuum-sealed bags of veggies to ferment.

Today I opened a few of the bags and they're nicely fermented. I put them in ziplock bags in the fridge, but I am going on holidays for six weeks quite soon. I'm wondering if they will still be good when I get back. Although I now have enough jars, I don't have enough room in my fridge to keep them all in jars. Most of them don't have enough brine to cover the veggies, so I'm wondering if they will still be good when I'm gone, as long as I try to get most of the air out of them.

I'm thinking of leaving some of the veggies in vacuum bags, and putting them directly in the fridge without opening them. I could also possibly vacuum seal some of the veggies I've opened, but I think I'd have to remove the brine, and even then, they may be too moist to seal.

I also have two 3L jars of sauerkraut that are mostly full, but there is not brine over the top. Will these likely still keep okay in the fridge?

Any thoughts on how best to keep them while I'm away would be much appreciated. I suppose it was a bit silly to do so much fermenting a few weeks before going out of the country, but I'm hoping everything will keep alright while I'm gone. (I assume that the bacteria will protect them for the most part, but I'm not sure about mold...)
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Re: how long will veggie ferments last in the fridge?

Postby Christopher Weeks on Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:25 am

I once found a jar of kimchi in the back of the fridge that had been there for over two years. The stuff on top was dry and gross but not moldy; I threw it in the compost and ate the stuff underneath which was fine and not even mushy.

I don't know how your vegetables will be, but I'd gamble on them being fine if I were in your place.
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Re: how long will veggie ferments last in the fridge?

Postby sheenacv on Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:57 am

Thanks for the reply - that's great to hear! I can look forward to enjoying them when I get back home.
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Re: how long will veggie ferments last in the fridge?

Postby jeromecorey on Thu Aug 17, 2017 6:27 am

The answer is not that simple, It depends : The food in the question, the way you fermented, the storage conditions and method, saltiness of the brine etc. And when things are fermented properly, stored in a dark, cool locations, it can take for anywhere between 4 to 18 months.
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Re: how long will veggie ferments last in the fridge?

Postby Tibor on Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:42 pm

When I make kraut and move it from the crock to jars in the fridge I remove most of the brine. I pack the jars and put a tight plastic lid on them and they have been delicious, crunchy, and wonderful even after a year. The flavor will get better over time in the fridge (I do have more than one fridge). For ferments that require brine solutions -such as pickles, carrots ,cauliflower or any veggies - need to be stored in the fridge covered in brine and will be delicious for a year or longer. I've got kimchi's that are many months old. I do throw out some old stuff but it is rare. The magic of fermentation is not having to eat it soon because it will spoil and I suggest you not store anything in plastic if you could help it.
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