do I keep adding brine?

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do I keep adding brine?

Postby tomcampbell on Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:36 pm

hello fellow fermentation fetishists,

has anyone else ever had trouble with their kimchi brine evaporating on them? 'cause I sure have. when it happens, I respond by adding more brine, but I'm finding out that the resulting kimchi is waaaay too salty. 1) any suggestions on how to make too-salty kimchi palatable? and 2) do you think it would be alright to just add more water instead of more brine?

thanks,
tom
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby nutritionistcharles on Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:14 am

Are you fermenting in open containers? You should use containers with lids. I use a Harsch ceramic fermentation crock with a lid. Evaporation is not a problem.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby groundhog on Wed Jul 09, 2008 7:56 am

Also, your kimchi was weighted down, right?

Mine always turned out fine; it was covered and weighted down so that the veggies stayed submerged.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby sdsunday on Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:19 am

Hi, I have had that problem when I have let it ferment too long at room temp, and I think a lot of the liquid has actually overflowed. With kimchi, it seems to ferment much more quickly than sauerkraut and if you are doing it in a jar, keep a lid on loosely while it's fermenting, and then screw it on tighter and put it in the fridge to finish. That slows it down and seems to prevent the disappearing brine syndrome. For a quart of kimchi following the process in WF, I usually only leave it out for about a week and then to the fridge, it continues to improve in the fridge.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby groundhog on Wed Jul 09, 2008 11:06 am

Oh yeah, that's a good point!

Kimchee is very quick...sauerkraut is a much slower process.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby tomcampbell on Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:06 pm

okay, maybe I'm using the word kimchi wrong. (anything that is more than just plain good ol' cabbage I label kimchi)

I am fermenting in an open crock (I would love to use a harsch but they are out of my price range at the moment), and yes it is of course covered with a plate and weighted.

so I'll rephrase my question- when fermenting saurkraut over a period of , say, a month, has anyone experienced problems with evaporation of brine? and if so, have you found what the appropriate response is?

thanks for everyone's help so far.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby svakanda on Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:41 pm

i've never gotten a good batch of sauerkraut...kimchi(spices, garlic, peppers, onions...) works much easier for me. The Brine does disappear too though, I've always just poured more in there, and that works fine, but I do want to find another method, because then it gets too watery/salty.

I think covering with a plate does help slow down the evaporation anyway...even if it's not a tight fit.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby sevenflowers on Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:07 am

I have noticed that lately I am having issues with the brine drying up too. But I am using jars and not crocks. I am thinking that I have just been adding to much cabbage and etc. to the jar in the first place. So with my last jar that I put up the other day, ( daikon) I filled up the jar to right before the area you screw on the lid. (including liquid) This seemed to work really well. But when it does dry up, I just add more whey, which keeps the salt content in check. I hope this helps.
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Re: do I keep adding brine?

Postby ksherrard on Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:36 pm

Hey all,
I made my first kraut about a month ago. I used a Harsch crock. I had to add brine a couple of times, and yes, mine is salty, too. Although, I love it.
From what I have read, it is best to get fresh organic cabbage. I had to buy mine at the store and it probably did not have as much water in it as fresh organic cabbage. Therefore, I am going to grow my own cabbage this fall and see if it works better.
So the problem may have been with the cabbage. It may have been a little old which means it had lost some water as well as the unorganic cabbage may have less water in it,also.
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