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Cleaned out the pantry and found my first ever jar of kraut
I was moving some stuff around in the kitchen and pulled out a dusty old half gallon jar from the back. It was my first ever batch of sauerkraut, made about five years ago. I never opened it because I was too scared it had gone bad, so I just stuck it in the dark and forgot. When I finally unscrewed the lid, I got hit with that perfect sour smell and saw it was still submerged under the brine. Tasted a forkful and it was honestly still good, just really tangy. It hit me that this one forgotten jar had been quietly fermenting in my house for half a decade. It made me think about how much I've learned since then, using weights and checking pH. Has anyone else ever found a super old ferment that was still okay?
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faitha405mo ago
Didn't some old school fermenters say a good kraut can last for years if it's kept under the brine?
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hugo_craig115mo ago
Yeah, the old timers did say that, but the "years" part always makes me a bit nervous. Keeping it under brine is key for sure, but after that long I'd be worried about the jar seal or the plastic lid breaking down. Five years is pushing it even for a perfect ferment, so finding yours still good is pretty wild luck. What kind of jar and lid did you use back then?
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