I keep seeing people skip the brine top-up step for their ferments

In my experience, not adding a little extra brine after the first few days is a big reason for mold or a dry top layer. The veggies shrink as they release water, leaving the top bits exposed to air. I always mix up a small batch of 2% salt water and pour just enough to cover everything again around day 3. Since I started doing this, my failure rate went from maybe one in four batches to almost zero. Has anyone else found a different trick to keep everything submerged?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_torres831d ago

That 2% top up brine is a good idea, but I use plain filtered water. The veggies already gave off their own salty liquid, so adding more salt water can make the whole batch too salty by the end. I just make sure everything stays under the existing brine with a glass weight. If the level drops, I top it off with water.

ruby4941d ago

Wait, you just use plain water to top it off? That seems like it would water down the brine and make it weak. Doesn't that risk letting bad stuff grow? I always heard the salt level has to stay the same to keep everything safe. Using the veggie liquid is fine at the start, but adding fresh water later totally changes the mix. I'm genuinely worried that method could spoil your whole batch.