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By Katja Heino 9 Comments
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9 Tips for Successful Fermentation

fermented foods, fermentation, sauerkraut

Ready to start fermenting your own foods?  Here’s 9 Tips for Successful Fermentation that have helped me along the way.

Welcome to Part 2 of my fermentation series.  Be sure to check out Part 1: Fermented Foods 101.  I am on a mission to show how easy it is to get started fermenting your own foods.  And with just a few helpful tips, you can be on your way to creating your own healthy, gut-healing foods for you and your family.

9 Tips for Successful Fermentation

1. Anaerobic!  Anaerobic!  Anaerobic!

This is the number one thing to understand about fermenting foods.  Having an oxygen-free environment is crucial for a healthy ferment.  Anaerobic fermentation means “absence of oxygen” and the lactic-acid bacteria, responsible for creating a healthy, stable fermented food, thrive in a low or no-oxygen environment.

Exposing your fermenting foods to oxygen inhibits the growth of good bacteria while leaving you open to mold and yeast that thrive on oxygen. Anaerobic fermentation is achieved by having a completely airtight fermentation jar fitted with an airlock.  The airlock first allow atmospheric oxygen a way to escape the container – pushed up and out.  It also allows for the excess CO2 created by the fermentation to be released.  This keeps the lactic-acid bacteria happy and healthy. Be sure to check out the fermentation jars I use at the end of this post.

2. Use Only High Quality, Unrefined Sea Salt, in the Right Amount

Use an unrefined, high-mineral salt.  Sea salt adds flavor, inhibits mold, and provides important minerals to the lactic acid bacteria.

Using the appropriate amount of salt is important when fermenting foods.  Bacteria that could be harmful to us can’t tolerate much salt, but there are healthy bacteria that can. Using too little salt can leave you open to molds and bacteria.  Using too much salt can inhibit the growth of the good bacteria and shifts the chemistry to salt-cured instead of fermented.

Many vegetables (like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, and ginger)  require a 2% salt brine.  This can be achieved my mixing 19 grams of a good quality unrefined salt with 1 quart of water.

Some vegetables create their own brine as the salt extracts the liquid from the vegetables.  The rule of thumb for cabbage, beets, radishes, and daikon is 19 grams of unrefined salt per 3 pounds of vegetables.

You can check out a handy brine calculator HERE.

3. Temperature Matters

The ideal temperature for vegetables ferments is 68′ – 72′ F.  Milk ferments can tolerate higher temperatures – up to 90’F.

4. Cover Your Ferments

Cover your fermentation vessels to block out UV light because light destroys lactic acid bacteria.  Simple wrap a towel around the vessel, making sure to leave the airlock uncovered.

5. Use Clean Water

Use filtered water without fluoride or chlorine because both kill lactic-acid bacteria.  I have been advised not to use distilled water.  Some folks like to use bottled spring water.

6. Use Only Whole Spices and Herbs

Dry and powdered spices and herb can spoil, leaving you with a funky ferment.

7. Watch Your Airlocks

Be sure to watch that the water does not evaporate out of your airlock, allowing oxygen to enter your fermentation jar.  You can fill your airlock with half water and half vegetable glycerin to prevent this from happening.

8. Use Quality Ingredients

Use high-quality, pesticide-free ingredients (organic).  Pesticides and herbicides will inhibit the growth of healthy bacteria and are just plain bad for us.

9. Leave it Alone!

Resist the urge to peak and open your ferments, especially in the first stages of fermentation.  There are fermentation gases created during the first week of fermentation that perch on top the brine.  These important fermentation gases serve many functions such as developing flavor, protection, stabilizing textures, etc.  Opening the jar also leaves you open to molds, bacteria, and yeast that thrive on oxygen.

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fermented foods, sauerkraut, fermentation

Fermentation jars/lids that I recommend

I have been fermenting foods for quite some time now.  I have experimented with many different jars.  The ones that I personally use are no longer available online, but I have seen similar ones HERE. These type of fermentation jars come with an airlock that needs to be filled with water and work great at keeping oxygen and pathogens out.

I also really love THESE fermentation lids that fit right over wide mouth mason jars.  They are so easy to use and super affordable.

You’ll want to add a weight on top of your fermenting foods so they stay below the brine.  I use glass fermentation weights made specifically for that purpose.  I know some folks get creative and use rocks or other clean/sterile items.

Hope that was helpful.  Happy fermentation!

xo,

Katja

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Filed Under: Healthy Living Tagged With: fermentation, fermented food, gut health, sauerkraut

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kell says

    May 2, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    Thank you for the info, I made my first batch of fermented carrots and cauliflower and I’m not sure if I did something wrong. I used an airlock on both batches and left them for about 7 days. We’ve eaten most of it but but I’ve noticed that there is a thick milky white stuff at the bottom of the jars now, is this normal or has it gone bad? I’ll try again with your suggestions but was just curious if I should tgrow the other stuff I made out?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Katja Heino says

      May 2, 2016 at 10:19 pm

      Hi, there! It’s hard to know without actually seeing it. I tend to not mix things when fermenting as I have noticed that everything ferments at it’s own rate. 7 days is a bit long for the carrots that I do. I tend to do 2-3 days. I find that I get better results when I keep things separate. I do sometimes have some sediment at the bottom of my jars and thicker liquid, but hard to say what you have going on.

      Reply
    • Shannon says

      November 29, 2020 at 9:35 am

      It’s likely yeast. Smell it to be sure it smells sour and not rotten,

      Reply
  2. Sahar says

    October 6, 2017 at 5:56 am

    Hi there, thank you for the info, I made my fermened pickles and cabbage, they didn’t get any mold and they tasted so good… My question is, how can I tell if they are pefectly done?

    Reply
    • Katja Heino says

      October 8, 2017 at 8:21 pm

      Just taste them. It’s a personal preference how long you like them to go. The favor changes the longer they go.

      Reply
  3. Kim says

    September 7, 2018 at 12:59 pm

    Hi Katja. I was wondering if I can use my husband’s beer making plastic buckets that have the airlock on the lids.
    Can you ferment food in plastic??
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katja Heino says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:41 am

      I tend to stay away from fermenting in plastic. There is a lot of enzyme activity happening, and I can’t imagine that the plastic doesn’t leach in to the food in some way. Just my humble opinion. I prefer glass. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Vicki says

    September 10, 2018 at 5:42 pm

    I did hot peppers they have been there for a week (recipe said two weeks), but I noticed mold at the top. BUMMER. Did 3 tablespoons of sea salt to 3 cups of water. Any thoughts on what I did wrong?

    Reply
    • Katja Heino says

      September 25, 2018 at 12:00 pm

      What type of container did you use? I am a big fan of completely anaerobic systems, where ZERO air (and contaminates can get it) because of exactly what you are talking about. If your system lets in air, mold spores and other contaminates can affect your fermentation process. There is mold floating around in the air all of the time, so having a completely closed system is so important.

      Reply

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