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I’ve received a lot of questions about how long a lacto-ferment should ‘perk.’ Particularly, I’ve been asked how you know something is ready and when to transfer it to the fridge and then begin consuming the food.
How do I know it’s done?
Like much of what takes place in your kitchen, lacto-fermentation is both science and art. Just as a bread dough doesn’t have a specific number of minutes on the counter to proof each time you make it, you must learn the art of looking for the signs to know when a lacto-ferment is ready.
Curing time isn’t as straightforward as you might think. There’s no magic formula giving you a set number of days due to the variations in produce and in temperatures ranges. Instead, there’s cues you should look for that take place within a number of days. So in lieu of a chart giving number of days, I’m going to tell you general guidelines of what to look for instead.
I’m still doing a lot of research and reading on the topic and we’ll go into deeper details in a future post.
First, leave your ferments on the counter until the active bubbling stops. Depending on what you’re fermenting this can go from 3-10 days. Then you can transfer it to the fridge for it to finish lacto-fermenting.
Second, if you pull a ferment out of the fridge and taste it and it tastes too salty or not tangy or zippy enough, it’s not done. Put it back in the fridge and try again in a few weeks. The lactic acid bacteria use the salt, which affects the amount of salt you taste when you sample it. Give them more time to use it up.
Third, if your sauerkraut tastes more like cabbage and less like kraut, it isn’t ready. Once a ferment is done, the cabbage flavor won’t be there because the LABs have eaten all of the sugar and starch in the vegetables. Kraut takes 10-12 weeks to go through all four stages of fermentation. Other ferments don’t take nearly as long- most are ready by 10 days.
Want to read more about fermentation, including articles with references and more information on vessel types? See our Related Posts for all of the articles in this series.
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I am starting a new batch of beet kvass this morning in my Pickl-It instead of my gallon jar…anxious to see how that goes. (based on all the incredible info you were putting out there last week!) Lat year I began making a far less salty version of beet kvass and now we love it. (I think if you google Durga’s Beet kvass you would find the recipe I am using)
The NT version was so salty it was undrinkable…even after months and months in the fridge. This new recipe tastes earthy and tangy….I could drink it by the glassful, but try to limit myself to about 4 oz. Even my husband is starting to drink it!
I’m new to fermenting, but fell pretty much immediately in love with it. Your blog is so helpful and interesting! Thanks for putting in the time! I look forward to following you for a long time.
Me ∞ recently posted..Inplicit Simplicity
Can you verify what you know about the temperature that fermenting stops? From what I understand bacteria stop dividing and multiplying under 40 degrees. Also what about the pH of the ferments – can measuring pH be helpful to know whether your ferment environment is good and ready regardless of the method?
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Yes- ideal storage temperature is 50 degrees and most refrigerators are around 40 degrees. That’s why I recommend a root cellar or basement if you have one- it’s a better temp.
pH can let you know about the exclusion of certain types of bacteria, but it doesn’t give you a total picture of the types of bacteria in a mixture. From a food safety standpoint, it’s used to exclude some of the dangers like botulism.
KerryAnn Foster recently posted..Fermentation Frustration: Do Traditional Foods Change?