Hi, Kirsten,
Thanks for being willing to take a look!
To go along with the pictures I’ll describe how it smells... not great!
Let me know if you need different photos to determine what’s a happening.
Andy
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Good Morning Andy!
You are right the top is nasty and I am sure smells — not great! It looks like a mix of bacterial, mold, and yeast growth that you don’t want. That said, the bottom is totally fine. You also have a nice layer of plastic to help you pull all that off carefully. Once you pull it off, skim the top of the paste until you are at the bright red color that I see in the photo. Also wipe the sides of your jar down with a paper towel. I think you will find that is great underneath. (Remember everything that is anaerobic is fine.)
Hope that helps,
Kirsten
Thanks so much! I did my best to skim first—the plastic was held down by a pair of large weights—and then remove the weights and plastic. I’m sure some of the bacterial/mold/yeast mix is still around... I’ve placed it in a smaller jar. I’m likely going to let it ferment a bit longer before putting it in the refrigerator. Will that make the ferment “stronger” in terms of fighting off bad growth, or is my understanding of fermentation that bad?
Thanks again for the help—I promise not to abuse your inbox!
Andy
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Hi Andy,
This looks great. You are fine and any bits that are left will only grow again if they have access to oxygen.
Your ferment is strong as soon as it is acidic and nothing pathogenic can live in the anaerobic acidic environment, if you get any nasty growth is would be only on the surface.
At this point letting it ferment longer is going to mostly be about flavor. I, of course, don’t know what the acidity is but likely it will not get much more acidic with time. Usually the bulk of the acidity develops in the first few weeks.
I hope that helps, and no worries ask away until you feel like you got it.
Cheers,
Kirsten