Hey Kirsten!
I have just started fermenting - this is my third little project - and I'm loving this whole new culinary world I've just discovered :-) My first 2 jars have been great (dilly carrots and sauerkraut, both plain salt ferments) fizzing away happily and needing regular burping. My last baby however isn't apparently doing anything...There's no CO2 that I can see or hear.
In the jar are 3 peeled aubergines, I think 1 tbsp of salt, chilli flakes, dried oregano and 2 cloves of garlic. I peeled the skins off, then peeled the flesh into thin strips, massaged it all together to release the juices, put it all in a clean jar and stuck a smaller jar inside to press it all down. That was almost a week ago. It all smells fine and there's no mould or anything nasty growing...any ideas?
Ps thanks for the help section and all your advise! It's become my nightly reading these past few evenings before bed ;-)
Best wishes
Carley
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Hey Carley,
Nice to hear from you! And so glad you are enjoying all the fun and new flavors you are discovering. A warning, it can be addicting but you might already know that given you’ve been reading our troubleshooting posts as bedtime reading. :-)
Your ferment looks great. Here is the thing with the bubbles—some ferments work just fine with never a visible bubble. The CO2 is produced when the bacteria consume the carbohydrates —the sugar. Some vegetables just don’t have as much sugar—your aubergines being one of them. So it is likely fermenting just fine with very little CO2 activity. It should starting smelling and tasting pickling at some point over the next week.
Cheers,
Kirsten