Help! Troubleshooting Fermented Vegetables

We want you to be successful. We also know it can be hard to tell when you are new to fermentation. This page has a lot of visuals of things that people question. Please scroll through, what you are wondering is probably in this stream.

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Hi Kirsten,

I recently tried fermenting some rainbow chard stems. They looked and tasted good while they were cementing, but after moving them to the fridge they are starting to turn brown at the tips. They have softened significantly, but don't smell or taste bad. I didn't weigh them down, so some were slightly poking out of the brine. I've attached some pictures. Are these safe to eat?

Thanks for your help,
Cassidy

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Hi Cassidy,
Unless they are somehow off-putting, smell, taste, mold etc. they are likely fine. If they are soft, that could be off-putting, but are safe if they taste fine. If they are mushy or slimy then they are no longer good.
The color and softness likely came from poking out of the brine.
Cheers,
Kirsten

Rainbow chard is beautiful, right down to their stems. Okay, not as much as the leaves, but they are still pretty for a stem and they ferment wonderfully. Unfortunately, a lot of rainbow chard recipes omit the stems, which is too bad because there is flavor to be had and its a great zero-waste option.

flavor hint

Stems in the pickling jar will take on the flavors of the brine spices that you use so this is your chance to be creative. Just take your favorite pickling spice mix and create a brine. If you don’t have a favorite brine, or you haven’t done this before think about checking out a copy of our first book, Fermented Vegetables. You can get copies everywhere, or if you want a signed-to-you or someone as a gift just order one from us.

A personal online course for you

If you want to make these types of stem ferments, or you found this page because you have tried a ferment and its not what you had hoped think about taking a course from us. Here are a couple that you might consider checking out. Also, when you register with the school for free you can drop in and view any of the free preview lessons of any of the instructors’ classes to get a feel for them and what you will be learniing.

Hi Christopher and Kirsten,
I am loving trying all the different ferments from your book, and mostly have had success! This year I had a bumper crop of garlic, and a lot of patience. I Followed the directions for garlic paste. It has been sitting now for 2 weeks, and is starting to turn a brown color. When I took the bag and plastic out, I scooped some out. It smells like garlic! I am worried about the brown. Is this normal? Also on related garlic, is it supposed to kind of turn translucent? I don't worry so much about the liquid ones, I know they are under the brine, and are fine : ).
Thanks!
Candace
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Hi Candace,
We love that you are enjoying our book. Your garlic paste looks perfect! (Which is good news given that looks like a 1/2 gallon jar—I know how much work went into that?) You can add it to your success list.
The browning is the sugars caramelizing and is exactly the color it should be.
As far as the translucent — do you mean the ones up high on the side of the jar — those looks discolored. I would always wipe off the lonely stuff on the sides but everything looks pretty perfect to me.
The main thing you will want to do is store in smaller containers with little airspace.
Hope that helps,
Kirsten

Should Fermented Rainbow Chard Turn Brown?

flavor hint

A personal online course for you

Is Brown Fermented Garlic Paste Normal?