My vegetables are not fermenting

More than once we’ve been asked, “What is going wrong? My ferments just don’t ferment. I make them and wait and then throw every thing out and start again.” 
“How do you know? Was there mold? Slime?” 
 “No, absolutely nothing happened. Nothing. No bubbling. No mold. Nothing.”
“Did you smell and taste it?”
“No.”
“Well, you might have just had an quiet ferment—always check on it before throwing it out. Likely it was perfect.”
Watching a ferment actively bubble is very satisfying and many ferments offer plenty of effervescence to please that need to know something is happening. Beets for example usually don’t disappoint, you can think of them as extroverted. They are working and they want you to know it. If you are a beer or wine or cider maker you are used to that first ferment where the yeasts are pushing all kinds of foamy sludge from the carboy. If that doesn’t happen in brewing you know there might be a problem. In vegetable ferments you may or may not see active fermentation. It depends on the usual list of variables such as sugar content or environmental conditions. 
The introverts on the other hand are quiet. Our little bacteria processors hard at work and we cannot see or hear a thing. Just like it is okay when your ferment is bubbling out of the container it is not a sign of failure if you don’t see or hear a bubble. 

This isn't always the case. Of course, there are other reasons that a ferment won't ferment—this is just a reminder to make sure it truly hasn't fermented before you throw out your ferment.

Vegetables Floating on Top of the Brine?

QUESTION :: I tried Cebollas Encurtidas per the recipe in your book. It seemed to do OK but the onions, as a bunch, seemed to keep wanting to float above the brine. The weight I used was the water in the baggie trick and it clearly wasn’t heavy enough to keep everything down.

There still appeared to be some brine above the onions, so I think they remained unexposed for the most part. But I did not expect this (see picture). Is this normal for this recipe? Do I just need a heavier weight? If I catch it doing this, do I just keep pushing it down to the bottom?

I ended up scraping the top layer of onion off and tasted the rest. It didn’t taste bad, but I have no frame of reference for this recipe so I don’t know if the taste was right.

Thoughts?

Dave

ANSWER :: This happens, it is not recipe or onion specific. It is as you suspect—not enough weight.  The high amount of released CO2 is trapped between the onions and causing them to float above the brine. To solve this simply push the vegetables back under the brine and add more weight. It is a good rule of thumb to remember that the larger ferments require larger bags with more water.

Some ferments just need more babysitting then others. This can happen with wetter ferments such as this one or pepper pastes. Just keep pressing your floating veggies back under the brine.

I don't see any bubbling, is my kraut okay?

Question::

I am trying my first batch of fermented cabbage and have a question.  I followed your instructions. The cabbage is in a glass jar with large leaves on top.  Then I put a filled zip lock bag on top of that and then it is covered with a towel. It has been sitting for 4 days and nothing appears to be happening in terms of bubbling and releasing of CO2. 

My question is this: I pushed the bag into all "corners" of the jar so it is pretty well sealed. Does the gas have to escape or is it so well sealed that releasing the gas in unnecessary?  Because all the cabbage has remained under the leaves, I have just let it sit and have not pressed it down more. THANKS for the help,

Best regards,

T.

Answer:: 

Your ferment looks great. The color looks good and that it is starting to change. You did a wonderful job of placing your zip lock bag, you want it well sealed like you have it. The CO2 can escape while the cabbage is kept weighted down. 

The thing with fermenting is that there is a bit of variation. Not all ferments cause a wild scene while working. I like to say they are introverted. :) Some reasons for that are due to the sugar content of the vegetables—this varies even from cabbage to cabbage.

The other thing that can cause a ferment to move slowly is cooler temperatures. If the location that it is in is chilly you can move it to a warmer spot. Likely it is fine and is just working slowly.

As you see the cabbage turn more yellow (notice that some in your picture have a more yellow quality) and less green you can feel free to taste it. You will taste the acidity. Just press it down and repack after you “sneak” a little out.

Can I still eat this sauerkraut?

Question :: When I pulled this beet sauerkraut out of the back of my refrigerator I found this  this white growth on top. Is it still safe to eat?  — Jane, CA

Answer :: It looks like you have two things happening on the top of the sauerkraut. The first is kahm yeast which is harmless but it makes the flavor quite "yeasty". The other issue appears to be mold. This is something you do not want to eat. Both of these things happen with the exposure to air and can be avoided by pressing your sauerkraut under the brine before storage. Also always use clean utensils.

Because of the condensation on the container it is difficult to see the sauerkraut that is under the affected area. It appears there are air bubbles throughout the kraut. If this is the case the entire batch may have been exposed to air in which case the molds and yeasts can move throughout the kraut. This sadly means it must move on to the compost pile.

When you are faced with a sauerkraut that has something undesirable on top you do not always need to throw the whole thing away. Often it is just the top layer and maybe the first inch of sauerkraut that must be composted. Everything under the brine is anaerobic and safe to eat. 

The best thing to understand is if it is bad you will know it is bad. Flavor, color, smell—all your senses will let you know.

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At the fermentation school Kirsten offers a simple Learn to Ferment Sauerkraut and Pickles class for $16, Learn to Make Fermented Hot Sauces for $35, a Mastering Fermented Vegetables for $78 and a special bundle of the last two for a discounted price of $93.

Is my brine fine?

Question :: "This brine keeps overflowing!  I put the batch in a larger jar and submerged it was another jar of water like you mentioned, but the brine keeps spilling out.  How does volume increase like this? Just expanding? Oh wait, I pushed down on it, and it released a ton of bubbles. So I was able to pour that brine back in, and it seems like I'll just keep doing that? Should I put it in divided jars?"

Answer :: You are right that pressing it down and letting the brine sink back into the cabbage is what needs to be done. The jar is quite full and so there isn't much room to accommodate the action. You will need to press it down regularly, or you can press it into a larger jar. Thanks for the photo!

As far as the CO2 action you are seeing--it is different all the time. Some cabbage batches are not as active as well…its a funny thing and hard to predict. The good news is even the quiet ones are working.