• If you have a question about commercial production or the hot sauce business, please post in Startup Help.

fermenting Choosing H20 for Ferment

I recently got my first DEAD FERMENT. I'm new to fermenting (2nd year) so I'm still playin a little. 
 
I used Deer Park water, which appears to be no better than tap water, in the dead ferment. In the past, I've had luck with Fiji & Aquafina. My fastest starting ferments have always been with Fiji water. I typically use wild fermentation, but this year, I started plugging kimchi.
 
What water is your go to? Have you had dead ferments with certain water? Let's talk about h20 choices & how it affects fermentation! ANY HELP OR RESOURCES ON WATER & FERMENTATION would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
 
Any water that is sterile, but does not have chemicals in it should work fine. Chlorinated tap water will kill stuff fast. I would look for jugs of spring water at the grocery store. Or to be absolutely sure it's not chemically treated, get distilled water. I often forget how lucky I am I have an artsian well.
 
DaQatz said:
Any water that is sterile, but does not have chemicals in it should work fine. Chlorinated tap water will kill stuff fast. I would look for jugs of spring water at the grocery store. Or to be absolutely sure it's not chemically treated, get distilled water. I often forget how lucky I am I have an artsian well.
Artisan well!?? You lucky dog! Here in Middle TN we have 2 million year old limestone aquifers that are fantastic. I'm in the city. If we have a major water shortage, TN will make a killing on water...
 
I question Deer Park being from "natural springs." On their website, they talk about their process of purifying tap water. Why would a bottling company need to disclose that if their water came from springs? They don't identify specific springs for batches, but instead, they point to many different sources across the country. Seems a sham to me. 
 
I use well water.
 
Almost half the bottled water out there is just city water, including Nestle's Aquafina brand.
 
Nestle owns serveral different brands, with some coming from the same water source, but sold at different prices, in the same store. Imagine that.
 
I have one of those Pur faucet filters on my sink and I let the water sit for a little while. Do you know if your water has chlorine or chloramine? Chlorine will evaporate in a little while (8 hours or so) but chloramine stays in the water for days and may not separate itself from the water during boiling. I have been doing aquariums and such for 10 years and my old town switched to chloramine. It kills things and it is absolutely necessary to treat the water or put it through a filter. I worked for a pet store at the time of the switch and we had to go to a meeting to learn about the change and what it meant for aquatic animals. It may be best to just use the fiji like you're used to!
 
Back
Top