So on my way to hot sauce making I'm trying to learn to ferment, and figured I would start with something easy like sauerkraut and pickled green beans. It went ok, but after 4 or 5 days I put it in the fridge. That was about 2 weeks ago and now there is some weird growth...
What is this stuff, and is it still safe to eat? The yellow layer on top is a layer of olive oil (purpose of it was as an airlock). Not sure what the crusties are on top of that with the beans, nor the white/brown spotting on the sauerkraut, but if anyone has any idea that would be helpful.
Also does anyone know of any forums that are catered to more general fermentation questions? Hopefully this thread isn't too far off-topic for these forums.
Looks like just solified olive oil to me. I'm guessing you didnt remove the oil before putting it in the fridge. I have heard of this method but have never used nor would i recommend to anyone. It just seems like more of a headache than what its worth. In the last picture it just looks like separated, solidified olive oil. The white areas around the separation may be from the oil starting to go rancid on you. You will know by the taste if its rancid. With your future ferments, I would highly suggest NOT using oil as your CO2 barrier. If all veggies are submerged under the brine you can leave it open on your counter and have a great ferment. I have made many batches of saurkraut and I put all cabbage in a crock and cover with a dinner plate and some mason jars filled with water to keep everything below the brine. Then I just cover the top with a dish towel and rubberband to keep gnats/flys out. Smaller batches in mason jars packing the saurkraut down very tight will generally be all you need, it stays put. If you decide to start fermenting in sealed jars it is still a good idea to make sure everything is submerged IMO, even though there is not a potential for contamination, the veggies on top may start to rot if left to long. you will also want to "burp" your jars during the fermentation to avoid pressure buildup in the jars.
Good job on the ferments though, saurkraut is a good place to start to get your feet wet in ferment process.
As far as "safe to eat" I think you will be just fine, but the call is all yours. Let your nose be your guide.
Thanks for the info. I tried scooping it out, tasting it (tasted like olive oil), and then heat it up. Turned back to liquid, so I think you were right on that. I think the dotted stuff in the sauerkraut was the same thing, but more distributed. The green beans taste even better than when I first put them in the fridge. Sauerkraut tastes good, but I am going to need to throw it out and make a new batch because it tastes like half-cabbage, half-kraut.
My next ferment adventure are spicy watermelon gherkins in a Fido jar:
http://imgur.com/fSa0hNN
Since I was using the Fido jar I don't think I really needed the olive oil layer, but I'm still just being extra cautious as I get my feet wet.
Havent used the fido jar either but those look really good, I had some seeds to grow the sour cucumber this year but it didnt work out. Took a look at your link and yes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. What works for some may not work for others, its all about how you want to attack the situation. It make me wonder her experiance level in fermenting. I don't consider myself to be a genius on the subject by no means, but I have been fermenting for a while. I have made lots of mistakes along the way too, but have learned from them and adapted. Like her bag filled with water to keep everything submerged, the reason this didnt work it because she cut her saurkraut to fine. If let more coursely chopped this would have worked. I have used this one on pickles and hot sauces ferments myself. Kinda odd, she reccomends the olive oil at the end but says its a pain to remove at the end, and she wouldnt use unless she lost all her lids at the top of the document? Jar 16 (bucket) is my method I descibed to you. She says she wont retest and doesnt reccomed but does not give detail as to why other than "look at this mess". The plate she used, (concave on the back) wouldnt be my first choice but she does have a nice pellicle forming. Like here....
Other resources I have seen say that mold isn't harmful if just skim it off, or that it's not bad as long as the mold is only white, etc. Opinions are mixed on this, but since mold is one of the things I know I'm allergic to, it seemed best to do whatever I can to avoid it; especially until I get some more experience in this art.
It's also possibly that you are right and she is just inexperienced, or doesn't know what she is talking about -- but from my perspective you are both still experts.
The ebooks you linked me are quite detailed and have what sound like some great recipes in them. I am looking forward to trying them.
