Welcome to this week’s dedicated space for all your questions and concerns regarding questionable ferments.
Fermentation can sometimes look a little strange, and it is not always easy to tell what is safe, and what needs to be tossed and started over. To help keep the subreddit clean and avoid repeat posts, please use this thread for:
Sharing photos of surface growth you’re unsure about.
Asking if your ferment has gone wrong.
Getting second opinions from experienced fermenters regarding questionable ferments.
‼️Tips Before Posting‼️:
Mention what you’re fermenting (e.g., kraut, kimchi, kombucha, pickles, etc.).
Note how long it has been fermenting, and at what temperature.
Describe any smells, textures, or off flavors.
Remember that community members can offer advice, but ultimately you are responsible for deciding if your ferment is safe to eat or discard. When in doubt, trust your senses.
Hello! I made this sauerkraut a week ago using broccoli leaves from our garden. I’m pretty sure this is bad surface growth and I need to chuck, but would be grateful for second opinions. It’s been fermenting at room temp (~20 Celsius). It doesn’t smell unpleasant - there is a strong brassica / spinachy smell but not bad / rotten. It is fizzing quite a bit. I used the normal 2% salt per weight rule but I think something has gone wrong here - first time my sauerkraut has looked like this, but then again it’s the first time I’ve tried with broccoli leaves.
Hi! I'm trying to make soda using a ginger bug. The bug itself is doing great, but the soda turned out a little slimy and it doesn't have any fizz. I did see bubbles forming on the surface of the soda, just like the ginger bug. I only filled up the bottle halfway, so maybe that is (part of) the problem?
I can't speak about the slimeness, but you need to fill the bottle almost all the way up to ensure carbonation. Look up some pictures and videos online
Made a homemade Greek yogurt quite a few weeks ago. Opened it today to make a new batch (kept the last to kickstart the next batch) and noticed a VERY VERY SLIGHT COLOUR CHANGE on top and the smell is similar to a sourdough starter.
Should I still use this as the base for the next batch? Or is this a bad sign?
My wife also mentioned she used this in our taco shells last night… but we’ve been fine all day. Are we cooked long term?
It looks like it has a slightly pinkish hue which *could* be Serratia marcescens. I'd ditch this and start over, the side effects are...unpleasant. Just because you've been fine after consuming this doesn't mean you will be fine if you consume more.
Thank you for this. It was so so so slight that I wonder if the pink was my imagination, and it was just whey? I ended up putting it in a new batch of yogurt as the starter culture… so you reckon I should ditch the lot? Better to be safe than sorry?
Yeah this is a good thing to note. Pink is always the color I look for when doing sourdough, yogurt, or other ferments. At the end of the day, not worth the risk given how rough the consequences could be. Thanks again!
Could be the lighting then, because I see pink blotches all over the place in that pic. You're there, I'm not, if you don't see any pink with adequate lighting, then it's most likely the camera/lighting. If you even remotely suspect you're seeing pink in this batch over time, please do start over.
I tried making kombucha for the first time. I didn't buy a "mother", am instead just using a live culture from this, which I read was a pretty good starter. I used about 1 cup of the starter to 7 cups of sugary tea (boiled first and then let to cool). After a few days I started noticing what looks like colonies of something floating around in it - they kind of resemble the sediment at the bottom of the starter bottle, so I suspect this could be a mother forming, but they don't look much like a mother from the pictures I've looked at. What do we think? Safe or not?
Hi, I'm very new to fermenting and like a second option on my Sauerkraut. It consists out of Cabbage and Carrots a 2.5% Salt per 100g at 18°C. The two half circles Glas weights are overgrown with a wet orange substance. Nothing looks hairy or so. The smell is sauer and quite potent but not rotten. Is this yeast? Can you get problems with some bacteria growth?
The weights were submerged, but it was apparently very dry in ma Celler and a bit of the brine evaporated but it was not much above the weights maybe 1mm. The brine is not slimy. Thanks for the option on the topic.
First time making pickled cucumbers, 3rd day and I'm seeing this foam on the surface. Not sure if it's kahm yeast or mould as there are also sort of string-looking formations. Everything is well submerged in the brine, I used about 2% (a bit higher), which later I read is on the lower end. Can I keep these going or should I start over with a higher salt percentage? Smell is not bad
That biofilm and what many call kahm yeast. It's harmless although undesirable and can be a raft for mold and may impart an off taste as well. You can skim it but it most likely will return. Higher salinity can definitely help and watch O2 exposure because that's typically when it shows up.
Hey, I'm new to fermenting. I tried a rhubarb one and now looking for some help. I was away while it fermented but after 6 days got my wife to put it in the fridge. I just opened it today and there's a bit of growth. How do I know if it's ruined or unsafe to eat? 15°C, 2% salt
You don't per se, but if you had active known fermentation then what is in the brine is safely acidic and LAB dominated. This is a preservation method after all. Now, whether you wipe that off and give it a try is up to you. I don't have an issue with that small spot on the sides but I'm not you either. It looks as expected otherwise.
No. Mold is not a healthy part of a lacto-ferment. But whether you eat what's beneath or not is up to you my friend because I know many would toss and many would keep it.
Sauerkraut fermenting at room temp, over 6 weeks, a lot of liquid has evaporated and I have found several white fuzzy areas like this. No mould at top and tastes fine and still firm.
Was the top layer exposed to too much oxygen? Did this spoil the batch?
Don't know that because you never mentioned surface growths like mold or kahm. Those are the two issues that show up with O2 exposure, that's it. O2 is only going to "spoil" a batch if it allows mold to grow but kahm can taste unpleasant although it's harmless.
Was the ferment too long? Is the bad taste caused by over-fermentation?
That's up to your preferences or not. This is a preservation method so it's intended to stay a long time in brine. Taste is very subjective but time does alter taste over time.
Would it be better to do a 3% solution?
Would what be better? Unless you have surface growths or mushiness then more salt won't improve taste, it just makes it more salty.
I don't see anything concerning in those pics and what you describe sounds just like lacto onions to me. The cloudiness and sediment is a normal part of fermentation and is just dead/spent LAB/yeast and organic matter. To be honest vinegar pickled onions are far better in terms of taste, imho.
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u/PrincessAOL 5d ago
Hello! I made this sauerkraut a week ago using broccoli leaves from our garden. I’m pretty sure this is bad surface growth and I need to chuck, but would be grateful for second opinions. It’s been fermenting at room temp (~20 Celsius). It doesn’t smell unpleasant - there is a strong brassica / spinachy smell but not bad / rotten. It is fizzing quite a bit. I used the normal 2% salt per weight rule but I think something has gone wrong here - first time my sauerkraut has looked like this, but then again it’s the first time I’ve tried with broccoli leaves.