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Hi Reader,
Ever opened a jar of fermented pickles, beets or beans only to find… mush?
Or worse—fuzzy growths staring back at you? 😬
Don’t worry—you’re not alone. With just a few simple tweaks, you can stack the odds in your favor and enjoy crisp, tangy, mold-free pickles every time.
These are the exact tricks I rely on in my own kitchen:
- Use fresh-picked local produce. You can ferment just about any vegetable, not just cucumbers. So, if the farmers give you peas, ferment peas. Success is almost guaranteed.
- Use the correct salt concentration. Different vegetables require a different concentration of salt.
- Ferment away from the heat. To avoid kahm yeast and molds, place your jars in an ice chest kept cool with a frozen jug of water. Ideal temps are 65F-72F.
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Keep things moving. Kahm yeast (harmless) and mold (the one you want to avoid) can form on the surface of your brine. To stop them from growing, gently shake your jar once a day to break up the surface and mix any stray spores back into the brine. You can also open the jar and give the brine a quick stir.If you spot yeast or mold, scoop it off first before stirring.
- Making cucumber pickles? Be sure to trim off the blossom ends—the softening enzyme lives there—and add a source of tannins (like a tea leaf, bay leaf, or grape leaf) to help keep your pickles crisp.
More tips specific to cucumbers:
https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-pickles/
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📕 Upcoming Mouthwatering Sauerkraut Book Signing Events |
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Got your calendar handy? If you’re on Vancouver Island, come say hi! I’ll be at this Author-In-Store Event at Volume One Books in Duncan on Saturday, September 13 from 11 am – 1 pm with bubbly samples, a smile, and a pen ready to sign your copy.
In the Vancouver area? Don’t miss the fun at Vinca’s Kitchen in Ladner Village on Tuesday, September 23—I’ll be doing a live demo, sharing tasty bites, and signing books.
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You can safely & easily ferment a wide variety of pickles at home.
Learn the Perfect Pickle Process in my online program and "grow" your own delicious superfoods.
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🔥 Jar #91: Firecracker Finale! |
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We’re this close to our very first milestone—100 jars in the #10KJarChallenge! 🎉
This week’s spotlight: Amy from Mars Hill, NC, who brought some serious spark to her kitchen with a jar of Firecracker Sauerkraut.
If sauerkraut could throw a party, this recipe would be the firework finale. Holly Howe’s Firecracker Sauerkraut is bold, tangy, and just the right amount of spicy—it wakes up your taste buds while keeping the deep, probiotic goodness of traditional kraut. It’s my all-time favorite ferment because it’s simple to make, versatile, and once you try it, you’ll never look at plain kraut the same way again. Jar #91 and counting… we’re just 9 jars away from hitting 💯!
👉 Want to be featured? Upload your next ferment here: https://www.makesauerkraut.com/10kjarchallenge/
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📰 In Case You Missed It...
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Salt Concentration Chart for Vegetable Pickles
If you’re tired of inconsistent results when fermenting pickles, and you’re looking for a reliable way to achieve perfect pickling every time, discover the secret to success and learn why my approach differs from the rest.
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🥒 Get ready for pickle season with the perfect fermentation weights!
Feeling overwhelmed by the myriad of options and conflicting advice on selecting the right fermentation weight for your mason jars?
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⚡ Other Valuable Creators I Follow. Check Them Out! |
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Growfully
Founded by a Certified Master Gardener, Growfully helps make home gardening fun and easy!
On Growfully you’ll find hundreds of articles from myself and my team of gardening experts designed to help you cultivate your very own green thumb. We cover all things organic gardening including vegetable and fruit gardening, container gardening, and indoor plant care. Happy growing! |
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Elizabeth Borelli
Mediterranean lifestyle coach and best-selling author
Tired of “nutrition confusion“, never knowing the right way to eat for more energy, weight loss or gut health?
Join me to discover fun and easy ways to tap into the magic of the Mediterranean, the lifestyle diet strongly associated with longevity and wellness. And because we know changing eating habits means more than great recipes, I'll share tips on everything from stress reduction to habit change,
My new program is designed to help get your juices flowing with simple and delicious recipes you can easily make at home.
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P.S. I’ve been quietly cooking up something spicy with my founding members—lots of jars, lots of crunch, lots of kimchi! 🥢 We’re putting the final touches on my brand-new Kimchi Course, built around my K.I.M.C.H.I. flow (my secret to foolproof kimchi every time). Stay tuned… it’s almost ready to share!
P.P.S. And because one jar is never enough… 😉 I’m also hosting a Fermentation Summit with 16 (and, counting) amazing speakers covering everything from sauerkraut to sourdough, kefir to kombucha. Think of it as a fermentation buffet—you’ll discover the flavor, ferment, or tradition that’s just right for you right now. More details coming soon!
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For fabulous ferments powered by bodacious bacteria and marvelous microbes,
Holly
MakeSauerkraut!
The Website that Takes the Guesswork Out of Fermentation
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