Hi Reader, This past weekend I whipped up a triple batch of Sweet Garlic Sauerkraut to prep for my upcoming book signings—and it reminded me of a few tricks you might love for your next sauerkraut-making session. Here’s how to make sauerkraut easier, faster, and foolproof: Go big with a triple batch.Triple the ease, triple the joy. All my recipes scale beautifully: 200 grams of carrots? Make it 600. 20 grams of garlic? Scale up to 60. Simple math, big payoff. Weigh before you prep.I pile...

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...

My first batches of fermented pickles were made by pouring a salty brine over a jar of packed cucumbers, just like almost all the other online recipes. Some batches turned out perfect, some moldy. Some of the pickles stayed crispy; others turned to mush. Have you had a similar experience, Reader? I wanted to know why, so I started researching and experimenting 👩🔬 🔬 and eventually switched to calculating the amount of salt I added based on both the weight of the vegetables packed into my jar...