By the way during my fermenting of cucumbers I placed fresh garlic, dill, pepper, proper salt ratio that came with crock pot recipe, and of course I did have great results with my first jar that I ate.

Thanks for any help.

I'm not even going there with my guesses at this point, but 'fizzing' suggests there was an expulsion of gas. Fermentation gives off gas, but you essentially stopped the fermentation process when you canned them if you processed them at all with heat, so I can't see it coming from fermentation. (If you used an approved method). So that leaves it open to speculation if the gas was produced by spoilage.

If there is any chance something is spoilt, especially low acid foods I never taste them to see if they are off. I guess the fizzing would have made me concerned, as I have canned kraut and other fermented items and never had them fizz, so I'm curious to see what others may say.

Carol

I assume that's the Harsch recipe; it's akin to a half-sour and is meant for cool conditions (i.e. refrigeration) and fairly quick consumption.

When you seal a low-salt pickle not meant for shelf storage into a jar and leave it where temperatures go as high as 77 degrees, that's an invitation to spoilage, which is what happened.

Sadly, I'd throw them out.

I've provided a link to an excellent document which includes very specific instructions on fermented pickles, various brine strengths, the correct procedure for processing.

If crispness is a significant concern, note the comments about food-grade calcium chloride, which can be used during fermentation or in the jar before sealing and heat-processing.

You can still use your Harsch crock (I have one.) but for shelf storage use the recipe provided at the link. You can use the Harsch "recipe" for spices if you like, just make sure the brine is stronger.

Carol

I sympathize with your family's health issues and your desire to focus on low-salt fermented products which retain as many of the original beneficial enzymes and bacteria as possible.

Realistically, your best bet would be to assume these fermented products will have a life of 2-3 months (max) under refrigeration or quite cool temperatures. Since you're dealing with living organisms, it's not realistic to expect them to survive beyond their natural cycle.

In that situation, I'd focus on "fermentation seasons" just like gardeners do with the foods they grow. So in the summer up to perhaps early fall you can ferment cucumbers. Plan a rotation of other live fermented foods, starting each several weeks before the previous product has been totally consumed.

That means when the cucumbers are gone, you ferment sauerkraut. Other products would include kimchi, fermented turnips, soured mustard greens, Japanese radish pickles etc. etc. working through the winter months with varied vegetables and recipes as different foods become available.

I'd recommend you pick up a copy of The Joy of Pickling and check out the chapter on Fermented Pickles. There's also a no-salt dill pickle in that book. The new edition is 2009 but if you're watching the budget, look for a used copy of the previous edition. Since you're not canning but focusing on live fermentation, the earlier edition will serve just fine.

Also, there's one thread still on this forum for kimchi, numerous threads on sauerkraut and a thread on fermented green beans.

Finally, if you go to this link you'll find a forum specifically attuned to your concerns. Wild Fermentation Forums.

I hope this helps.

Carol

I ferment sauerkraut every year, some years I've packed 50 or 55 quarts of the stuff, but I heat process it in a hot water batch. Grandma used to keep it in the crock in the basement, but it tended to be about 45F year round down there and so things would keep longer.

Annie

when you heat process your sauerkraut does the process kill all the good bacteria in the sauerkraut?

You're balancing out nutrition v.s. longevity. Heat processing stabilizes the product so that it can be kept longer. In your case, you may decide that you're going to ferment in quite small batches, maintaining a consistent rotation, so that cool storage and refrigeration are manageable.

I am especially concerned about the 77 degrees in summer. Fermentation becomes extremely challenging when you reach the upper limit of the 70's because it's almost impossible to prevent spoilage. Realistically under those conditions you will need to increase the salt for its preservative effect. In the old days summer fermentation used more salt than winter fermentation.

You may then need to rinse the excess salt before refrigerating.

I'm not being sarcastic when I say, "Eat lots of yogurt." Beneficial bacteria without the issues of fermented vegetables.

Carol