I used to think my sauerkraut was fine if it bubbled a little, but my batch in a San Francisco kitchen proved me wrong.

I kept seeing people say any bubbling means it's active, but my last jar had a tiny bit of fizz and still tasted flat and weird. I finally checked the temperature and realized my kitchen was a steady 58 degrees, way too cold for a good ferment. Has anyone else had a batch fail because it was just a few degrees off?

4 comments

4 Comments

averyc941mo ago

Was I wrong to ignore temperature for so long? Reading about @miaprice's basement ferment and seeing my own flat batch proves even a small drop matters. I guess the microbes really do need their comfort zone.

miaprice1mo ago

My ferment in a chilly Seattle basement stalled completely at 60 degrees.

the_laura1mo ago

Honestly, that's such a classic Seattle problem. I see it with my sourdough starter too, it just goes totally lazy when the house temp dips. It's like everything biological here just slows down for half the year.

lilyt234d ago

Oh man, that's brutal. My kombucha did the exact same thing last winter when our apartment heater broke for a week (which was just miserable all around). A little space heater or even a seedling heat mat placed near the jar can make all the difference, though you gotta watch it doesn't get too hot. I've also had good luck wrapping a heating pad around the container on the lowest setting, just check it every few hours so the yeast doesn't freak out from sudden changes.