My kraut went from crisp to mush in 48 hours after a temp spike

I had a perfect 3-week ferment going in my basement, but then our AC broke and the room hit 85 degrees. The texture turned to complete mush and the smell got funky fast. Has anyone else had a batch go bad that quickly from heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew_gonzalez8812d ago

My cousin in Arizona lost a whole five gallon crock of pickles last summer when his garage fridge died. He said it turned into a slimy mess overnight once the heat got to it. It seems like once those good bacteria get too warm, the bad ones just take over and ruin everything. I'm way more careful about my ferment spot now after hearing his story.

sandrajackson11d ago

Overnight slimy mess" sounds like a horror movie about pickles. Your cousin basically had a science experiment go wrong in his garage. I can only imagine the smell when he opened that crock.

max41512d ago

My buddy in Phoenix keeps his fermenting hot sauce on the patio all summer. He says the heat just speeds things up and makes it more funky in a good way. I've left sauerkraut in a warm closet for a week past when it was done and it just got more sour, not slimy. That garage fridge dying probably let in air or something. I bet the heat alone didn't ruin the pickles.