Just had a kraut batch go bad after 3 weeks of waiting

I was fermenting a batch of red cabbage in my garage and around day 10 I noticed a weird pink ring forming at the top. Thought it was just yeast at first, but by day 14 it smelled like dirty socks and had this slimy film. Turns out my airlock dried out and oxygen got in, which let some mold take hold. I dumped the whole thing, which was about 2 gallons of work down the drain. Has anyone here had luck saving a batch that got a nasty pellicle or do you always toss it?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.christopher5d ago

You ever check the pH of that batch before you pitched it? I'm not saying it would've saved it for sure, but a lot of folks don't realize that if your brine isn't acidic enough right from the start, the good bacteria never get a fighting chance to outcompete the bad stuff. I always test mine with strips and shoot for a pH under 4.6 when I start, especially with cabbage... it's got a lot of natural sugars that can feed the wrong things if the environment isn't hostile enough. That pink ring and slimy film sound like a classic case of Serratia marcescens or some other nasty bacteria that thrives where the pH is too neutral. At that point, nah, you did the right thing dumping it... you can't really save something once that pink slime shows up, because the toxins it leaves behind aren't always killed by boiling. Next time, maybe drop a little extra salt or a splash of vinegar in the brine just to give your ferment a head start on the acidity.

gray_gibson5d ago

Webb.christopher knows his stuff but I'd rather burn dinner than check pH like a scientist.