Serious question, is there a way to stop ferments from going too fast in heat?

Honestly, I've been making fermented veggies for a while. Tbh, I see that in summer, my ferments often turn out bad. My pickles get soft and mushy every time it gets hot. I moved them to a cooler spot in the house, but it didn't fix it. Ngl, it's annoying because I work hard on this. I heard that grape leaves can help keep them crisp, but it's not sure. It seems like there's no good way to handle changing temps. I'm curious if you've had the same issue.

5 comments

5 Comments

nancycooper4mo ago

Yeah, I always blamed the heat too... but what david928 said about salt amount or the veggies themselves really hit home. I had a whole batch go soft last week and realized I'd been skimping on salt when I was in a hurry. Upped it just a bit and even in the warmth, things stayed way crisper. Totally changed how I start every ferment now.

phoenix_grant341mo ago

I read somewhere that calcium chloride works better than grape leaves for crispness.

blairh964mo ago

Wait, you heard grape leaves might not help? I've been stuffing them in every jar for years thinking the tannins were a sure thing for crispness. That throws my whole routine off.

blair_webb1mo ago

Wait, HOLD UP. You really think grape leaves are doing something? I mean yeah, they've got tannins but I swear it's like superstition at this point. Half the time I toss them in my jars and I still get soft pickles if I don't watch the salt. That david928 guy might be onto something though - I've had warm ferments come out PERFECTLY crisp just with extra salt. Seriously, I'd ditch the leaves for a week and just focus on your brine ratio. It'll throw you off at first but once you see the difference you'll probably never stuff leaves in there again. The tannin thing is such an OLD wives tale, drives me nuts how everyone just assumes it works.

david9284mo ago

Actually, I mean maybe the heat isn't the main problem? A lot of my best ferments have been in warm weather, they just finish faster. Idk, maybe it's your salt amount or the veggies themselves getting soft before they even go in the jar.