# Traditional foods/lacto-fermentation anyone?



## OldFashionedMama (Jun 18, 2009)

I was raised in a traditional foods family. My parents still make bread and butter pickles, sauerkraut, pickled peppers...heck pickled ANYTHING. I never was much interested in it growing up, but now I am. Since I love pickles, I'd like to do a batch of brine pickles this year instead of fresh pack. I have a root cellar and even an old glass dill crock that was left here ages ago from the original owner. My biggest concern with this method is safety. (bad bacteria, mold, etc...) How do I get started?


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

If it's anything like traditional canning I'd say use brand new lids and seals etc. Also boil and sterilize everything. Keep your work area super clean. 

I don't really know anything about lacto- stuff.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I'm thinking about pickling chicken eggs, I'm just wondering if it is worth it tho...


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## OldFashionedMama (Jun 18, 2009)

Canadian said:


> If it's anything like traditional canning I'd say use brand new lids and seals etc. Also boil and sterilize everything. Keep your work area super clean.
> 
> I don't really know anything about lacto- stuff.


The canning process is basically the same. It's the actual fermentation process that worries me because I'm not familiar with it. For some reason leaving vegetables to ferment in a dark room for six weeks seems icky to me, or there's too much opportunity for bad things to develop. My stepmother thinks I'm a germophobe because I process my spaghetti sauce and other things-she just inverts the jars. In her defense, no one ever got sick while we were growing up from "improperly" processed food, and of course she pressure-cans all the low-acid stuff. I over-processed some of my fresh pack pickles last year and they got all wrinkly and mushy....I'm still trying to get over my fear of the lids not sealing


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## Woodwife (Jul 17, 2009)

I've made sauerkraut and fermented dills.

Don't be afraid 

The salt and in the case of pickles a little bit of vinegar keep the nasty beasties in check until the lactic acid developed during fermentation takes over. Then the lactic acid keeps everything in check.

The tricky part is keeping the veggies submerged under the brine. Anything that sticks out into the air will mold and get mushy. 

Sometimes a harmless slimy white mold will gather on the sides of the container above the brine and on whatever you're using to hold the vegetables down. Just remove it and carry on.:congrat:


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