How Long Will My Ferment Last?
I often hear from people asking how long they can expect their fermentation to remain edible once the fermentation is complete. The general answer is a long time! One of the primary reasons that people have been fermenting foods for millennia is food preservation. Before the age of electricity and refrigeration, much of the world needed to be able to collect foods when ready to harvest yet store them for consumption throughout the remainder of the year. While there are other techniques for storing foods for longer periods (most notably drying), fermentation not only transforms food by making it easier to digest, synthesizing nutrients, and enhancing flavor, but it helps to make foods last much longer, often indefinitely.
Through the process of fermentation, the environment within which the food resides becomes increasingly more acidic. This byproduct of fermentation (largely lactic acid) creates an environment which helps prevent the growth of harmful microbes, while allowing more beneficial ones to thrive.
After your ferment reaches the flavor level which you desire, it is best to store it in the refrigerator if possible. If not possible then the cooler the place the better, as the cooler temperature considerably slows the fermentation process. Although fermentation continues at cooler temperatures, it slows to an extent that helps to maintain the acidic/flavor levels and preserve the food for a longer period of time.
I keep a small refrigerator in my garage for storing excess ferments and occasionally open a jar of something that may have been there for a couple of years or more. It’s always tasty, albeit generally more sour that it was when first placed there. The best long storage ferment that I have is my Fermented Spicy Daikon Radish Spears. They are tantalizingly sour yet still sufficiently crispy. KimChi can last a long time too but it does gain more sourness with time. It’s up to you whether or not that suits your palate.
As always, let your taste and eyes be the judge. If a ferment just seems “off” or has become mushy, or obviously moldy, you can toss it, but almost always, they age just fine. I’m looking forward to the day I can taste a 10 year old ferment and see how it has developed over that longer time period.
I’m in on the fermenting craze and would just love new recipes all the time!
Can you ferment meat and eggs? If yes, how long will it last?
I wish I could answer that for you intelligently, but it is not in my area of expertise. I eat mostly vegan so meats and egg ferments aren’t a staple part of my diet/kitchen. I’ll be adding a forum to this site shortly, so that our greater community might be able to assist with questions such as yours. Good luck!
Hey!
I have access to some kale bloom (not open) heads. We use then like broccoli rabe – tastes great! I want to do a ferment of them like sauerkraut. An suggestion for herbs/seeds etc to compliment? I was thinking about garlic, dill pepper flakes. Kind of like a dill pickle. Suggestions?
I’m not quite sure as I haven’t tasted the kale bloom heads before. Not sure about the Garlic-Dill but that may work too. Perhaps something sweet with them like pieces of raisins or dates. Ginger might be interesting as well. Let us know what you try and how it goes. Thanks Daphnee and good luck.
can you transfer the fermented veggies to vinegar or does this defeat the object?
It’s generally not necessary to transfer to vinegar as the fermentation process creates it’s own acidic environment which acts as a preservative. If you do transfer to vinegar, it’s likely that some of the beneficial micro-organisms will die off since the new environment may not be hospitable to them. The nutritive value as well as the “pre-biotic” value is still there in the food. So in terms of probiotic benefit, it may be hampered by transferring to vinegar, but there remain viable healthy reasons for still eating it. Hope that helps.
How can I make fermented hot pepper mash
I’m not sure what “mash” is in this context. Here is a recipe for making a fermented paste with hot peppers. Perhaps this will help: https://www.fermentationrecipes.com/firecracker-pepper-garlic-hot-sauce/569.
Good luck!
My ferments are 2 weeks old but stopped bubbling after a week. Should I be concerned that something had gone wrong?
Hard to know. It’s possible that it was a particularly active fermentation and the lactobacillus consumed most of the available starches/sugars. This would cause it to slow or perhaps even stop. Does it smell fine? Taste? Maybe it’s simply done and ready?
Dear Fermin Ted, I am new at this, and am just wondering if when it is time to transfer my jarred veggies to the fridge, can I still use the a silicone airlock or switch to either a sterilized metal or plastic lid? Thanks! Lee☺
Hi Leah, you can use the silicone airlock or switch to a lid. I generally switch to a lid once I’m ready to put my ferments in the fridge. Enjoy…