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6 month lacto ferment finally convinced me pH testing matters
I used to think pH strips were just extra fuss. For two years I winged it with my hot sauce ferments. Then I let a batch of jalapeno mash sit for 6 months and it came out tasting flat and a little off. I finally bought a cheap pH meter and checked it. The reading was 5.2, way too high. Now I test every ferment at week two and again before bottling. Anyone else run into a ferment that looked fine but was actually unsafe?
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kai_west1mo ago
6 month lacto ferment finally convinced me pH testing matters" - yeah that line hit me hard because I was exactly the same way. I spent like three years doing ferments by feel and smell and thought I was hot stuff. Then I had a batch of habanero mango that looked perfect, no mold no weird floaters, but it tasted kind of dull and I got a little stomach ache after eating it. Borrowed a friends pH meter and it was 4.8, way too high for something that had been sitting for a month. That scared me straight. Now I test everything at two weeks and again before I blend it. It's not that hard and it takes like 30 seconds. The peace of mind is worth the price of a cheap meter.
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parkerkim1mo ago
The cheap meter from amazon for like 30 bucks changed everything for me after a similar scare. My problem was a batch of garlic dill pickles that smelled fine but after a month the brine turned cloudy and weird. pH was at 5.2, totally unsafe. Now I test at day 7 and day 14, and it takes maybe a minute tops. Calibrating once a month keeps it solid. That tiny bit of effort beats the worry of feeding someone bad ferment.
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elizabeth_gonzalez4d ago
Feels a little overblown honestly... @parkerkim are we really that worried about a stomach ache?
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