Got a notice from my landlord about my pickling hobby

I just got a letter from my landlord saying I have to stop all my pickling projects. They claim the smells are bothering other tenants. I've been into pickling for years without any issues. Now they say it's a health hazard because of bacteria. But I follow all the safety steps, like using clean jars and the right salt. It feels like they're just being picky about nothing. I talked to my neighbor, and she said she actually likes the smell. This new rule is going to ruin my summer plans for homemade hot sauce.

3 comments

3 Comments

ellis.ivan2mo ago

That's such a bummer, it sounds like your landlord has never smelled real funk before. My old place had the same issue with my fermented garlic honey. The hallways would smell like a deli for a day, which honestly beats the smell of my neighbor's cheap cigars any time. They tried to call it a bio-hazard too, which is just silly if you're doing it right. Landlords sometimes fixate on the weirdest things instead of actual problems.

ryanprice2mo ago

Honestly I used to agree with you until troyp37's point about the legal stuff made sense.

troyp372mo agoTop Commenter

My cousin's lease actually has a clause about "non commercial food processing" after his kimchi phase. I mean it's not about the smell really, it's that landlords hear "fermenting" and picture jars exploding or botulism. They don't get that salt and honey are preservatives. The worry is always about property damage or getting sued, not the actual funky smell. So they call it a biohazard to cover themselves legally, even if it's perfectly safe.